I feel that I may be at risk of losing a readership akin to that of Nuts magazine by straying too far from anything football related however, I was inspired by a meeting this week with one of our newer Australian clients looking to set up in the CBD. I asked them to describe what the cultural values of the business were, they obliged with a barrage of adjectives and an acknowledgment of similarities to others in the market. I like to delve a little deeper and find out what the office looks like at 4:30 pm on a Friday, what they did for their Christmas party last year and how they motivate their staff. It was here that my interest peaked and my blog senses tingled; incentives & rewards
What was especially refreshing is that this agency was asking its employees what they wanted from their reward, not assuming that a bar tab or a seat at the captain’s table in a decadent restaurant with the director was at the top of everyone’s list. For some, the idea of a box of beer adorned with a bow is the perpetual symbol of a job well done in recruitment however with the advent of mindfulness they remarked how their consultants opted for a newer age form of recognition; a yoga retreat or an hour of meditation.
Namaste
Now, I find it hard to believe that our cuzzys across the Tazzy have created a reward system that is totally void of alcohol consumption, you only need to cast your memory back to an ill-fated ski trip which ended presumably in a less than glowing TripAdvisor review from the host. Coles, an Australian institution found itself in hot water this time last year after it was revealed that it was asking/expecting its staff to come in on their day off for 4 hours to help with a backlog of stock for…pizza. I like a good deep dish as much as the next guy but I’d rather the dough in my bank account! Sorry, very cheesy 😊 –
Pizzagate
It is easy to think that recruiters are all cut from the same loud, brash, homogenized cloth but without going as far to compare recruiters to snowflakes, we have different motivators and different ideas of what a reward is. In a survey conducted by McKinsey & Company, non-financial incentives were rated as more powerful motivators than financial incentives. At my previous employer, my manager put forward the incentive of an extra hour in bed or an hour to leave early as the reward for a BD related challenge. It was a much more effective driver. If the carrot aspect of the incentive; flexibility, didn’t hit home with recruiters the stick perspective of seeing your fellow college smugly sauntering in at 9 am or getting a jump on the traffic certainly did.
*Googles smug
This isn’t to say that financial incentives don’t work, however, instead of a gift card for a Barkers or Halensteins take a leaf out of this progressive agency book; ask the consultant what shop they would like to spend their reward at. Instead of a bar tab perhaps a day working from home may be preferred. My point is that an incentive is only as good as the motivatees values, that steak dinner isn’t going to light a fire under a vegan consultant. Any ideas on what incentives you would appreciate feel free to leave a comment, equally I’m partial to a good pizza pun.
