Improving Employee Morale, Fringe Benefits for Exempt Employees 4

[lgray66]

Hello,
I would like to know what types of fringe benefits other companies give their exempt employees. The last few years have been tough for the company I work for, and there were no raises for three years, until last month. However, this raise was only 2%, and to add insult to injury, it barely covered an insurance increase. I'm a project engineer and supervise several exempt and non-exempt employees that feel the raise was to little to late. I recommended to management to do another evaluation/adjustment in 6 months, since the future looks better, this was denied.
Now I'm faced with employees with low morale, and a deadline to meet. To make matters worse, another division was three weeks late with their part of the project, so now we're are being ask to work overtime. This has not gone over well with the exempt employees, myself included. Management has agreed to consider ideas for possible fringe benefits. Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks,
Larry

 

[corus]

If there are no pay-rises forthcoming, and people are surprisingly still prepared to stay there, then I'd suggest bonuses. Top management are probably on them already though employees won't realise this.
Other so-called benefits are to give employees more time off through flexi-time and time off in lieu. This tends to be popular with people even though they are in effect replacing overtime payments paid at premium rates with time off paid at single rate. You need to be careful to ensure that you get the time off though and not being asked to work overtime continually with no rest in sight.
Employee share option schemes are also popular if you are offered to save with the company to buy the shares at a later date at below expected stock prices. This can benefit the company as well as the employee though the drawback is that if the stock price is fixed then surprisingly you can find the actual, price 5 years later, less than what you are buying them for.

 

[ICman]

Good ideas, corus! Project bonuses are good, though those who do not work on a project get a little upset. A corporate-earnings-based bonus appeases the workers, but doesn't necessarily improve production.

A reduction of benefit costs, perhaps thru a "benefit spending plan" supported by the company, is a big help. I took a job for $10K less per year, but bring home more money due to this.

Overtime pay (straight rate) helps, too. When I worked for engineering companies, I didn't mind the overtime (mandatory or otherwise) when I got my paycheck. Kind of a bummer when you return to regular hours .

Some "quickie" morale boosters include project parties, Spring/Summer picnics, catered lunches, "safety" awards (jackets, pen/pencil sets, clocks, etc.), "safety" bonuses, spot cash awards ("attaboys&quot, etc.

In the current job market, it's no wonder people elect to stay, with or without a raise. The problem arises when jobs become available again. If you can provide an environment where people want to work, along with competitive pay, you'll be fine.

 

[TheTick]

Smart rats leave sinking ships, dead rats don't.

 

[corus]

I always think that staying in a job depends on 3 things, the salary, the work, the people. If the work is no good then I'll stay if the people and salary are ok, if the people are no good then I'll stay if the salary and work is ok. In your case if the salary is no good then I'd stay if the people (including managers) and the work is ok. If any 2 of the 3 are no good then I'd go. Your idea of "quickie" morale booster parties would show the people/managers to be ok, even if it didn't cost much. Out of work social events are a good way for people to get to know the people they work with, even those at the top. Out of work social events that are frequently "leaving" parties aren't such a good sign though.

 

[PinkTbird]

Try some of the ideas in 1001 Ways To Reward Employees by Bob Nelson. The company that I last worked for gave it to managers at Management Training Class. Too bad my managers didn't use the tips in the book; I might still be working there.

 

[Joules1971]

Yeah, it's funny, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink, right PinkTbird? We had the same thing happen at my last company, the managers got pampered and traveled to sunny places for leadership training and were issued books such as the one you mention, but did they ever even open them? I think not. Crappy management was a large part of my decision to leave too.

 

[Joules1971]

Guess I could've actually posted something useful with that! Sorry, my brain is a little fried from working overtime (unpaid, of course) myself... I would highly recommend finding a way to pay your people for working overtime. This would be by far the biggest motivator for me, and the vast majority of my cohorts, to be more productive when we feel worked to death. Those little lunches and parties seem lame, as do promotional gifts, when compared with putting a little money in one's pocket.

 

[NOx]

Hi,

Is money the only motivator? If it is then do as the smart rat does and leap? Is it that easy?
From reading most of the links the market place at present seems rather deflated, UK as an exception where average pay is on the increase (shortage of skills is the main reason) if you believe everything you read.
I agree with Joules1971 when quick short lived rewards seem little compensation for the amount of work/time being given.
How then does this get resolved?
If enough people leave then those left sometimes are rewarded to ensure no further smart rats leave?
Sorry don't know the answer but extremly thought provoking!

NOx

 

[PSE]

With a former employer, during a particularly long "crunch time", we sat down with our managers and the company president and worked out a temporary plan where we could either get paid overtime or accrue time off that could be taken at a later date (but had to be used within 6 months). In the short term, it worked.