Lorraine Makepeace, head of amazing at Chemistry, says: “We have always had an employee motivation budget, but last year we reviewed it as we wanted to encourage staff to really live our values of being passionate, brave and human.”
The company devised a reward scheme in which employees can award a colleague they see as embodying one of these values, with a card. Every Monday, recipients of cards are celebrated and their names go into the hat for a monthly prize draw, which sees two employees win £100 each.
Each quarter, the three employees with the most cards receive prizes of £750, £500 and £250, respectively. Makepeace says: “It is very motivational, but it doesn’t cost the company a lot to run. If everyone got a bonus, it wouldn’t mean as much.”
Nevertheless, Chemistry’s motivation budget also covers a number of perks for all employees. Makepeace explains: “Once a quarter, we stop work at 2pm and have Friday playtime. Last time, we played rounders at the boss’s house, followed by pizzas and drinks. The buzz is fantastic.”
Chemistry also runs family cinema outings and an annual trip, which last year saw employees go skiing. The company also holds parties at Christmas and Easter.
Makepeace adds: “Employees are our number one asset. It makes sense to motivate them.”
