Contests & Bonuses at work!

[galaxie]

Sweet stuff!
I have the opportunity to win my choice of an iPod, $275 US gc to Coach or Tiffany's, or a PSP!!

I am soooooooo winning this contest :P

[FeelGood]

G'Luck

[yoko*]

bonuses are great..

but i sometimes wish there were more incentives that were inclusive of all staff in general. Some people work hard for practically nothing... and the people who benefit are the people on the higher end of the hierarchy. Some of them really don't deserve it either.

oh well, such is life.

[Gusto]

yeah, i won a hundred dollar gift certificate a few weeks ago for a store of my choice. gotta love those little bonuses.

[FeelGood]

Originally Posted by yoko*

bonuses are great..

but i sometimes wish there were more incentives that were inclusive of all staff in general. Some people work hard for practically nothing... and the people who benefit are the people on the higher end of the hierarchy. Some of them really don't deserve it either.

oh well, such is life.

absolutely agree.
but usually people who are up on the high end are there for a reason.
some are just spoiled or lucky.

[bebu*funfun]

i find it really funny when some retail workers dont make commission..but yet their manager give them a sales goal to make for the day absolutely pointless.. like what kind of incentive is it when someone tells u to shoot high, when there isnt a point... like yoko said.. a lot of times its the higher end of the hierarchy that gets most of the benefits..and its really unfair. but yes special incentive in a work environment is great.

[Gusto]

Originally Posted by yoko*

bonuses are great..

but i sometimes wish there were more incentives that were inclusive of all staff in general. Some people work hard for practically nothing... and the people who benefit are the people on the higher end of the hierarchy. Some of them really don't deserve it either.

oh well, such is life.

yeah, true. sometimes a company is better off only offering the incentive to certain people, though (sales people, for example), where it will make a difference. as much as i hate to say it, for unskilled labour, often the incentive is that you get to keep your job.

[matéo]

I love bonuses!!!


this summer's brought me a new dj setup. cant wait for the winter!

[yoko*]

Originally Posted by eighty5

absolutely agree.
but usually people who are up on the high end are there for a reason.
some are just spoiled or lucky.

Ofcourse there is a reason. But that doesn't mean that it's a good one, aka, that they deserve to be where they stand. As you said, some people just get lucky, and others aren't afraid to step on people and lie their way up to the ladder. And in saying this I'm not referring to retail specifically, but life in general. Cause I personally don't want or aspire to climb my way up the hierarchy of retail. It's just something I do for fun.

wherever you stand in the retail hierarchy and whatever incentive you get for increasing your or your team's productivity, the person one step above you is profiting twice more than you, and from you.

[yoko*]

Originally Posted by gusto

as much as i hate to say it, for unskilled labour, often the incentive is that you get to keep your job.

yay!?
;)

[Gusto]

hahaha, yeah, i know. but one day the tables will be turned. well, not you on them, but you on some other poor sap. ahah.

[frogprincess]

when myra and i worked at ibm we got $10 gc for famous players.

that was pretty sweet.

[galaxie]

Originally Posted by bebu*funfun

i find it really funny when some retail workers dont make commission..but yet their manager give them a sales goal to make for the day absolutely pointless.. like what kind of incentive is it when someone tells u to shoot high, when there isnt a point... like yoko said.. a lot of times its the higher end of the hierarchy that gets most of the benefits..and its really unfair. but yes special incentive in a work environment is great.

Actually Bev, it's not pointless at all.

The more dollars a store makes, the more hours they are able to give out, which means MORE SHIFTS for the employees who go the extra mile. On my staff I have p/t staff who get 4 hours per week, and I have p/t staff who get 30+. Those who receive the higher number of hours have worked hard to be awarded that many shifts - those who receive 4 (or less) hours per week aren't pulling their weight and are lucky they get any shifts at all (or haven't been fired!).

[e_BoY]

2 words

fuck retail


on another note good luck. the choice of prize u mentioned sounds dope.

[miss.myra]

I love little incentives and bonuses!
When I work extra hard and meet mine (which is easy to do) my company puts money on a prepaid credit card that i can spend wherever I wish! :)


oh, and working retail for comission sucks! my friend used to work at aritzia and she told me horror stories about daily catfights that broke out between coworkers arguing over a sale. I also find the store employees a lot more irritating in a strict comission environment.

[yoko*]

Originally Posted by miss.myra

oh, and working retail for comission sucks! my friend used to work at aritzia and she told me horror stories about daily catfights that broke out between coworkers arguing over a sale. I also find the store employees a lot more irritating in a strict comission environment.

Jenn (ilee)?

Yes aritzia on Robson was a particular case. I hated working there and I felt bad for customers sometimes who were being swarmed by 10 different sales associates who were eyeing them like fresh meat.. Like Jenn used to say to me "it eats your soul!". I'm glad I'm not working in a commissioned-based atmosphere, it makes work more relaxed and the team a lot more fun to work with...

[SEAN!]

