The scheme, Asda Stars, operates in 660 locations and is available to 177,000 employees.
So far, 68,856 employees have received awards, with 41,828 recognised as ‘unique’ employees for making exceptional efforts.
An employee builds up Star points by meeting particular goals, and can then redeem them on a variety of rewards.
Jane Earnshaw, head of reward and recognition at Asda, says: “We are trying to reward people and recognise people who uphold the organisation’s core beliefs. The most popular reward is the Asda gift card, which makes the recognition personal.”
Each store, distribution centre and head office also nominate a ‘colleague of the month’, who is awarded Star points.
“A thank-you should have some kudos behind it,” says Earnshaw. “Rather than adding an extra £10 to someone’s pay, with no event or communication and no real meaning as to why or how they got that, we think it is important to create an event out of thanking our employees.
“There is no silver bullet to long-term motivation; it is a combination of pay, work environment, learning and development opportunities and many other factors.”
