Top tips for building a total rewards program that wins.
By Evette Baker, President of Sparks Group
Gone are the days when a simple compensation and benefit package
was the key to a happy employee’s heart. If anything, to achieve an engaged and
loyal workforce that will attract and retain quality personnel, employers have
to do more than just go the extra mile—they have to constantly bring more and
more perks, rewards, and incentives.
Millennials now dominate the workforce. They pray at the altar of
convenience and individuality and crave employment opportunities and
environments that “get them” and allow them to be part of something bigger.
Thus this trend towards a total rewards package shows no signs of disappearing anytime
soon.
Sound familiar? According to
a recent piece by BenefitsPRO and a Global
Engagement study conducted by
Aon Hewitt, engaged employees tend to work for organizations that offer a “rich
and balanced benefits package that is well explained to them and that is
competitive in the marketplace.” Typically, the “rich and balanced” aspect of
this offering tended to come from opportunities to build additional career
skills and increase work-life balance.
So, what does this mean for you and your organization? If you’re
beginning to think that there might be some ways to improve your total rewards
package (or if you’re thinking now would be a good time to start one), you’re
right! In order to keep current employees happy and attract new talent, here
are some top tips to consider:
· Make it personal. Employment packages
should include compensation as one of the factors, but additional rewards
should focus on offerings that appeal to and deliver value to employees on a
personal level.
· It’s not about getting
from point A to point B—It’s about the journey. Employees are
searching for opportunities and packages with “extras” that will enhance their
work experience, above and beyond the more transactional style of
cost/compensation and negotiation from previous generations.
· The unmatched power
of influencers and impact. Employees are increasingly choosing to work for organizations
that offer value-adds such as professional development and coaching, team
and social activities, and appreciation incentives and overtures. A hefty part
of ensuring that your total rewards are being communicated and enjoyed involves
leveraging feedback directly from your teams. Brand ambassadors can either be your
greatest asset in spreading the word to entice and engage employees or your
toughest critics who complain about what you may not be doing as well as you
could.
Overall, employers in today’s workplace need to be increasingly
aware and adaptable, looking proactively at what competitors are offering and
listening to their employees’ honest feedback about areas for improvement.
Transparency, individuality, and knowing your audience (as well as speaking
their language) may seem like difficult tasks, but they’re essential to ensuring
that employee teams are satisfied and engaged to perform at their top
potential, and advance your organization into the future.
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