Case Study: All aboard for Swissport award

Swissport Cargo Services has seen a rise in productivity since handing out a one-off incentive to each of its 450 UK employees.

After a year of pay freezes and a decline in overtime hours, staff were given £100 retail vouchers. Danica Barton, HR adviser, says: “Feedback has been positive and it even helped in this year’s pay talks because they see we provide stuff where we can.”

The award was initially communicated via consultation with the union. Vouchers were then sent out to staff with a letter explaining what they were for. But despite its popularity and contribution to staff productivity, the reward is likely to remain a one-off. Barton adds: “We would consider it if we were in a position not to offer a pay rise again.”

The incentive was given to all employees because Swissport Cargo considers itself an open company. Barton explains: “These things always come back to haunt you. People always find out and it is a big demotivator, so we do not have one-off bonuses to individuals that are kept quiet.”Case stud