Employees at Maritime Life Assurance in Halifax are given extra incentive to treat their customer’s right. The company reinforces top-notch service by offering a yearly bonus for all staff based on customer satisfaction. In fact, that’s one of the reasons Maritime Life was listed as one of Canada’s top 50 companies to work for two years in a row.
“Maritime Life has been measuring customer satisfaction for a long time. The intention is to ensure that customer service and satisfaction is high and it has been within the company’s value system for years,” said Steve Christie, director of compensation and benefits at Maritime Life.
Around 33,000 questionnaires are sent out to clients by Maritime’s corporate research department, asking questions about the company’s products and services. The data collected from these surveys determine whether each business unit has met its yearly targets. Maritime usually sets target satisfaction rates of about 90 per cent, and if that is achieved staff will receive a bonus, Christie said.
Employees receive their payouts at the end of the year and the bonus ranges from $500 to $1,000 per worker. However, the overall pay out is the same for everybody regardless of someone’s position in the organization. Whether you’re a senior manager or a front-line worker, the bonus is the same. That’s one of the positive things about this program, said Christie. Although it’s not a huge pay out, everybody gets the same amount and the timing is nice because it’s right before Christmas, he said.
“We strongly believe that if we can really enforce and educate our people on the importance of customer satisfaction, that’s step one. But step two is making sure our staff is satisfied because happy employees means better customer service.”
But employees don’t have to wait until the end of the year to get rewarded. They could receive a Lighthouse Award at any time throughout the year, which recognizes individual contributions. And it doesn’t have to be handed out by top management.
“Peers can award other peers, managers can recognize staff both in their department and other departments...and vice-presidents can do the same. Staff can also provide them to managers.”
The awards come complete with a certificate and voucher that can be used at the company’s store, which sells Maritime Life paraphernalia. There is a maximum voucher of $75.
Maritime also has informal programs that managers can use if they want to reward a high-performance employee. Within various departments, managers have the option of taking employees out to lunch, or giving them a day off once in awhile. There are also recognition bonuses provided outside the standardized corporate programs.
A cash bonus and vouchers aren’t the only things on Maritime’s recognition roster. Top management and HR make sure employees know there is room for advancement.
The language in their hiring policy makes it clear they want staff who are qualified and competent so they can focus on trying to promote people from within, Christie said. “We would lean towards the internal candidate if they have the qualifications required and we promote this through our corporate learning centre.”
Employees even have access to their own Career Investment Account to facilitate career growth. About two to four per cent of every employee’s salary is allocated to this account, Christie said. They can use the account for learning in terms of attending conferences, seminars or workshops. As part of the performance review process when employees sit down with their managers, they’re expected to look at what their development opportunities are and where they want to go in the company.
“Maritime Life has been measuring customer satisfaction for a long time. The intention is to ensure that customer service and satisfaction is high and it has been within the company’s value system for years,” said Steve Christie, director of compensation and benefits at Maritime Life.
Around 33,000 questionnaires are sent out to clients by Maritime’s corporate research department, asking questions about the company’s products and services. The data collected from these surveys determine whether each business unit has met its yearly targets. Maritime usually sets target satisfaction rates of about 90 per cent, and if that is achieved staff will receive a bonus, Christie said.
Employees receive their payouts at the end of the year and the bonus ranges from $500 to $1,000 per worker. However, the overall pay out is the same for everybody regardless of someone’s position in the organization. Whether you’re a senior manager or a front-line worker, the bonus is the same. That’s one of the positive things about this program, said Christie. Although it’s not a huge pay out, everybody gets the same amount and the timing is nice because it’s right before Christmas, he said.
“We strongly believe that if we can really enforce and educate our people on the importance of customer satisfaction, that’s step one. But step two is making sure our staff is satisfied because happy employees means better customer service.”
But employees don’t have to wait until the end of the year to get rewarded. They could receive a Lighthouse Award at any time throughout the year, which recognizes individual contributions. And it doesn’t have to be handed out by top management.
“Peers can award other peers, managers can recognize staff both in their department and other departments...and vice-presidents can do the same. Staff can also provide them to managers.”
The awards come complete with a certificate and voucher that can be used at the company’s store, which sells Maritime Life paraphernalia. There is a maximum voucher of $75.
Maritime also has informal programs that managers can use if they want to reward a high-performance employee. Within various departments, managers have the option of taking employees out to lunch, or giving them a day off once in awhile. There are also recognition bonuses provided outside the standardized corporate programs.
A cash bonus and vouchers aren’t the only things on Maritime’s recognition roster. Top management and HR make sure employees know there is room for advancement.
The language in their hiring policy makes it clear they want staff who are qualified and competent so they can focus on trying to promote people from within, Christie said. “We would lean towards the internal candidate if they have the qualifications required and we promote this through our corporate learning centre.”
Employees even have access to their own Career Investment Account to facilitate career growth. About two to four per cent of every employee’s salary is allocated to this account, Christie said. They can use the account for learning in terms of attending conferences, seminars or workshops. As part of the performance review process when employees sit down with their managers, they’re expected to look at what their development opportunities are and where they want to go in the company.
