Ocado Retail’s reward and benefits strategy is key to employee recruitment and retention, making it an attractive option for new employees and a workplace where staff feel appreciated and their efforts rewarded.
The online retailer has a retail contact centre at the Riverside in Sunderland, with more than 200 employees.
In 2023, it introduced a reward and recognition platform called Mint, named after the north east England slang for brilliant. Employees can earn virtual currency, Ocadough, through achieving good performance rewards and hitting learning targets. They can then spend this on the Mint platform on things such as branded merchandise, toiletries and hampers, as well as the Sunderland Gift Card.
The retailer originally offered Amazon vouchers as a recognition tool, but decided to ask staff for feedback about using the Sunderland Gift Card, a Town and City gift card which can be spent at more than 190 national and independent businesses in the city.
The top selling item in the Mint platform in 2023 was the gift card; employees have used it to buy their lunch or for Christmas purchases.
Kelly Swinney, head of customer hub at Ocado Retail, who was instrumental in introducing its reward and incentive strategies, explains that when it comes to reward and recognition, the organisation always seeks feedback from its workforce.
“As 60% of our team live in the city, the Sunderland Gift Card makes sense as it offers choice and flexibility, while also gives back to our community,” she says.
Other ways the Sunderland Gift Card has been used by the employer include rewarding an employee who has displayed its values with a card and a mug containing treats on their desk, and giving team managers a card to use at a choice of four restaurants to celebrate Christmas through a meal with their team.
“This was well received by the team, with 97% stating they were satisfied with it,” says Swinney. “The feedback we’ve had from staff has been positive. It’s a reward that works for all ages and interests, so it reinforces our inclusive culture and boosts retention too.”
Alongside the Mint platform, Ocado Retail’s reward and benefits strategy includes ad-hoc reward and recognition, and team events, which help to build a sense of purpose and belonging. It uses a variety of communication methods that promote Ocado Retail as an employer of choice, such as creating videos on TikTok. The Ocado Customer Hub account features a video that shares an insight into the organisation and shows staff using their Sunderland Gift Card to buy their lunch at Greggs, subsidised drinks and festive activities.
“The impact of our reward and benefits strategy on recruitment and retention is considerable,” says Swinney. “We were voted Sunderland’s Employer of the Year in 2023, which is largely down to our strategy and culture. We always get a strong response when recruiting for new roles, our retention is high, and we continuously achieve good scores in our twice-yearly engagement survey.”
