09.03.10
More than a Wage Please
There was a time when people went to work and expected nothing in return for their labour than a living wage and a few kind words from the boss. Today, businesses seem to need to find new and innovative ways to motivate their employees to do the job they are paid to do. During the Great Depression, a person worked hard on the job because there was a line of people waiting outside the factory door, ready to take over if the job became vacant – or so my father told me. The 1950s was an age of materialism; goods were inexpensive and a man’s status was measured by how well he could support his family. By the end of the 1960s, despite there being more women in the workforce, there were so many jobs around that if one wasn’t happy, one could resign and be in a new job the next day. Over the last forty years, there has been an increase in the unemployment rate but higher unemployment rates have become acceptable as many choose to collect the dole rather than work at jobs such as itinerant fruit picking which wouldn’t get done if it wasn’t for the young overseas tourists. We are currently in an economic downturn and there are fewer jobs yet employers are concerned about holding onto their employees. The fact of the matter is that employers have come to recognise the value of the training dollar that businesses invest in their employees and customer loyalty and the value of the corporate knowledge that is only acquired through experience while working in an organisation. This is what a business loses with the resignation of an employee. In the 1990s, to keep valued employees, progressive businesses embraced parental leave, equity and diversity and family friendly policies. But all organisations have these now so what are they doing to compete for the best workers and to hold onto the prized employees. The 21st century has seen the introduction of employee recognition and motivation programs that include sales incentives and rewards for long service that come much sooner than the gold watch after fifty year’s. These programs have become integral to an organisation’s overall performance and sufficiently important to warrant the service of specialists who design staff incentive programs and make them work. One such company in Australia is Accumulate which boasts a blue chip client list. Accumulate has a team of professionals who will design, implement and manage a complete incentive, recognition and reward program for a company’s employees and, if appropriate, for its customers as well. No longer do we work for a pay packet and an occasional pat on the back; today it’s improved conditions, bonuses and tangible rewards and incentives that keep us joining the peak hour swarm each day to go to work.
