Food for thought!
'When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,' said Piglet at last, 'what's the first thing you say to yourself?'
`'What's for breakfast?' said Pooh. 'What do you say, Piglet?'
'I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?' said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully. 'It's the same thing,' he said."
--- A. A. Milne, The House at Pooh Corner.
WELL, SO food is exciting! That's more than obvious, what with the rising number of restaurants and coffee shops sprouting across many a city. Ask a food connoisseur or gourmet and you will know! Another idiom I cannot but mention is, `The way to a man's heart is through his stomach'. Very clichéd, I agree! Now, let us change that a little. How does `the way to an employee's heart is through his stomach', sound? Very true, I'm sure.
Here's some proof Google provides free meals five days a week to all its employees. Further, they have "breakfast meals and all the snacks you can eat!" Food is literally all over the place. No wonder then, Google won the `Global Brand of the Year' award in 2003 for the second consecutive year, and the `Webby Award' for best practices in 2004.
Tom Brocks, the Central Hudson Gas and Electrical Assistant Vice President for Human Resources, says, "We use meals on a routine basis— it is a common, accepted way to say thank you. We give gift certificates for CIA (Culinary Institute of America) meals as rewards in our suggestion programme, as outdoor prizes during our annual holiday party and as miscellaneous rewards throughout the year."
Today, the HR professionals have a single key, which opens the locks of retention, increased camaraderie and goodwill. Taste buds! Free meal has proved to be an effective way of recognising employees.
Gone are the days when food was just a motivational tool. Today it is a source of building team spirit and goodwill. It is not just meant for employees who have specifically achieved something, but more as a `token of appreciation' for all. Employers also use gift vouchers to reward employees on their success or on other special occasions. (Haven't we all heard of employees receiving a `table for two' gift voucher on their marriage anniversary!) Team lunches and team dinners have become the order of the day; and food, a way of saying we care. Employers who realise this are cashing in on such `gastronomical weaknesses' of their employees.
Your recipe!
So, it is up to you now to find out what works best for you. Some organisations let the managers know what they expect from the employees and what they would want the reward to be. Michigan Health System conveys to its managers that they must promote behaviour, which furthers the achievement of their strategic goals. Employees are informed beforehand of the criteria they would be evaluated upon.
On the other hand, some organisations have no such guidelines that determine what it takes to receive a `food reward.' In most cases, the managers can make independent decisions based on the accomplishments of their employees and the teams. They just might have to run it through with their managers in turn, in case the expense is running very high. As Brocks puts it, "We leave it up to supervisors and managers. They check with a group vice president first." However, disapproval is rare.
Companies also differ on issues like should food be brought over on-site or should the employees dine out? The deciding factor here would be the size of the organisation or the team. In recognition of the fact that time is a scarce resource for most of the employees, families and spouses are also invited for such dinners/lunches. "When an employee has put heart and soul into a project and worked long hours, we try not to lose sight of the fact that the spouse is doing just as much to hold things down on the home front," says Brocks.
Dessert!
But, whichever method you follow, the best part of motivating employees through food is that it allows them and the employers a tax benefit. Several organisations give their employees Sodexho passes, ticket restaurant vouchers and the like. These food coupons can be used in any affiliate retail outlet for food or for entertainment. The icing on the cake comes in the form of tax savings because these vouchers are wholly tax-deductible.
HAZIRA SHAHEEN
faqs@cnkonline.com
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Opportunities
