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Rymax Employees Strive To "Be a Part of It!"
December 05, 2008
By Andrea Doyle
Rymax Marketing Services, a growing, medium-sized company with over 100 employees, has a company-wide incentive program in place called Be a Part of It! that is open to everyone, without exception. The name refers to the program's New York City theme (à la Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York"), and it encourages participants to do as the singer espouses, "Be a Part of It!"
The programs in place include sales incentives, years of service, training, retention/referral and safety. For
example, AWAREhouse and Adopt-an-Aisle encourage safety in the warehouse.
Three dimensions of recognition are used: Informal, for meeting day-to-day corporate and departmental goals; formal, ceremonial recognition like Years of Service awards; and spot, rewards given "on the spot" for going above and beyond the job’s requirements.
Employees are rewarded with points, which are banked in their MaxSite online rewards accounts. Points can then be redeemed for merchandise rewards. Factory-direct relationships with more than 150 brands enable Rymax to offer its staff high-end merchandise well below retail, resulting in high trophy value. The program is geared toward everyone from executives to interns, and uses both corporate goals and individual department goals to keep the whole team motivated.
Corporate goals are set by human resources, and departmental goals are set by department heads and then approved by human resources. This way, the types of goals and the reward given for achieving them are consistent across all departments. Results are measured on a quarterly basis by the Be a Part of It! committee.
Lighthearted certificates given out at employee events turn heads. These awards add a personal touch and help define Rymax's corporate culture, proclaiming an individual "Most likely to go cross-eyed by Excel" or that another one is "Office Supply Warden." At a summer picnic and end-of-year party, even at management meetings and team celebrations, a handful of employees are presented these less-than-traditional certificates.
Ruth Kliwinski, a Rymax HR manager, says, "These awards are so simple, but so effective, because it shows that the little things are noticed."
The company also sponsors seasonal
team-building exercises to motivate departments to work together. "In July, we celebrated Independence Day with red, white and blue day. Each department worked as a team to show their creativeness and patriotic and Rymax spirit. Each member of the winning team was awarded fifty points, a huge motivator for working together," says Kliwinski.
Having an internal incentive program makes Rymax work better for its clients, she says. "We are able to learn firsthand what works and what doesn't by using ourselves as the guinea pig," she adds. "Aside from using our program as a test for our clients, we use incentives to keep our employees happy. We are facing many of the same issues other companies are facing in this soft economy. It's important for us to motivate our entire workforce and reward top performers."
She points out that it can cost roughly 2.5 times an employee's salary to replace him or her, so by keeping everybody motivated and happy, costs are reduced. The staff, meanwhile, are able to redeem points for items they may not want to purchase because of the current state of the economy. "One of our employees recently bought her first home and used her points for pots and pans, kitchen tools and utensils, and some power tools, saving her a few hundred dollars," says Kliwinski.
Rymax's incentive program incorporates corporate and departmental goals that include: new client/employee referrals, exemplary leadership, volunteering to work an event, completing factory training and passing a quiz, attending five educational webinars, researching and implementing new and innovative materials packing. Other rewards are for performer of the month and customer accolades received via direct e-mail. Every department has its own set of goals in addition to the corporate goals.
When points are awarded, the recipient receives a personalized e-mail from his or her manager (or another manager who may have awarded the points). The points are banked on Rymax's proprietary rewards platform, MaxSite. Employees have the option to either shop right away or save up their points for a bigger reward. Rymax has an extensive online catalog, with merchandise ranging from spatulas to plasma TVs and everything in between.
"The program is worth the investment on many levels. Not only does the program work as it should, Rymax's turnover rate is far below the national average, and employee morale is high, but having its own internal program enhances the company's abilities for clients," says Kliwinski. "In 2006, before the incentive program was implemented, our voluntary turnover rate was 15 percent. For 2008, our projected voluntary turnover rate is 5 percent. That's over a 10 percent drop."
The program kicked off with a launch party. "We sent teaser e-mails to all employees to get the buzz going around the office. Then formal invitations were given, telling everybody a time and a place, still not giving away any information about the program. At the event, each employee was given a goodie bag with a Program Map, "MetroPass" (with their rewards site log-in info) and other collateral to help explain the program. At the launch party, New York-style food was served to keep with the theme, and Rymax's president, Marc Farbstein, gave a presentation to all staff members, giving detailed information about how the program works. The launch party not only got everyone pumped up but it clearly explained the program and avoided any confusion, Kliwinski says.
"Another way to ensure program success is to have constant and continual communication between management and to the staff. It keeps everyone informed and on the same page," she says. "Admins are sent monthly motivation and recognition tips via e-blast to help keep strategies fresh, and employees get regular e-blasts in their inbox encouraging them to 'be a part of it.' We hang banners and put updates to the program on our intranet site to be sure no one gets offtrack."
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