Category 7 - Employee Incentive

The Country Club of Virginia Evan Sherwood To encourage servers to benchmark our competition and bring back new ideas, we offer gift certificates in exchange for full, written reports on the pros and cons seen at our competitors’ establishments. They are also asked to create new ideas from their experiences to improve the dining services that we offer. WINNER!!!!

Hermitage Country Club Carlos Romero Managers on Duty has become a yearly tradition that employees look forward to. This event creates a sense of appreciation and value to all employees, which in response boosts employee moral.

The Country Club of Virginia Evan Sherwood Every Club employee is allowed to submit recipe(s) that they have either tried at home or at another job. Each entry will be tested and critiqued by the culinary staff. The winning employee(s) will see their recipe added to one of the restaurant menus and their name(s) will be part of the title for the item.

The Country Club of Virginia Evan Sherwood Lunch meals became repetitive over time. We designed a lunch enhancement committee. The committee travels to different departments and asks for meal suggestions. The meals are named for the staff members who suggested them.

Hermitage Country Club Kristin A Spencer The Oscars, known to most is the most prestigious and famous of all film awards-at the Hermitage Country Club, it is the dirtiest, most exciting employee garbage tossing competition of the year. The toss is important, the launch bears weight, but importantly it is the attitude that wins! The competition has generated a whole new appreciation for each and every task that is carried out at the Club. Each staff member has gained perspective and respect for each other’s tasks and have learned that no job too big, too small, or even too dirty is something that he or she cannot do. Moral is high and productivity is up!

The Country Club of Virginia Evan Sherwood We designed Open Enrollment meetings that employees WANT to attend. We offer refreshments; invite employees to bring their spouses to help make their benefits decisions; ask insurance carriers to send representatives to speak and answer employees’ questions; draw raffle tickets for door prizes; and ask the carriers to provide trinket giveaways (pens are great) or door prizes. We see better attendance at these meetings, and employees like he opportunity to talk to the insurance carriers. Meetings that can be dry and confusing become fun and informative.

The Kansas City Club Gregory Webb The Food & Beverage Manager wrote thank you cards to the parents of young employees that worked on Mothers Day. This gesture helped solidify the relationship between the employees and the Club and the family of the employees at the Club.

Manasquan River Golf Club Tim Doyle Our annual employee dodge ball event has been a great success. Spending time with team members outside of work is vital to the success of any operation. Everyone looks forward to this event.

Ocean Reef Club Paul M.G. Astbury Happy employees are more productive employees, so it just makes good sense to take an active interest in the quality of life in staff housing. An employee-only swimming pool, exercise center, cafeteria, cocktail lounge, library, volleyball and basketball courts, and park-like setting are supplemented by activities in which the employees’ participation provide the fun- soccer and softball games (on the golf driving range), basketball tournaments, baking contests, karaoke, shopping trips, theme parties, fitness gym and swimming pool.

The Kansas City Country Club Gregory Webb While our annual employee holiday party is quite successful, we decided it needed a twist this year. The General Manager is leaving after 8 ½ years, and we wanted this party to be very memorable. We ordered custom-made bobble-heads in the likeness of the General Manager. The night of the party the staff had to find the 12 hidden bobble-heads. Each found bobble-head earned the team members additional raffle tickets.

The Country Club of Virginia Evan Sherwood We encouraged all employees to get flu shots. To make it easy, we found a local pharmacy chain who was willing to come on-site, AND who was willing to file claims with our health insurance carrier for those employees who are on our insurance plan. We pay for our employees’ vaccines, and since our health insurance carrier offers $10 flu shots for its members, the club only had to pay $10 for those vaccines. For those employees who could not attend the on-site clinic, we reimburse them for the cost when they bring in their receipts. We see fewer sick days and more employees receiving vaccines than otherwise would.

The Carnegie Abbey Club Stephen Downes Caught in the Act: This exciting incentive program recognizes the associate who goes above and beyond his or her job description for the amelioration of the club. By creating positive competition among associates, we encourage exceptional staff spirit and a heightened work ethic.

Rolling Rock Club Simon H Carey Service Olympics: A day of education, camaraderie, fun, and good old fashion competition. Many staff training initiatives are by their very nature repetitive. A change of pace as required. By all measures the Service Olympics is a gold medal winner.

Chevy Chase Club Barry Fritz For many years CEO’s and General Managers of private clubs have struggled with ways to enhance the teamwork and camaraderie between the back-of-the-house (culinary staff) and front-of-the-house (service staff). To bring the different departments together, we established a culinary competition with the winning team each receiving a high-end bottle of wine, and the overall best dish was placed on our formal dining menu.

The Country Club of Virginia Evan Sherwood With thousands of tennis balls in play each year, many end up where they do not belong and become an eyesore. Some are difficult to see. To encourage our crews to keep a watchful eye out for them, even in low traffic areas, we hid some balls marked with a monetary value to be returned for cash.