Author: Manoj Agarwal

Does your team — that was once super-productive, dynamic, creative and full of energy— suddenly appear completely drained out? Do the team members look like zombies with absolutely no energy levels? Are they missing deadlines, making mistakes that they otherwise would never make, and trying hard to push through the day? If all of this seems familiar to you, then it is probably because your employees’ morale (aka mood in the workplace) is running low. Employee morale is nothing but a complex mix of perceptions, emotions and attitudes that employees hold towards their work and their workplace. Employee morale, be…

Organisations of today are using a multitude of technology platforms to simplify and streamline their business operations. The users — be it employees, partners, distributors or consumers — however, are increasingly demanding an uninterrupted, unified experience. In the times of changing technology dynamics, Xoxoday Plum, an API-driven digital rewards platform, has been helping organisations drive user experiences that are engaging, motivating and authentic by seamlessly integrating into any existing business-critical software, such as HRMS, CRM, marketing automation engines, survey tools, customer support tools and so on. Xoxoday Plum not only automates rewards, incentives and benefits for your users but also…

You say “Thank you”. What they hear is, “Please accept my standard, HR protocol-approved format for acknowledging your most recent activity that was intended to bring me value.” Yes, the gap. It exists. It can be worse than a bout of Chinese Whisper. And it is certainly more common than you think. In this article, we look at the nuances of appreciation at the workplace. MINIMISE GAPS OF APPRECIATION AT THE WORKPLACE Despite their best intentions, when managers and bosses give a pat-on-the-back to a team member, who has excelled at the job, it can be interpreted as a ‘routine…

The #NewNormal is causing companies to re-balance their sheets. This article offers a detailed description of how leaders can reduce their fixed costs with incentive-based pay. Blending an incentive-based-pay component into the structured incentive offers is the way forward. This model carries enough potential to revolutionise business approaches even during the long haul. As a business practice, Performance-Related-Pay (PRP) or ‘incentive-based pay’ started in the UK in the 1980s and is still prevalent today. THE BUSINESS CASE FOR VARIABLE PAY Variable pay schemes can vary – from incentives to bonuses, to profit sharing to ESOPS and to in-kind and a…

With the work environment becoming increasingly competitive and with rising workloads, smaller paychecks and seasonal virals, it’s not surprising to see so many employees getting tempted to hit snooze and call in sick. In 1985, a survey was conducted in which 60 per cent of the participating companies acknowledged that absenteeism is one of the most severe discipline issues. In 2017, the US Department of Labour (DOL) estimated that almost three per cent of the workforce is absent in a company on any given day. Since the dawn of industrialisation, there have been various programmes to manage and control absenteeism,…

Luminous India, a three decade old market leader in power storage and home electrical businesses – wanted to create better synergy and collaboration amongst their structural silos. The market establishment had brought in taller functional verticals and high specialisation. HR leaders at Luminous foresaw that these ‘closed departments’ would gradually weigh them down. It was only a culture of interdepartmental collaboration and interaction that would provide a sandbox for innovation and new ideas to spur. They feared they might eventually lose their ability to quickly respond to the market demands and lose their competitive edge to newer and leaner organisations.…

While there are many ways to build a brand image, the best ambassadors for any company are the satisfied employees and clients. Their experiences act as significant indicators of how they interact with your company and perceive your brand. The link between R & R and brand image Despite constant advancement of HR tech and in-depth study of office psychology, many organisations are still not tapping into the possibility of using rewards and recognition (R&R) to enhance brand image. It has been proven time and again that R&R initiatives have a direct impact on various parameters, such as improving retention,…

“What differentiates these extraordinarily successful firms from others? How have they been able to make it when others have failed? The major distinguishing feature in these companies – their most important competitive advantage, the most powerful factor they all highlight as a key ingredient in their success – is their organisational culture.” Kim S. Cameron & Robert E. Quinn, Authors, Diagnosing and Changing Organisational Culture Organisational values and employee behaviour combine together to create a distinct socio-psychological environment that is unique to every organisation. This environment is known to be “the only sustainable competitive advantage that is completely within the…

It doesn’t matter what part of the age spectrum you may be in, receiving a trophy, medal or badge of honour feels awesome! Isn’t it great to receive rewards on victories and triumphs? It motivates people and gives them the confidence to take up the next challenge. In the realm of gaming, virtual rewards recognise players’ growing skills and heroic strengths. When these badges get incorporated into a broader narrative, they become powerful engagement tools! They act as a simultaneous goal-setting and reward device which drives users (employees, partners and consumers) to explore the virtual world while pursuing real-life objectives.…