How to align rewards and benefits with corporate responsibility values
Defining and living CR values
First of all, it’s vital that the organisation clearly communicates and clarifies its CR values, making them easy for everyone across the organisation to understand and connect with. These must be lived and breathed across the company, so that what the business stands for is being constantly reaffirmed, from how meetings are conduced and leaders interact with their teams, through to wellbeing and recognition programmes.
So, if a company’s CR values include fairness to all, a sustainable approach and celebrating diversity, these must be reflected everywhere. Should there be times when the company behaves in ways that are contradictory to its values, such as leaders displaying favouritism, then employees will become sceptical and will start to disengage.
Rewards and benefits must be brought in line with the company’s CR values. Here are key ways to achieve this alignment:
Educate on being values-focused
The first step is to ensure HR and reward professionals fully understand the importance of the company’s CR values and why it’s so important to align rewards and benefits with them. If having values is seen as a ‘tick box’ exercise, they will be frequently undermined.
Discussing how to best achieve aligned values is also important as it’s possible to unintentionally contradict a company value through an ill judged rewards initiative. For instance if the company is focused on carbon reduction and one of the rewards is driving a sports car for the day, this may not be looked on favourably.
Only reward and recognise behaviours that are values-based
It’s crucial that people are only rewarded for results and actions in keeping with the company’s CR values. And when people are recognised for a job well done, it needs to be made clear to the person receiving the recognition and those witnessing it how their behaviour supports one or more values. This then encourages the ‘right’ behaviours to be repeated.
Don’t reward “brilliant jerks”
People need to display compatible values at all times and not be “brilliant jerks” (a term used by Netflix to describe individuals who have moments of excellence but who, on the whole, display unacceptable behaviours). If staff are rewarded for hitting their sales target, for example, despite exhibiting questionable behaviours, this completely undermines company values.
Provide appropriate, values-aligned rewards
All rewards and benefits must be in keeping with CR values. So, if sustainability is a core value, any rewards provided need to be sustainably and ethically made and shouldn’t be packaged in layers of single use plastics.
Similarly, if a value is about celebrating diversity and yet the rewards lack variety and choice, perhaps focused on a certain type of employee, this will undermine the company’s CR efforts.
Live values through volunteer programmes and community outreach
Providing opportunities for staff to volunteer at a charity or support a local community initiative is a great way for them to live and breathe the company’s values. So for example, if a CR value is putting staff happiness and wellbeing first, giving employees a few days paid leave each year so that they can volunteer at a charity of their choosing, would help to achieve this. Similarly, staff can be encouraged to help with local community initiatives that reflect the company’s values.
Final thought
Company values are more important than ever before, with those companies that have been behaving poorly during the pandemic being called-out for their lack of ethics. If companies have been failing to give their CR values the attention they deserve, then now’s the time to start, ensuring values touch every part of the business and every element of a reward and benefits strategy.
The author is David Watts, Culture and Engagement Strategist from O.C. Tanner Europe.
This article is provided by O.C. Tanner Europe.
In partnership with O. C. Tanner
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