How Do You Want To Be Rewarded On The Job? Be In The Driver Seat!

By Shaun Stevens

Gone are the days when a pat on the back for a job well done or gold watch after 25 years of service were enough to keep employees happy, productive, and in the end profitable.

Different employees need to be rewarded in different ways. You may wish to be rewarded in different ways at different times of your life and career.

For example, if you are a person who is newly married and saving for a home the best reward for you may be an increase in pay.

However, several years later with a young family, you may feel that the best reward is time off or a three day weekend in the summer to better spend precious time with your family.

Good managers and supervisors are flexible in their reward tactics. Employee recognition and reward programs are often now being seen as an investment rather than an expense.

Traditionally, recognizing superior job performance beyond the old fashioned compliment and occasional bonuses has previously not been a priority or concern in most Human Resource (HR) departments.

And to make matters worse often bonus or reward programs were changed in midstream.

This changing of the rules was often done arbitrarily on the whim of "management privilege" causing frustration on the part of employees and often great resentment. As a result morale suffered often in the most productive employees on staff. It is often said that 85% of the results in any organization and certainly the role models of new employees come from the top 15 % of staff.

You should be aware of a major trend that is brewing in the workforce.

Masses of the most senior, experienced employees that were born during the "Baby Boom" are getting ready for their retirement and thus exiting the work force.

As a result many job seekers and employees are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their employment expectations.

What can you ask for from your management superiors and as well look for in their hiring process?

Employment recognition, awards, and remuneration come in many varied forms - from simple salary increases, bonus structures, and physical rewards, of course, such as shiny plaques and art work.

Employees can be rewarded in "point to point" reward programs for high end merchandise and memberships in elite clubs. And health clubs can also be a form of remuneration to look for.

As well you could be rewarded as an employee by expensive dinners, sports tickets, vacations and of course physical cash bonuses.

However, be aware of awards that are "not rewards " - well at least to you.

The interviewer or manager may speak strongly of a "trip, holiday or vacation" to some exotic location such as Hawaii or Fiji. However, once there it turns out that this trip is actually a "Moonie company indoctrination" session where you are held captive in an isolated resort compound: You will be lucky if you see the light of day outside of the "meeting" and in the evening slave over so called vital "reports" and assignments .. So much for the "trip" being a reward.

In the end, as in life, the simple things are really what you want to look for in the hiring and employee recognition process:

• Either some form of effective increased salary - be it a simple salary or bonus structure, increased time off - vacations, three day weekends, or shorter day periods.
• Or a benefit that you would otherwise have to pay out of your pocket - for example a company car, lunch allowance, or a paid health care plan are best.

At the worst, as your grandmother may have told you, "When in doubt cash is best."

About the author:
Shaun Z Stevens Senior employment Consultant Ace Employment Services Winnipeg. Experience in Self Help, Training and Assessment as well as Government Corrections Areas.
call_kirk@hotmail.com ;http://www.ace-training.net
http://www.aceemploymentservices.net

 

Share

blog comments powered by Disqus