Incentive - January 2009 - (Page 18)

COVER STORY to offer incentives to its employees to choose not to drive by themselves to work, instituting a summer program that enters staffers who bike to work two times a week or more into a drawing for a $500 gift certificate to the local bike shop. Those who walk twice a week get a 50 percent rebate on a pair of walking shoes (expensed through the cutting costs is necessary, but when presented purely as a cost-saving measure, employees will accept it at best grudgingly and significant cuts over an extended period could have a seriously negative impact on motivation and productivity. On the other hand, Sanders sees significant power in turning cost-cutting and savings efforts into a more substantial effort to put individuals’ actions into the context of the wider world. “This is a green program. This isn’t just the boss coming and saying ‘the economy’s in the tank, nose to the grindstone, everybody eats crackers and water and you get no more business tools,’ ” says Sanders. “I’m going to come in and I’m not going to tell you to do it just because the economy’s in the tank, I’m going to tell you to do it from now on These are all different ways to cut costs, but at the same time to give people purpose.” Becoming “greenskates” Peddling Sustainability: New Belgium Brewing Company stays true to its (Sanders’ term for “cheap“Fat Tire”brand by incentivizing employees to ride their bikes to work skates with a higher callcompany) as well as a $20 rebate per person ing”), every individual takes more responsion mass transit metro passes. bility in his or her daily practices, for the “It’s been a better way to retain and to good of the Earth, if not for the organizaattract a higher caliber of employee,” says tion. If something can be turned from physiTracy Pleschourt, director of office services cal to digital, or if electricity use can be and sustainability for Carmichael Lynch. reduced, a greenskate will figure out how. “The advertising demographic is young, and Wallace describes one recent example a lot of these people put environmental where an employee suggested to New Belissues at the top of their priorities. Offering a gium’s Bright Ideas program that the work environment that also considers that to company remove the cardboard divider in be important has been a way to really attract the bottle 12-packs that the company sells good talent.” and modify the box to keep everything According to Sanders, businesses have two snug without the extra waste. The idea priorities right now with their green prosaved the company money and reduce its grams: cutting expenses and boosting use of energy and resources. morale. In economically challenging times, For CBRE, the goal is to make people more aware of what impact they have in the workplace. The smart ones may then expand their green behavior both in their home life and office life. Through informational events (500 of which were held on Earth Day of this year) and e-mailed notices aimed at creating a sense of fun around the green efforts and informing tenants of specific successes and accomplished goals, CBRE puts out the message that “good action anywhere has good impact everywhere.” Among client employees, there are many who want to get involved just because that’s their values and they feel it’s the right thing to do. Much of the energy behind CBRE’s green efforts early on came from its property management employees who had an interest in environmental responsibility outside of work. Dubbed “The Green Knights,” they helped drive forward results. “It’s really about engagement. You need to make certain that the corporate message is getting fully communicated to the folks at the bottom,” says Pogue. “This is helping clients develop an internal group of motivated, engaged early adopters because then you start getting ideas and pressure from the bottom as well as ideas and mandates from the top.” Looking forward, Sanders believes that as economic conditions improve, relying on green as a savings strategy may shift back to being more of a spending strategy. But in the meantime it’s an excellent way to encourage motivation. “If you’re really afraid about what’s going on in the stock market or what it means in the next three or four years, then more than ever you need purpose and meaning,” says Sanders. “Because if you know every day that you go to work you’re not just saving the company some money, you’re also saving somebody’s job, or helping to save the job or the local community, you feel a lot more relieved and you feel much more resilient.” I Send comments to alex.palmer@incentivemag.com 18 | Incentive | January 2009 | incentivemag.com http://www.incentivemag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Incentive - January 2009

Incentive - January 2009 Contents Editor's Note: Rewards Must Be Sustainable Headlines Cover Story: Responsibility's New Role Incentive Interview: Patrick Lencioni Family Rewards: Who They're Working For Primer: Working Design Leap of Faith: Religion in the Workplace Cook Up Engagement: Kitchen Teambuilding My Turn: Procurement Possibilities Motivation@Work: Hard Times Recognition Legal Ease: The Tax Facts on Corporate Gifts Travel News: Where to Go and What to Do The Bahamas: Islands in the Sun Field Reports: Four European Destinations Golf: Around the World in 18 Holes Potentials Here and Now Watches and Clocks: Strike the Pose Golf Merchandise: Awards with a Solid Swing Computers: Digital Delights Retailers Band Together for Gift Card Market Gift Cards: The Prepaid Reward Spectrum Advertiser Index On the Web www.Incentivemag.com

Incentive - January 2009

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