The agency's payment of bonuses to employees is linked to achievement of department goals and overall agency goals. First, staff members are rewarded by being treated as valuable partners in the enterprise. They are encouraged to contribute beyond their specific jobs, and to help with such issues as how to offer new and improved services to clients, or how to simplify and speed up work processing, how to improve client marketing, how to cut costs. Benefits to the agency include better decisions, more improvements, and easier implementation of change. Also contributing to the high quality of working life at these agencies is the appreciation everyone receives.
Leaders celebrate the staffs and the staff members celebrate each other, in many ways.
When The Flanders Group was named Rough Notes 1996 Marketing Agency of the Year, for example, President Chris McVicker made sure that all employees knew they were appreciated. He chartered a plane and invited all 20 staff members to fly to Indianapolis, with a guest, to celebrate their accomplishment and themselves at the award dinner. But leaders of the three agencies also stress the importance of continually providing recognition and appreciation in little ways. The little acts of caring continue at CFR when staff members receive a card and gift certificate on their anniversary, a card and flowers on their birthday, or a mention of a noteworthy personal event in the agency's Monday morning memos. While the staff is highly professional and takes business very seriously, they know the value of lightening up, and occasionally taking themselves less seriously.