“It’s hard being a temporary worker when, sometimes you’re treated substandard when you go into a new business, even though you have the same experience as other staff.” – Jess H, Sidekick
Traditionally, you’ll find that employee reward programs are usually designed for full-time workers.
However, with the nature of work changing and casual and short-term work becoming more prominent for many workers across the world, it’s time we shifted the way we look at designing employee reward programs to include not only your full-time workers, but also your casual and temporary workers.
After conducting Australia’s largest caual staffing survey, we found that only 39% of temp and casual staff felt like they had a supportive boss and team environment.
As employers of over 11,000+ temp staff, we understand that recognition of casual and seasonal staff can be tricky over a long period due to the fluctuating nature of temp employment. However, your temps and casuals need just as much encouragement so that they know they are doing a good job!
Rewarding your temp staff will ensure that they come in to work happy, feel valued, and consistently aim to go above and beyond what’s expected of them during their short time with you. A BIG win for you!
A worker that feels like they “fit in” will love coming in to work, and positive word-of-mouth for your business is a great perk for future recruitment. Besides, who knows- if your temp is loving work, and you love their work, you may also want to have them on board as a permanent employee.
So, it’s time we move the needle on the way we look at employee reward programs, and build a work environment where our staff love coming in to work everyday or even just few days a week! We’ve had a look at the top reward programs from the best companies out there and simplified how they could be applied to your temps and casuals right away!
Check these out below…
TINYpulse
Who better to get ideas from about employee reward programs than a business that provides employee engagement and feedback software?
TINYpulse not only helps other businesses treasure their most valued people- but it also has some awesome reward strategies in place to keep their own employees happy and engaged!
A super simple idea that you can use for your temps almost immediately is presenting a ‘thank-you’ shirt signed by team members and managers to an employee that performs well.
Who doesn’t love receiving great feedback and compliments? The best part- it will cost your business close to nothing! It doesn’t always take a party to make your employees feel valued, this simple and effective gesture will leave your casual and temp staff feeling on top of the world.
But, if you’re looking to reward a larger team, TINYpulse has previously organised an offsite event for VR-gaming, and even thrown an after-work party! If you absolutely smashed your targets for the quarter, why not throw a small office party or even better, let your staff get competitive in a game of lasertag!
It’s also a great idea to reward the amount of time your casuals and temps have been on board with the business by having a small lunchtime get together to celebrate their work anniversaries!
Judging from the smiles on the TINYpulse employee faces below, it may not be a grand gesture, but a few balloons or a post to social media goes a long way to showing your temp staff you value their contribution.
Groupon
Groupon takes a more funky approach to employee reward programs!
They know how important staff retention is in IP development and creating a culture that evolves and thrives. So, for over a year of service, Groupon employees are awarded with a bright green Adidas jacket. The best part? They can customise the jacket with their nickname, a design, or any other fun tidbit they want!
And even better, for every additional year of service, staff receive star patches that showcase their loyalty to Groupon!
Now, a customisable Adidas jacket may be a little swanky for your casual bar or event staff who may be with your business for a shorter time period, but the how about a customised tee? The next time you want to reward your best staff, simply order a customised t-shirt for less than $15 with their nickname or “Employee of The Month” printed on it.
We can guarantee it’ll leave your temps feeling valued and empowered to do an even better job- they’ll definitely go above and beyond!
Zappos
Zappo’s takes a slightly different approach to employee reward programs! They understand that sometimes staff deserve to be recognised not only for big accomplishments, but also for the smaller everyday-things that embody company values.
Here at Sidekicker we have a monthly Values In Action award which is awarded by a voting system to an employee who showcases Sidekicker’s values and goes above and beyond not only for a client but also for their coworkers.
Similarly, Zappo’s has a Zollar Program- an online voting system where staff are allowed to give another team member $50 for doing a great job. Employees can rack up points on a gift card and buy awesome stuff from the Zappos store.
Check out this Zappos employee’s story in the video below!
You can apply this strategy to your business by empowering your entire team to vote on an employee of the month, or even better- have multiple awards for different values!
The Motley Fool
The Motley Fool’s celebrates an employee’s ‘Fooliversary’– their original date of hire at The Motley Fool.
The company recognises their staff’s tenure by starting off a Fooliversary day with a bang! Imagine coming into work to see balloons on your desk (check out the photo below) and a group of your coworkers wishing you a happy work anniversary!
That’s not all…Employees receive a Fooliversary card which asks them to dial in to the Fooliversary hotline.
What is the Fooliversay hotline, you ask?
Now imagine this second scenario! You dial the hotline and are instantly connected with the Fooliversary Concierge who lists different prizes and offers that you can choose from- splurge on a meal, take a short vacation, learn a new hobby…take your pick! They’ll deliver it right to your desk or even in the middle of a meeting if you want to show off just a tiny bit. Who wouldn’t want to?
The Motley Fool believes in appreciating their ‘Fools’ (that’s what they call their staff!) and strive to make every year for an employee something they look forward to!
You too can apply something similar on a smaller and low-key scale for your temps and casuals. In fact, you may find that some of your casuals have been with the business for a fairly long period of time!
Why not celebrate your casuals who may not have the ‘full-timer’ tag but are still passionate about your business and team? A breaktime celebration with the team or even offering gift vouchers, tickets to a game, or a team dinner could go a long way to making them feel valued!
Google
Just a simple scroll through the Life at Google Instagram account will show you how committed Google is to creating the best company culture and rewarding their employees! But I’m sure that comes as no surprise to many of you- Google is almost synonymous with great company culture and perks.
We’ve noted some of the more simple things they do over at Google which can easily be applied to your employee reward program too…
Show off your employee of the month on company social media, create a fun hashtag, and even tag your staff in the post! Need some great inspiration? Steal tips and hashtags from the @lifeatgoogle Instagram posts like the one below!
Google also has a sticky-note wall where workers can leave a nice motivational note or a message for another employee whenever they want!
This idea would not only be a great way for your staff to feel the support from their team members when they do a good job, but it will also rack up some awesome attention from your customers and clients if it’s showcased in your store-front.
Customers love a friendly and close-knit team environment, so this strategy is a definite WIN for you and your business!
Read next: 6 Foolproof Strategies To Get Your Temps Embracing Your Workplace Culture