Suggestions for employee perks

tpace · September 2002

My company currently pays for quarterly luncheons for employees. Lunch is delivered and the company is divided into three teams so that the entire company is not closed down for the lunches and all departments have proper coverage. The purpose of these meetings is for team building and communication, employees are asked to volunteer to be the team coordinator and have agenda items to discuss what is going on in their departments, suggestions for improving policies and procedures, etc.

We are experiencing lack of enthusiam with these meetings, employees are not volunteering to coordinate, meeting are turning into more of a gripe session of what benefits they do not get, why can't we order lunch from different restaurants, why don't we get bonuses, etc.

We have 23 employees, our company currently gives the following benefits:

80% paid medical for employees
Annual employee gathering (usually we rent a beach house for the weekend big enough for all employees and their significant other to sleep over, provide all food and beverages)
Annual Holiday Party at a very nice restaurant (food and beverages included and gift cards to all employees along w/ games to win prizes)
Paid vacation (up to 3 weeks per year based on tenure)
6 Personal Days
7 Paid Holidays per year
401k w/ company matching

Was wondering if any of you have any small perks that we could use to replace these quarterly luncheons.

Honestly, I would like to just cancel the lunches and not replace with anything at this point because it seems no matter what you give employees thay continue to gripe about something else they don't get.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks.
Tina

Theresa Gegen TX · September 2002

I would either cancel the lunches all together, or have managers and supervisors be responsible for controlling the lunches. In otherwords if you have a specific luncheon topic, the management should control it. It seems to me that your benefits are quite good for such a small company (many small companies do not provide any health insurance, and do not provide 3 weeks paid vacation).

The only way to make these lunches work is if someone with authority plans the lunches and the topics. They can be valuable, but they need to stay on topic.

Good Luck!!

Don D · September 2002

I agree with Theresa. Specific people (maybe not supervisory necessarily) should be charged with planning the program at the luncheon and should also submit an agenda two days prior to the luncheon that they should be held to. Otherwise, you are correct; these luncheons will degenerate into just what they have become. A person in a larger supervisory role should take charge at the beginning to clearly restate the objectives, then disappear or have a seat. If the meetings don't turn successful to your satisfaction in quick order, I'd discontinue them as well. You do have good benefits and your employees may be a bit spoiled and taking you for granted.

moneyman · September 2002

What about a rotating schedule assigning the responsility by department? That way, somewhere down the road, every one will have a hand in it. Perhaps HR can oversee just to make sure that things are on track for that period and that a department doesn't fall down on the job and decide to provide happy meals for lunch. But, I think that if individual departments are assigned the job, they will take pride in their own effort and perhaps each one will be better than the next.

HRGirl · September 2002

My company as well has monthly luncheons for all employees, but we get together as an entire company. We put the phones on night ring for an hour or an hour and a half and enjoy our catered lunch. Our President addresses the troops (as we call it) and afterwards we are back to work. He usually has a specific topic to cover and asks if anyone else has anything to add before we finish up. We are paid for that time so there is no grumbling about how long it takes. My company is a little larger (approx. 75) but it works and it gives the employees a feeling that they all matter and are important to the company.

sonny · September 2002

I'd take a break from the lunches if it seems no one enjoys them or wants to participate. You might try a small focus group(s) or structured survey to try and solicit employee input/suggestions as how to improve or maybe try something different all together. Personally I would love a quarterly free lunch! (or any free lunch for that matter)

Jessica · September 2002

This type of friendly reward is such a tricky thing. I was glad to read the other responses. We have the same problem with some of the nice things we try to give employees. Once something has happened a few times the fun turns in to what we "owe" them regardless of anything else and then the complaints start.

Warning, I'm about to go way off topic.

I will be working to put together a recognition program that will be separate from our incentive program starting next year. I think it would be a great idea to share ideas on what folks do for their employees that seems to work and not turn into an obligation. For example, how do other companies acknowledge anniversaries?

Our biggest issue is budget and I think that might play in for many smaller companies. I was chatting with one of our volunteer board members the other day and he mentioned that they keep $50 gift certificates on hand at his office to give out to someone who goes the extra mile. I just laughed at the thought because if we give someone a $5 gift certificate you'd think we'd broken the bank. Sometimes I wonder if we kill our success because of budget concerns. While it is dangerous to throw money at people, it is also hard to convey your thanks for hard work if the gift is too small.

