I Love Rewards CEO Razor Suleman, second from left, enjoys a cocktail with senior leadership team members, from left, Tim Burns, Jamie Danziger and Jason Fisher.
When was the last time you received a heartfelt “Thank you” from your boss?
We have all worked at jobs where we didn’t feel appreciated, but when starting your career, finding a company that invests in their employees through rewards and incentives can be the motivation you need to take the job, or stay with the company.
“A happy worker is a better worker! Studies show that companies that use rewards and recognition programs have a much higher productivity rate and more satisfied employees than those who don’t,” says Razor Suleman, CEO of Toronto-based I Love Rewards incentives marketing company, which was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers and one of Canada’s Fastest Growing Companies by Maclean’s magazine.
According to marketing manager, Robert Catalano, this philosophy is really defining the ‘places to work’ from the regular companies.
“The A-players in an organization can work anywhere,” he says. “If my employer isn’t motivating me, recognizing accomplishments or setting goals with incentives I’ll find an employer that will … and if I’m an A-player, other companies will come find me.”
Also looking for a company that incorporates an element of socializing is beneficial says Catalano.
“When I think of coworkers, I think of a team,” he says. “Some specific benefits I have experienced is the fact that socializing brings people closer together and people become comfortable sharing their opinions resulting in better decisions.”
Suleman adds incentive programs show a great ROI (return on investment). “Incentives that reward employees for great performance increase the likelihood of these great results continuing,” he says.
Catalano knows first hand how important these incentive programs can be. After working at a company that did not believe in recognizing hard work, he changed organizations because he felt nothing was being invested (time or money) in employees and the ultimate end-product as an organization.
“High turnover and poor retention probably cost the organization more in recruiting and new training,” he says.
When researching companies you would like to work for, find out how well they treat their employees. A company or position that has a high turnover rate should sound alarm bells.
Kavita Gosyne, 26, is vibrant young journalist. She writes about her transition from student to employee and the issues she faces such as office politics.
