Thank you very much goes a long way

Forget
fancy job titles, flexible working, bonding days and beers with the boss –
today’s employees just want to be thanked for their work, according to
research.

More
than two-thirds of workers questioned by youatwork, the employee benefits
divsion of Royal & SunAlliance, said benefits such as new job titles, the opportunity
to work from home and even training and development did nothing for their
motivation in comparison with a simple thank you.

Gerry
Callaghan, CEO of youatwork, said: "Too many employers are missing the
easy tricks.  In the race for talent and
quest for better results, a tremendous amount of time and money is committed to
motivating and encouraging the workforce when, in practice, straightforward
rewards are often the most effective."

The
youatwork research finds that the benefits really valued by employees include
being thanked for good work, better pay and well-deserved promotions.
Discounted gym membership and being given a choice of benefits to enable staff
to select what works best for them are also valued.

Kind
words aside, it would seem that the next best way to every employee’s heart is
through his or her stomach.  When asked
which small perk they valued most highly, food featured heavily on the list for
UK workers including a staff biscuit tin (44 per cent), free fruit (42 per
cent) and luncheon vouchers (37 per cent). 

But
the top perk for all staff questioned was discounts on holidays and trips which
was requested by more than half (52 per cent) of employees. The opportunity for
an afternoon siesta was requested by 45 per cent of employees.

Gerry
Callaghan, CEO of youatwork, added: "A simple thank you is certainly the
most cost-effective way to retain good people and boost employee motivation.
But bosses shouldn’t be naïve enough to believe that their employees will be
wholly satisfied with kind words.  In
reality, perks and benefits are just as important.

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"Companies
need to consider a benefits package that will really suit the needs of the
employee and make them feel individually valued, rather than just relying on
the traditional ‘one size fits all’ approach of pensions and private medical
insurance."

By Ben Willmott