Does anyone have any suggestions or similar problems they are working on?

RobinC · August 2003

We have a small perk for our employees for their birthdays and employment anniversaries. Each month we print a list of all employees celebrating a birthday or anniversary. Each receives a card mailed to their home with a certificate for a free meal from our food court. All department managers sign each card. This doesn't cost the company much and it works out well. I have received very good feedback from the employees. They love receiving a card at home and love the free food. We also have a monthly employee luncheon where each month we invite an employee to create a menu from his/her heritage. They provide the menu and we provide the food. They come in early for the day and actually cook the lunch with help from our cooks. Everyone seems very eager to participate and all employees ask what the next theme will be. It seems to work very well as employees don't expect it rather love to participate and feel it is their own.

Sue Heyen · September 2002

I think it's more than employee "perks" - it's morale and motivation. A recent survey asked employees to identify what they felt were the top ten motivators in the work environment. Their responses indicated that the most important motivator is interested and challenging work; followed by recognition for good work, a sense of belonging, job security and good wages. Other motivators include: respect as an individual, good working conditions, open communication with management, opportunity for advancement and competent leadership. Motivating incentives do not have to cost a lot of money.

We've formed a "motivational team" within our company called "Go Fish, for Cheese!" We had each member read the books "FISH!" which is a motivational book based on a true story at a Seattle fish market, and "Who Moved My Cheese?" which is a book about dealing with change in the office and our personal lives. The team has met to brainstorm ideas of what to do to get the teamwork spirit alive and working. There are all kinds of materials and reference sources on the Internet. Each department has a representative and works with the team and their supervisor. It has really taken off recently and I am receiving a lot of success stories from the supervisors. We've done or are planning to do such things as: quote of the week, focus on a service standard each week, giving 1 hr off for an employee in a department who has the top call totals or does something special that is recognized by a member, giving Successorie cards on occasion such as "never quit" and "reach for the stars", decorate the work area for holidays, giving cards for special occasions, special treats, little prizes when we catch an employee doing good. October 7-11 is Customer Appreciation week. We are taking that further and calling it Employee Appreciation week and plan on doing something special each day such as baked goods, apple cider, capacinnos, etc.

Again, it's not always money or perks. Employees want to be recognized and told that their hard work and teamwork are truly appreciated.

Jessica · September 2002

Thank you Sue! What a great list and motivational response! I will really enjoy sharing your response with our management team.

YadaYada · September 2002

>We are experiencing lack of enthusiam with these meetings, employees
>are not volunteering to coordinate, meeting are turning into more of a
>gripe session of what benefits they do not get, why can't we order
>lunch from different restaurants, why don't we get bonuses, etc.

Well, it is human nature to start expecting something when we receive it on a regular basis - kind of becomes habit and we forget the real meaning behind it and begin to expect more. Having said that, I would ask whether your company has some deeper morale issues hidden behind the lunch meetings. I'd guess that the grumpy lunch meetings are just the manifestation of those deeper issues. The situation sounds familiar to a company I worked with in the past. The employees were griping about just about everthing, but the real bottom line was that they didn't have respect for upper management - which was known for [i]saying[/i] that employees were their best asset but when it came right down to it, they their [i]actions[/i] said otherwise. Company parties or other "morale boosting" activities didn't smooth over that deeper discontent. They just gave the employees fodder for being more discontented. Until the REAL problem of respect was fixed (wasn't ever to my knowledge), the other activities were just cause for criticism among the employees and a pat on the back for management (thinking they'd just done something wonderful for employees but were blind to the other issues).

In your case, it might simply be the employees with the issue, but thought I'd share my experience in case it lends some light to the discussion.

Cotterwood · August 2003

This is responding to something that is a year old, but!

We offer our employees the opportunity to 'opt out' of their health benefits and have the equivalent premium deposited into their 457 account. They must have equivalent health care coverage from their spouse - the SPD I review.
It's no additional cost to us, since we pay 100% of the premium (we have 41 full-time and 29 Seasonals (no benefits). You wouldn't have to pay the 100%, just offer the equivalent of the portion you DO pay.
If you have questions, email me at: [email]cwood@tcpud.org[/email]

Suggestions for employee perks

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