April 16, 2010 at 8:54 am
fhanlon (4/16/2010)
Non monetary rewards often are way more memorable. When I got my MCDBA my employer at the time bought me a jacket with 'Microsoft Certified DBA' embroidered on it. (any the company logo on the sleeve) I still wear the jacket. I remember the baseball tickets that were periodically given out to employees. Money's great but a thank you card with a gift certificate for a restaurant is really memorable. I now work at a quasi government office where these kind of things aren't done because many members of the public take a dim view of public money being spent this way, but it is a matter of degree. You can't spend huge amounts on money on rewards like this but reasonable and thoughtful gifts to employees can be part of a great HR rentention and loyalty program.
But how does your company pick a reward that would be wanted by everyone it's given to? I, for example, never eat at restaurants. I have allergies to too many ingredients to take a chance. I have agoraphobia so going on a trip is not desirable to me -- I would turn that down. You got a jacket, that's nice but I live in Florida. We don't need jackets here 95% of the time.
April 16, 2010 at 8:58 am
I think most rewards that a company would give can be translated into monetary value. For example, any trips, gifts, or services given out by a company would have to be paid for somehow, so even though the employee is not getting cash, they are getting something that they would have had to pay cash for if they wanted to buy it for themselves.
In that category, then I would place: a trip; book or software reimbursements (work-related if the employer wants a work-related reward, or some non-work-related book or software reimbursements if the reward is a prize, akin to a free trip or movie/show tickets); company shirts, sweaters, or jackets; office perks such as nice coffee or soft-drink machines; and so on.
Outside of that, though, I have read that there is a complex relationship between rewards and motivation - in fact, in some cases rewards can hamper motivation and performance. I'm still reading about that, so I can't say too much about it, but I found it interesting to realize how hard it is for me to think of a reward that is completely non-monetary - one that wouldn't cost anyone money. And even rewards involving time might cost someone money, so it's probably fair to say that it is very difficult for a company to give a reward that doesn't somehow equate to a monetary cost.
Having said that, though, things such as comp days off, relaxation areas and time, and other ways of trying to relieve work stress and burnout are worthwhile investments even if a company is thinking in "monetary equivalence" terms. I know some places even offer a certain percentage of time that employees can use to research something not on their project list but that they find interesting from an intellectual or entertainment point of view.
Finally, I think one also needs to consider whether a reward is given in the conventional sense - as a prize, in effect, for work well done - or whether it is done as an investment in overall employee satisfaction: not as a reward for a specific job well done but as a means to keep employees happy and performing well in general. To that end, I think if a company is offering rewards for a job well done, it might help to give employees a choice between a gift the company chooses and the equivalent money. Just having that choice would allow each employee to make the choice they want, which itself seems like it would promote goodwill towards the employer. And the employer would have had to spend the money on the gift anyway (wholesale discount considerations aside 🙂 ), so they don't lose too much in the bargain.
I guess it comes down to the particular values and relationships that a company and its employees want to promote. Sometimes people want the money not because they are mercenary but because it will help them pay bills, live better, feed kids, etc. And sometimes a non-monetary gift can be well received in its own right. Probably depends on the spirit in which the rewards are offered.
Just my two cents - so to speak :-).
-webrunner
-------------------
A SQL query walks into a bar and sees two tables. He walks up to them and asks, "Can I join you?"
Ref.: http://tkyte.blogspot.com/2009/02/sql-joke.html
April 16, 2010 at 8:58 am
cengland0 (4/16/2010)
But how does your company pick a reward that would be wanted by everyone it's given to? I, for example, never eat at restaurants. I have allergies to too many ingredients to take a chance. I have agoraphobia so going on a trip is not desirable to me -- I would turn that down. You got a jacket, that's nice but I live in Florida. We don't need jackets here 95% of the time.
I think the key is thoughtful. It takes a little more work, and admittedly works best for small companies, but if supervisors know their employees well enough to know what would be wanted by staff, it goes a very long way. I had a supervisor once who made it a point to give us all gift cards to our favorite lunch place near work for Christmas. We all appreciated that he knew what we each would appreciate and told us he took an interest in us as employees.
