Maritz Inc., the
incentive firm based in Fenton, Mo., has released new results from
a fall 2006 study suggesting that different rewards have different
effects on employees, based on personality types.
The study, which asked 1,003 full-time
employees about their reward preferences, identified six distinct
personalities.
* Award seekers are
motivated by monetary and trophy value; their reward preferences
are gift cards and travel.
* Nesters prefer
rewards that don’t take them away from home, such as flexible work
hours, days off or dinner out with their families.
* Bottom liners care
most about the monetary value of their reward and prefer cash
bonuses or programs awarding points that they can accumulate to
obtain rewards.
* Freedom yearners
prefer a flexible work environment over any other reward.
* Praise cravers are
most interested in being acknowledged for their work and seek
verbal, written or formal praise from managers or informal praise
by peers.
* Upward movers are
best motivated by status rewards, such as dining with company
executives or mentoring other employees.
The largest group was the award
seekers, who made up 22 percent of those polled.Upward movers were
the smallest group, at 8 percent of respondents.