6 Great Ways to Reward your Filipino Employees this Christmas
If there’s one holiday that gets every Filipino excited, it’s definitely the Christmas season! As early as September, shopping centers are gaining more foot traffic, people are making their shopping list, and friends and families are planning their holiday getaways.
As an employer, a huge chunk of their happiness this Christmas falls on you. Ask yourself, what kind of incentive program do you have in stored for them? Are you giving them more paid leaves? Maybe cash bonuses or perhaps a thank-you basket?
Here are creative ways that you can reward employees.
Four Ways to Reward Your Filipino Employees this Christmas
1. Offer flexible working hours
Celebrating Christmas is a big thing in the Philippines, and everyone loves it. As soon as the ‘ber months kick in, Santa Clauses, Christmas trees, and decorations start popping up like mushrooms.
But, the most notable and admirable Christmas tradition Filipinos have is the desire to be with their loved ones. Such that, even relatives across the globe come home each year to join the festivities like Noche Buena and Misa de Gallo (Simbang Gabi).
Near or far, it’s important for Filipinos to be with their loved ones during Christmas. So, offering them flexible working hours during the holidays is an incredibly gracious and generous gift to give.
2. Personalize rewards
You might have a single parent onboard the team who needs a little R&R, or maybe a foodie who’s excited to try new cuisines and blooming restaurants. Each person is unique and motivated by different things, so don’t be afraid to personalize your incentive programs.
Getting to know your staff members shouldn’t just be for their 201 files. If you know an employee has been too stressed from juggling all the workload, treat her to a pamper day. Or maybe you discovered that one of your staff members is an aspiring chef, you might want to consider offering cooking lessons or restaurant coupons for his or her family as a reward.
3. Don’t force your employees to attend company parties.
Here’s the thing, not everyone wants to stay late over the weekend and then contend with the traffic on their way home. Some employees would rather prefer to celebrate the holidays with their family instead of co-workers that they see 5 days a week 8 hours a day. Don’t force your employees to attend if they have their own plans because after all, Christmas is about celebrating it with your loved ones.
4. Think long-term
When you’re designing incentive programs for employees, always think about the long-term effects. Instead of default rewards like cash bonuses that are easy to redeem, you can explore giving something that won’t be easily forgotten such as travel vouchers.
Help them make memories not just with colleagues, but also with their families. You can offer travel vouchers to the best beaches and places to see in the Philippines like Palawan, Cebu, Siargao, and Boracay.
5. Get creative
Invoke the spirit of Christmas by inviting your staff to decorate the office with Christmas ornaments and colorful lights. Or better yet, why not surprise them with a winter wonderland-themed office one day?
You can also get creative by ditching the classic office party and exploring alternative options like a private movie screening or off-site parties. Injecting something new can help inspire them.
6. Celebrate with food
Just like Halloween, Christmas wouldn’t be official if not for holiday treats. Surprise your employees with desserts such as Puto Bumbong, Bibingka and Leche Flan. This will help keep the spirit of the holidays during monotonous workdays when everybody just want to go home and celebrate.
If you’re having difficulty designing the perfect incentive program, you can try signing up for automated web-based services that focus on converting traditional performance-based rewards program to a curated and efficient system.
There’s no shame in getting a little bit of help. However you choose to design your incentive programs for employees, just make sure it greatly shows your appreciation for their efforts for the past months. The important thing is, everyone’s happy. Happy holidays!