When im looking for careers I will not work for a company in a sales role without incentive packages because i figure i will find myself bored and unchallenged in an atmoshpere that does not encourage good work. Its like the awards you get in elementary school assemblies, its a good way of measuring your performance and boosting your self-esteem haha. hell at ym first job they had an incentive scheme based on how many upsells on popcorn and drink specials you could sell and I almost always got top spot. it was dope especially in a minimum wage job where i wouldnt make much money without it.


as for those who don't like competition, thats fine but they should recognize that in opting for less competition they are also opting for less pay and they should accept that without complaining. also there are plenty of ways to be successful and be the best without being unethical or hurting someone else, its just in lower rungs of employment you tend to be competing with people with lower skills who will resort to making their competitors look worse then improving their own skills.

[SEAN!]

Originally Posted by gusto

yeah, true. sometimes a company is better off only offering the incentive to certain people, though (sales people, for example), where it will make a difference. as much as i hate to say it, for unskilled labour, often the incentive is that you get to keep your job.

incentives like profit sharing are probably the ebst because then everyone gets to share in the profits of the company depending on their pay scale and position, it also creates self suprvision of the work place where employees will pressure others to work harder so they can increase the bonus afforded to everyone.

[Joanne]

Originally Posted by galaxie

Actually Bev, it's not pointless at all.

The more dollars a store makes, the more hours they are able to give out, which means MORE SHIFTS for the employees who go the extra mile. On my staff I have p/t staff who get 4 hours per week, and I have p/t staff who get 30+. Those who receive the higher number of hours have worked hard to be awarded that many shifts - those who receive 4 (or less) hours per week aren't pulling their weight and are lucky they get any shifts at all (or haven't been fired!).

yes, but not all retail places have a computer that calculates all the dollars to figure out how many hours to give a employee.

so in these retail stores, it really is pointless.

--Joanne :P

[miss.myra]

Originally Posted by SEAN!

incentives like profit sharing are probably the ebst because then everyone gets to share in the profits of the company depending on their pay scale and position, it also creates self suprvision of the work place where employees will pressure others to work harder so they can increase the bonus afforded to everyone.

I love the idea of profit sharing, a lot.

Same with company stock options. I'm buying stocks with every paycheque with my current job, and knowing that the better the company does, the more I get is a really great motivating factor.

[yoko*]

Originally Posted by bananasinpjs

yes, but not all retail places have a computer that calculates all the dollars to figure out how many hours to give a employee.

so in these retail stores, it really is pointless.

--Joanne :P

yea, i understand why certain companies do it, but then again at the retail SA level, I also agree that the whole "determining one's hours by their sales figures" thing is kinda pointless and sometimes harsh. It doesn't take a high level of education or even that much skill to learn how to help someone and it certainly doesn't take a genius to work in retail. Many "top" sellers don't necessarily have great customer service skills. On the other hand, some people who sell less provide excellent customer service but don't claim their sales enough.

[SEAN!]

Originally Posted by miss.myra

I love the idea of profit sharing, a lot.

Same with company stock options. I'm buying stocks with every paycheque with my current job, and knowing that the better the company does, the more I get is a really great motivating factor.

stock options are not as good as factors totally exogenous to your own performance and often even the perfromance of the firm you are employed with dictate the price of the stock. so unless you are recieving stock at a steep discount to its market price and then selling it on the market immediately afterwards(which is extrememly unlikely but sometimes happens when companies save a preffered block of stock for their employees during an IPO or a new issue)

but one fo the benefits of working for big companies is that they often have external fund managers which offer a range of mutual funds to employees as part of the retirement package, and these funds are paid for straight out of peoples paycheques, whcih is dope for younger/impulsive people who otherwise would be squandering all their money.

[SEAN!]

Originally Posted by yoko*

yea, i understand why certain companies do it, but then again at the retail SA level, I also agree that the whole "determining one's hours by their sales figures" thing is kinda pointless and sometimes harsh. It doesn't take a high level of education or even that much skill to learn how to help someone and it certainly doesn't take a genius to work in retail. Many "top" sellers don't necessarily have great customer service skills. On the other hand, some people who sell less provide excellent customer service but don't claim their sales enough.

well thats why you go to university....so you dont have to work retail for the rest of your life

[ash1ee]

my favorite one was for every 10 pairs of spy sunglasses you sell...you get a free pair. wooo. I have 2 pairs of never been worn glaces in my drawer. and i sold a few pairs on ebay. sometimes i really miss retail. actually no..i just miss pharsyde.

[Tea]

Originally Posted by miss.myra

I love little incentives and bonuses!
When I work extra hard and meet mine (which is easy to do) my company puts money on a prepaid credit card that i can spend wherever I wish! :)


oh, and working retail for comission sucks! my friend used to work at aritzia and she told me horror stories about daily catfights that broke out between coworkers arguing over a sale. I also find the store employees a lot more irritating in a strict comission environment.

I know the friend ;) all girls and high sales demands = bitches in trouble