The human resources director of Jet2holidays and Jet2.com has spoken of the positive impact of spot bonuses on staff morale, describing the impact as a “whoosh effect”.
Speaking at the Travel Weekly People Summit of which Jet2holidays was headline sponsor, Miriam D’souli discussed a decision to award cabin crew £250 in shopping vouchers after a particularly tough period for them, before deciding to offer staff who worked during the summer months of July and August a £1,000 bonus in this month’s pay packet.
She said the bonuses, which will be issued on a pro rata basis for those who didn’t work during the whole period, would undoubtedly help with staff retention.
But she said companies which used the term “retention bonus” risked missing the opportunity to connect in a positive way with their teams.
“We knew it was going to be hard (post pandemic),” she said, adding: “We are deliberately calling it a “thank you bonus”. The terminology makes a difference. It’s had a ‘whosh’ effect. We didn’t have to do it; we chose to.”
In addition to the bonuses, all staff in the business received a 4% pay increase in April, with a further 4% given to employees in July after a pay review in the current market, said D’souli.
Speaking about the shopping vouchers for cabin crew and a decision to bring back former staff to offer crew a break, she added: “It was really tough for cabin crew. They were about to hit the floor and then flights were being cancelled. They were surprised and shocked by the £250; it was a moment of joy.”