Ready for a round of applause
SUPER MOTIVATION From sending thank you notes to organising appreciation weeks, companies are going all out to boost employee morale
Most hard-working employees get rewarded every six months or at least annually, but how often do organisations thank their people for the good work put in by them throughout the year? How often are employees made to feel that they are important for an organisation’s success?
A recent survey titled Work-life 3.0:Understanding How We’ll Work Next by Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC), says that small businesses are more mindful of acknowledging good work and presenting opportunities. As many as 75% of small business employees agreed with the statement, ‘In the last year, I have had opportunities to learn and grow in my job,’ and 80% said they felt appreciated at work — compared to just 71% and 69%, respectively, in large businesses.
Companies HT Shine Jobs interacted with said they made it a point to organise a thank you day and an appreciation week to acknowledge employees for all the efforts put in by them. Others empower their managers to give out cash awards or send the best team abroad for career enhancement programmes.
Feeling appreciated is essential to make people feel a sense of belonging, which in turn helps drive a sense of ownership and accountability, says Jagjit Singh, chief people officer, PwC India. “Our people are at the heart of our culture and we are cognizant of the fact that greater flexibility, appreciation and career opportunities go a long way in boosting employee morale.”
The company makes it a point to host a thank you day and appreciation week where “we acknowledge and thank our employees for all the efforts that they have put in in the last year. We also have various award categories such as client appreciation award, spot award, PwC experience award, dazzling debut award, above and beyond award and career milestone award,” he says.
Rohit Thakur, head, human resources, Microsoft India, says his organisation firmly believes in “the potential of each individual to make a difference. Our culture is about recognising the contribution of each individual regardless of their role. We recognise excellence across levels, in several unique ways – both formally and informally. It ranges from manager feedback at an individual level to formal acknowledgement of excellence through awards for individual and team performance. From official bonuses and stock grants to matching philanthropic gifts to special group and companywide awards, we offer a variety of recognition opportunities.”
Vodafone India has a cash recognition programme called stars to acknowledge the work put in by employees. “Consistency and impact over a quarter is recognised through recognition awards called megastars. The best from each operating country get selected for a recognition programme hosted in London,” says Suvamoy Roy Choudhury, director HR, Vodafone India. For motivating high performers in the revenue earning functions, “we provide opportunities to employees to get nominated for sponsorship for education programmes through our scholars programme,” he says.
Shailendra Singh, vice president, corporate communications and CSR, EXL, says that the company has on-the-spot appreciation programme called everyday heroes at work which identifies role models who demonstrate dedication and exemplary commitment at work.
Qualcomm’s recognition programme rewards employees in real time throughout the year. The programme allows for peer-to-peer, cross-functional, top down and bottom up nominations. eCards and quick virtual thank-you notes to applaud day-to-day effort are sent out as a mark of appreciation.
Sameer Wadhawan, vice president-human resources, Coca-Cola India, says the company has an above and beyond programme in which employees are rewarded for exceptional contribution for above and normal work. The annual award programme includes a president’s award for efforts put in for the benefit of the company. A reward is also given to cross functional teams on the employee day. As part of group rewards, groups travel abroad to see how teams work in other markets.