April 16, 2010 at 9:02 am
I would like more time off. I get 10 days combined sick and or vacation and that's just not enough. I've had positions where my experience merited me 4 weeks and comp time, plus separate sick days, and that was a wonderful thing. As a consultant I am free to work out a more flexible schedule with my clients, which I consider a great benefit. (I'm currently working 7-4 and my client has no problem with small amounts of comp time as it saves them paying overtime.) A trip or retreat would be great, but only if the time to take it was part of the reward. Giving me a trip and then charging me vacation time for it would only backfire.
Then we come to physical items. Gifts are just so iffy. I have a beautiful silver coffee set that I got while working in O&G back in the 80's (where I first learned FORTRAN -- as a REPORTING language!!! Ugh!). NEVER once have used it. (The coffee set, not FORTRAN.) The pens, stone coasters, framed prints, and trophies I got as recognitions and anniversary gifts from the big banks where I worked for 10 years are still around, but they don't mean anything to me. (Although I admit the Customer Champion award I got 6 months before being laid off is delightfully ironic.) As far as picking a gift from a catalog I find it too limiting, and really, I am too introverted for anyone at work to have a ghost's chance of guessing what I might like.
And then there's money. I agree that unless it is significant, $1000 or more, cash rewards are the equivalent of lip service. I get a $250 bonus if I bill over a certain amount per quarter. It is absorbed into the budget. It is a nice little plus, but not an adequate motivator for me to make a difference--I don't actually modify my behavior to try and achieve that benchmark. If they were to grant me a paid day off instead, I would definitely pay closer attention to those numbers.
😎 Kate The Great :w00t:
If you don't have time to do it right the first time, where will you find time to do it again?
April 16, 2010 at 9:03 am
The strongest motivators are (1) showing respect for employees, including trusting them and discussing issues calmly and rationally without animosity, (2) working with employees to develop their skill set and plan for their technical and professional advancement, and (3) expressing sincere thanks for a job well done. The third item is particularly (perhaps surprisingly) important. I have been lucky enough to work for managers who do these things well. It is easy to see the positive effect on morale and productivity. Weekend retreats come to an end, and bonus money is eventually spent, but a positive outlook and a cooperative working environment are beneficial day-in and day-out.
April 16, 2010 at 9:04 am
Absolutely the key is 'thoughtful'. The jacket I got wasn't a complete surprise. I was asked what size i wanted and I knew I was going to receive it in advance so if I didn't want I could have said. As for the restaurant gift certificants given as bonuses; everyone knew management did this. i only had to speak to my boss to let them know I would not be happy with this kind of reward and another arrangement would have been made if I qualified to get one.
Francis
April 16, 2010 at 9:11 am
My company has to keurig coffee machines, an expresso machine and about 50 different types of coffee and tea. All free of charge.:w00t: It doesn't cost them a fortune by any means and it's a great perk. We also have an indoor olympic size heated pool, a gym, yoga studio, and putting green. It all makes for a great place to work.
edit:
Oh, and 5 weeks vacation
You're kidding, right? You don't really have a heated indoor olympic size heated pool, do you? I thought we had everything health-wise at my company and I tease our gym coaches in a good-natured way about needing to build a pool. 🙂
Speaking of unappreciated gifts, back in the late 90s I worked for a financial services company. This was right around the near collapse of all those hedge funds. One year our bonuses were minimal cash and some vague sounding options on future earnings for the company. A lot of people were none too happy at the time. But the sector flourished and it turned out those options were worth their weight in gold.
But that's still only money 😀 I work for a good company where most perks are provided. I think the one "extra" I could use now is recognition in the form of a boost in employee band or job title.
Ken
April 16, 2010 at 9:13 am
I think employers underestimate the value of giving geeks paid time to play with new technology. There's not a lot of cost there, especially if you can work it into an existing project or justify it as R&D, and it makes many of us geeks pretty happy.
There's nothing I like more than somebody saying "Hey I've heard about this Next Great Thing. Go kick the tires and tell me what you think."
