Kevin Harrington // marketing // blog

It’s incredible to think where we’ve come from. Seventy years ago the first voucher appeared on the high street in the form of a book token. Who could have predicted how the voucher and card industry would change and develop, becoming a currency for both everyday and business life, and who amongst us can predict what the future will look like for these ever-changing incentives?

Even in the past couple of years we’ve seen rapid development; the introduction of gift card centres, shops and stores; the beginning of e-vouchers and mobile phone technology, plus we’ve seen non-retailers (restaurants, experience companies) for the first time, emerge strongly into the marketplace alongside the traditional high-street retail vouchers and gift cards. Where to next – will paper totally disappear? Will new technology take over when traditional products have lost their way?

So, where is the market going? And, what will it look like in five or even 10 years time? Unfortunately none of us know all the answers to these questions and we can only begin to speculate. What I do know is that it is essential that the recipients of vouchers, e-vouchers, gift cards etc – whether they be consumers, customers or employees – get a product that they want, a product that excites, motivates and inspires them and one that is easy-to-use and flexible.

As voucher and card suppliers we need to keep this front of mind in everything we do. Ultimately, our aim is to keep the excitement and enjoyment alive and make the voucher and gift card industry buoyant for another 70 years – in whatever format that may be.

In this post:

1. What is employee engagement?
2. News of our new research tool: SayEngage
3. Our white paper on employee engagement

What is employee engagement?

Employee engagement refers to a positive relationship between an employee and their organisation, which has benefits for both employee and organisation.

Engaged employees are more likely to be loyal and contribute more to an organisation resulting in many benefits including greater customer satisfaction, productivity and profitability.

For this reason engaged employees are critical to business success. This has been argued as particularly true in the present climate.

This white paper takes it back to basics outlining how engagement differs from satisfaction, how it can be measured, why it matters and how to engage with your people.

SayEngage

We, Sodexo Motivation Solutions, have just introduced a new tool for businesses: SayEngage. SayEngage offers a new and different employee engagement survey for modern business. It was created and developed specifically for small and medium sized organisations by Insitas Research. It is simple, low cost and it works.

Underpinned by psychological theory, the SayEngage survey helps organisations to identify areas where employee engagement is low and so requires action.

Once companies have carried out a SayEngage survey, they will be given support and advice by Sodexo on how to use incentives and rewards to improve on any areas of weakness which the report highlights.

The powerful combination of expertly constructed and independent employee research by Insitas and the motivation portfolio offered by Sodexo ensure that companies have the best opportunity to succeed through their people.

Employee Engagement white paper

At Sodexo Pass we like Andy Maslen. We’ve been using his services for copywriting and he has become a bit of a legend around the office.

This is how he describes himself:

“This is the blog of Andy Maslen. I am a corporate and marketing copywriter/trainer. Business writing has to work, but why shouldn’t there be a little poetry, too? I am FOR clarity, humanity, precision and persuasion. I am AGAINST bad writing in all its forms, from jargon to waffle, arrogance to idiocy.”

And it’s rather nice to notice that he seems to like us too. After visiting our team, here is what he said on his blog:

Thursday, April 23, 2009

“I attended a fantastic supplier briefing meeting at Sodexo yesterday. They are a huge global business yet they behave like a small company ie they look after their people (staff, customers AND suppliers) and really believe in making a difference. http://uk.sodexo.com

“It’s rare to have a director of a business that big who is genuinely funny and approachable but Kevin Harrington is one of that rare breed.

“His best line was about the way all organisations have “rules” that everyone sticks to but which turn out not to be rules at all. When you break them, you find you can make things better. Bit like the English language really.”

Guess what? We recommend Andy Maslen’s business, Sunfish. Seriously though, he has written some good copy for us. Andy also works for brands like Economist, Herald Tribune and Top Gear.

Incentives as a motivational tool come in many forms, and schemes vary depending upon the size and structure of an organisation. Understanding the needs of employess can help companies to reap poisitve rewards from an incentives programme

According to Kevin Harrington, director at Sodexo Motivation Solutions, a successful motivation scheme comprises three elements: “First is the reward itself; ensuring that it is exciting, relevant and has mass appeal to your audience. The second is the communication; the way you inform your audience about the scheme needs some careful thought. The third is the technical backup; without a fully interactive rewards platform, your staff will not be able to truly connect with the scheme.”

Even with the right reward system in place, employees still need to be motivated by what they are doing as well as by what they are able to gain. Independent research commissioned by Maritz, revealed that:

• For 28% of respondents, putting in extra time and effort because it was important to the business was least motivational to them

• A quarter of respondents said they would be most motivated if they were likely to enjoy the task

• 38% of respondents said being thanked had a very positive effect on their productivity and 36% said that it impacted upon their willingness to remain with the company

• 31% said that pay and benefits were not a factor in their decision to move jobs

• 41% said that poor training and career development opportunities had no bearing on their decision.

The two most motivational factors in the survey were tangible rewards and the opportunity to learn or develop their skills, with 65% of men and 53% of women favouring tangible rewards. Of those who found the opportunity to learn or develop their skills most motivational, 47% were male and 35% female. Maritz also found that non-cash rewards almost always work best, especially at the lower end of the scale. A £50 voucher is far more
memorable and motivational than an additional £50 cash in a pay-cheque, which may well be absorbed into everyday spending on petrol, groceries or the gas bill.

First published: The HR Director, January 2008

Sometimes staff and team incentives have a negative impact…

The UK economy shrank for the first time in 16 years between July and December 2008, according to the Office of National Statistics – suggesting that the UK is now in a recession. We are all wondering what tomorrow will bring, and we can’t take anything for granted. However, we can be certain about a few things:

We must adapt quickly to the situation
We need to become more discerning in our management, more responsive to our environment and more decisive. We need to develop the ability to adjust daily to market condition changes and to guide those around us. Long-term focus must be complimented by very close daily management and excellent customer care.

Amongst the many threats, there are also opportunities
We must adopt a mindset where we actively look for opportunities; to challenge faults within our business, improve internal processes and create ways to add new and different value for our customers.

There will be winners and losers
Market positions will change and the most competitive players will rise to the top. Organisations need to continue to invest in their competitiveness. And in these times, making small savings is not enough; if anything, we should be cutting back on the unnecessary to invest more in the important things…

Motivated and engaged teams will be the key to success
Motivated employees will make the difference between winners and losers. We should make employees and customers our priority, and get them focussed on achieving our business objectives; stay close to our teams, communicate, reward and recognise them. This will help to retain the best and elevate others.

We must also ensure the maximum return on our reward and recognition investment if it is to be worthwhile. The delivery of the reward becomes more important than ever; a good reward isn’t any good if it isn’t delivered appropriately.

Author:
Vincent Hillenmeyer, President, Sodexo Pass USA;
Kevin Harrington, Research & Development Director, Sodexo Pass UK

“Kevin Harrington, research and development director at Sodexo Pass – the company behind SayShopping vouchers and SayMotivation Pass – looks to the future of vouchers and gift cards.” – Sales Promotion.

Read the full feature.

Originally printed in Sales Promotion magazine September 2008 issue.