Here at Perkbox, we’ve just launched our new reward tool — the first of its kind. It enables employers to build a simple and hassle-free reward strategy — one that gives people the power of choice and unlocks peer-to-peer recognition anywhere in the world, whether in an office, on a site, or fully remote.
As the world of work becomes more dispersed, it’s never been more important for businesses to adapt their people strategy. It’s time to think bigger and broader, especially with reward and recognition.
A common HR headache today is around building a culture of appreciation. Every business knows why a healthy culture is essential — it drives motivation, productivity, and engagement. But how can you do this properly when your team members are in different places?
Previously a manager may have thanked employees by taking them out for an impromptu lunch. This isn’t an option for those that have global teams.
They could send out individual gifts to people, but the delivery alone may blow their budget. And even when that’s not an issue — what do you send someone in a different country? What works in one country won’t necessarily work in another. You could try and work with local suppliers in each country but the admin and bureaucracy could be a minefield.
The days of one-size-fits-all are long gone. Every individual has their own needs, wants, and lifestyles. Many businesses have potentially four generations of workers (sidenote: check out our recent research of Gen Z workers) — so even on this level, it should be clear that your employee offering needs to be as diverse as your workforce.
That’s why we launched Reward — it’s a currency-agnostic, fully borderless, points-based reward system. Employers can simply allocate Reward points to employees in an instant. Employees then choose how to spend these points — opting for anything from a meal delivery service to an exercise class. It doesn't matter where in the world they’re based, as they can each pick something meaningful. This feeling of fairness across locations is a key driver of a strong culture and a more engaged workforce.
Put simply, it’s no longer a case of giving people a reward — it’s about empowering them to choose what works best for them.
Previously, offering employees this level of choice meant more work for HR. But as in all walks of life, good quality tech is changing the game. It’s well understood that investing in the right digital tools is a non-negotiable for any business.
This isn’t just about productivity apps like Slack and Zoom though. Tech can be used to turbocharge every aspect of your business, especially your Employee Value Proposition (EVP).
Online recognition platforms such as Perkbox allow good work to be recognised instantly — whether people are in an office, on a site, or on the go. You can marry new tech with old-fashioned praise as well.
A nice way to do this is setting up an end-of-week slot where people get together on a video call and read out the recognitions they’ve given. This can be by team or department, with perhaps a company-wide one every quarter.
But while instant recognition has started to take off, instant reward still isn’t as common. It’s something that’s come up in many discussions we’ve had with customers. Take Fanuc, an automation products and services company with employees in the UK, Ireland, and Japan. They were one of our customers that got to trial our reward feature over the last couple of months. Their Head of HR Kerry Booth said:
Before this innovation there was no way of offering a reward instantly in recognition of great work; we would often have to wait for a one-to-one meeting to thank employees. Rewards are integral to our people strategy and motivating our people — Perkbox is now a central part of us recognising and celebrating our teams.
Reward doesn’t just offer employees choice. It also brings multiple benefits from an employer’s point of view.
Like in any growing business, going global means looking for efficiencies and harmonising what you do is essential. Being able to reward everyone fairly without creating more work for yourself is a HR game-changer.
If you’re not already aware of borderless working and culture, you will soon. It’s becoming increasingly prevalent and will shape the way HR teams around the world operate.
A powerful reward system is one of the building blocks of any good people strategy, but the traditional methods are fast disappearing. Something like Reward — that creates equity for employees across all locations — is just the beginning.
Celebrate and motivate your employees no matter where they’re working — in one building, remotely or across multiple locations.
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