Robb
April 16, 2010 at 9:13 am
tdunn-779961 (4/16/2010)
The strongest motivators are (1) showing respect for employees, including trusting them and discussing issues calmly and rationally without animosity, (2) working with employees to develop their skill set and plan for their technical and professional advancement, and (3) expressing sincere thanks for a job well done. The third item is particularly (perhaps surprisingly) important. I have been lucky enough to work for managers who do these things well. It is easy to see the positive effect on morale and productivity. Weekend retreats come to an end, and bonus money is eventually spent, but a positive outlook and a cooperative working environment are beneficial day-in and day-out.
Absolutely spot on! Working from that stand point its a bit difficult to grumble when your CEO decides that he wants to reward a huge employee effort over several weekends with the cheapest cheesiest desk clock or a brass apple. Because we treated in the manner above the 'presents' received a light hearted response. Still nice to have more dosh though...........whos wife doesn't like shiny things?
April 16, 2010 at 9:26 am
Time off....definitely!
After a long winter or especially rainy spring, the first beautiful day, come in and say, "for a job well done or for your committment....go ahead and take the afternoon off".
Most everyone gets a bout of "spring fever"....
I have several outdoor hobbies and getting an afternoon off or a whole day every now and then to enjoy them means the world to me!
April 16, 2010 at 9:28 am
Robert.Smith-1001156 (4/16/2010)
I think employers underestimate the value of giving geeks paid time to play with new technology. There's not a lot of cost there, especially if you can work it into an existing project or justify it as R&D, and it makes many of us geeks pretty happy.There's nothing I like more than somebody saying "Hey I've heard about this Next Great Thing. Go kick the tires and tell me what you think."
Robb
I remember an old friend of mine telling me the ultimatum his group got from their manager when C++ was new. The manager said "you have 2 weeks to learn this brand new programming environment then we hit the ground running". :angry: I guess that qualifies as giving geeks paid time to learn technology but that sounded like a whole lot of pressure to me. FWIW, the group was consultants.
Someone here mentioned they get 2 weeks combined vacation and sick days. Wow that is tiny! Sorry to hear that. Doesn't the average worker get 2 colds per year that keep them out a combined week or so? I know I do.
Ken
April 16, 2010 at 9:32 am
Our IT dept (2 of us) work alongside the financial dept and when the annual audit is successful our boss takes us to dinner and we all enjoy that. Gives us a chance to relax outside of work.
Our company gives gifts at 5 years, 10 years, etc of employment. They used to give pins with company name and # of years on them. They were unique and well liked. They showed a connection to the company and job. Now they give a gift book to choose from. To me it now seems nameless and faceless. Just pick a nondescript gift from the book, not very motivational. Seems like a cheap and easy way to do it; a waste of corporate money.
I don't work here for the gifts, I already earn a paycheck. Show some respect for me and the job I do and I'll be happy.
April 16, 2010 at 9:35 am
I worked on a project a while back that required extra effort from team members. Our manager rewarded us with an extra weeks vacation! I thought this was a great way to show appreciation and even though the team put in lots of extra hours to get the job done the bonus vacation time was appreciated by all.
April 16, 2010 at 9:41 am
First off, I am self employed as a consultant, so the only rewards my corporation gives me come directly from me as a result of long hours and hard work. I opted for self employment after wasting many years as a full time wage slave, er..., excuse me..., employee.
I am a bit of a mercenary and you can color me cynical but corporations are in the business to make a profit. Handing out cash is costly - so is doing anything really meaningful for your employees. Some people are perfectly happy working for peanuts (or whatever) and that's ok for them.
After over 25 years in the software industry, they can keep their non-monitary perks and benefits - spare me the company rah-rah, motivational wall posters, HR department, arbitrary salary ceilings, dress codes, "go-team" baloney and just give me the money.
😎
April 16, 2010 at 10:05 am
I've been at companies that put on picnics and such. Bonuses tend to be expected after awhile. Instead getting a bonus for a job done well, it gets to be expected even if the job wasn't done well.
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