G&K Services, a uniform supplier, ranked No. 15 on our Employees’ Choice: Top 30 Benefits and Pension Plan list. Deen Maharaj, director of HR, Canada, with G&K Services, gives insight into cost-effective ways for employers to keep their employees happy and engaged.
What benefits does G&K Services offer outside of its standard benefits?
“A lot of times when HR people look at benefits, they think they have to have a cost—and they don’t. We offer a special rate for movie passes. We offer discounts with the auto industry. There are home and auto insurance programs for people. These aren’t at a cost to us. Discounted Ontario Place tickets, Wonderland tickets, Costco memberships…these are the things [people like]. When people think benefits, they think of the standard benefits programs, but there is so much more that we can do—and it’s free.”
Are there any programs that appeal more than others to your employees?
“We have a service recognition program. First year, fifth year, 10th year, et cetera—no employee has one of those key anniversaries without a gift and celebration. Also, we have monthly birthday cakes. You have no idea how big this is. Each month, we celebrate people’s birthdays. I wish I could tell you [we have] something fantastic and significant, but it’s all the little things that people appreciate.”
Has the company made any changes to its programs due to the recession?
“No. Our benefits programs have not been reduced in any way. We’ve been able to hold on to everything that we’ve had through this period.”
What types of programs are employees asking for?
“No one has said they would really like to have more of this or more of that. What I hear is that they appreciate what they have. We’re always looking to tweak [our plan]. If we find that no one is using one part of the plan, we try to work with the provider to take it out and put something else in. But making it better doesn’t necessarily mean adding costs, it’s making sure the plan is beneficial.”
What are the company’s main challenges with HR programs?
“One of the challenges is refreshing the programs to keep the value in the eyes of the employees. It is very easy to take certain things for granted—for example, the service recognition awards. You need to change the gifts, and you need to communicate [the program] on an annual basis. Repackage and rebrand the program every few years so it’s fresh and new. You need to make it exciting.”
G&K Services scored well in terms of employee engagement. What is the organization doing that makes it rate so high with employees?
“I really think it’s the communication. We have quarterly open forums where we share information about the organization’s key initiatives, successes and challenges. We’re a public company, so our financial information is accessible to all. When we say open door, we really do mean it. Maybe we over-communicate at times, but we’d rather do that than under-communicate with our people.”
“We’re in tough economic times and people have to be held accountable for the results, but if people know what the expectations are—if you give them the tools to achieve those expectations and you communicate by simply saying ‘Thank you’ or ‘I need your help to do better’—that’s what people want. And those who choose not to be a part of the solution need to be dealt with or they will spoil the whole bunch.”
What can other companies do to increase engagement among employees?
“Focus on the little things. Don’t take the little things for granted. Just knowing someone’s name when you walk through your facility, knowing their children’s names. Saying good morning, asking how are you and being prepared to stand and listen to their response. It’s all the ‘Thank yous’ and ‘Good mornings,’—that’s what is important to people—and to be treated with respect. It’s the standard stuff that we read in books but take for granted because it seems so simple.”
April Scott-Clarke is assistant editor of Benefits Canada.