HOW TO REWARD AND MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES

Chris Byrnes

Everyone craves some form of recognition for the work they do. This goes for managers as well as employees. I worked with a GM some years ago that said it best “Everyone wants to be wanted, needs to be needed and loves to be loved”. It’s what sets us apart from the animals.

There are so many small things a radio station or radio group can do for their staff to reward and recognize outstanding performance and encourage an even better performance. Those that don’t bother may wonder why staff turnover is so high. Attracting and retaining great talent in any area is becoming harder and harder. But once you’ve got that person on-board, are you driving them away because no one takes the time to say thanks?

• Saying Thank-You: Researchers have found that while money is always important to employees, what tends to motivate them to perform, and to perform at higher levels, is the thoughtful, personal kind of recognition that signifies true appreciation for a job well done. In a survey conducted by Dr. Gerald Graham, Professor of Management at Wichita State University, among 1,500 employees in scores of different work settings, he found that the most powerful motivator was personalized, instant recognition from their managers. Larry Summerville, a GM I worked with, understood how to employ the right staff and then empower them to greatness. Larry said his job was simply to provide them with the tools to do the job and then allow then to perform. I never actually saw Larry do any work, his desk was always totally empty and I never saw him write a letter or dictate a memo. Larry somehow managed to inspire his staff not only to do their own jobs well, but also I suspect a lot of the tasks normally carried out by a traditional GM.

• Put It In Writing: It is perhaps the easiest and most powerful way of saying thanks for a good job. I’ve seen this written on the GM’s business card, all the way up to special stationary. The key is to be specific and genuine in your praise and be timely in the delivery.

• Lunch With the Big Guy: In this busy world we all run in, getting to have a one-on- one lunch with the President of the company can be an incredible experience, and a great way to say thanks for doing a great job. Somehow it always sounds better when it comes from the very top. The President may learn something about the business and the employee will come away feeling like they can leap small buildings with a single bound!

• Doing Your Job For A Day: I know a GM and PD who fill in on the air by each doing three six-hour shifts over a long holiday weekend each year. This allows most of the air-staff to have a complete long holiday weekend. The big guys get a real feel for what happens in the control room and the radio station is better for it.

• Passport To Paradise: There is a radio station that gives every staff member a passport, which has four boxes per page. Each staff member meets with the General Manager and agrees on their goals. As each goal is met they get a stamp in their passport. At any time they can cash in their “points” for products. If they stay for the three years it takes to fill the passport they get a free all expenses vacation to an offshore resort.

• Staff Conference/Holiday: This was something we started when I was in New Zealand and it turned out to be such a powerful motivator. All staff were advised at the Christmas party where the offshore conference would take place. The conference would be held mid year, and always included two or three days R&R for the staff and their families. We found some unexpected benefits in that no-one resigned from Christmas until the conference. By the time staff paid off their credit cards it was not long before the next Christmas party, so most stayed around. Over the years we took staff to Surfers Paradise, Hawaii, Malaysia and even London, England. That was one of the reasons we had a waiting list of people who wanted to work at our company.

• Upgrade Their Stuff: Flat Screen LCD computer monitors are the desired item for most staff that have a computer on their desk these days. I know of one station that rewards their staff for outstanding work by upgrading the piece of equipment of their choice, within reason. That may be a set of headphones for an air talent, or a lease on a new lap top computer for a sales rep. I’ll always remember the day we made it to #1 and my GM came into my office to thank me for all my hard work. He then gave me a blank cheque and told me to go buy myself a new car.

• Employee of the Month: The radio station trades out the lease on a cool sports car, and each month staff vote on the employee who has made the most outstanding contribution to the radio station. The following month that person gets to drive the car, complete with private parking space at the station.

• Share the Loot: Most radio stations have access to all kinds of goods and services. The key is to share these benefits with staff that perform above and beyond what is expected of them. So the next time you get ball game tickets, passes to the Molson Indy or trade out a ski cottage think about using these items as a way to recognize and motivate staff. It is a good idea to find out what items motivate each of your employees.

• Stuff Money Can't Buy: Most who work in our industry consider themselves to be somewhat creative. Therefore any material incentive you hand out needs to amaze and impress. And that does not mean you need to throw lots of money at the problem. Federal Express in Memphis inscribes the name of an employee’s child in large letters on the nose of each new airplane it purchases. The company holds a lottery to select the name and flies the child’s family to the manufacturing plant for the christening.

• Recognize Them Publicly: Again this is so simple and costs nothing. But formally saying thank-you at a company meeting can be a powerful motivator. In a recent American wide study conducted among thousands of employees across a wide range of industries 76% ranked some form of public recognition at a company meeting as being a meaningful incentive.

• Making New Employees Feel Welcome: Starting a new job can be hard, so make it easier by doing the company orientation properly. Introduce them to all members of staff and have their office or work space setup, complete with business cards and their name already on the staff list. The Nissan Motor Company sponsors a “family” orientation for all members of the employee’s family and each family is given a set of Nissan engraved drinking glasses. The day before the employee starts work he or she gets a welcome phone call from several key Nissan executives.

• Profit Share: At one radio station I worked, staff got a “share” proportionate to their salary. Each month a percentage of the profit was shared with staff. The key to this was the sales and expense information that was shared with the staff. Each week the GM updated charts showing the percentage achieved toward the monthly sales target as well as the monthly costs verses budget. Staff became more cost conscious and started suggesting ways to become more efficient. They all felt as if they were making a valuable contribution to the success of the radio station and were rewarded each month with a bonus. We had overnight jocks who would call the sales manager because they noticed a new business opened up, and reception staff who pointed out that some documents could be prepared and posted a day sooner to saved on the courier charges.

• Time Off: A new study in Canada finds people would take a pay cut, in order to work fewer hours. It’s not because they are lazy. Instead it has to do with the time spent commuting each day, and the fact that they also want a life. Apple Computers of Cupertino California made headlines a few years ago when they granted all employees an additional weeks paid vacation when the company had its first $100 million sales quarter.

A few weeks ago I watched Braden Doerr the Telemedia VP for Ontario South, and Barry Smith the Operations Manager for Telemedia London flip burgers and provide lunch for the staff of their four London radio stations at noon on the Friday before the Canada Day weekend. Clearly the staff appreciated getting an early start to the long weekend, and I suspect they loved the fact that these two high-powered executives rolled up their sleeves and served their staff lunch.

There are lots of ways to show appreciation for going above and beyond the normal course of duty. Radio stations that make the effort to find out what motivates each staff member and then takes action when they see that person doing something amazing know the secret. Managers who “catch a staff member doing something right” are helping to create a winning atmosphere.

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