Preston firm’s employee reward system helps support charities like St Catherine’s

A Preston firm uses a fantastic initiative to reward staff whilst helping to support the important work of St Catherine’s Hospice.

Service Care Solutions has introduced an employee reward system which sees staff given poker-style chips, to put into their favourite charity’s collection box at the Starkie Street offices.

St Catherine’s is one of a number of charities staff can choose to support, and at the end of the financial year the company donates £1 for every chip in each box, benefiting a range of worthy local causes.

Employees’ names are written on each token, and as well as creating a feel-good factor amongst the workforce, the scheme also provides staff with a chance to win amazing prizes from a draw of all of the tokens at the end of the year. Rewards include holiday vouchers, an extra day’s annual leave, experience day vouchers, and more.

Paul Bradley, who manages the firm’s CSR (corporate social responsibility) initiatives, said: “Our aim is to engage staff more with our chosen charities and encourage them to do their bit for a worthy cause that is important to them personally.

“A lot of people have experienced or know of the specialist care provided by the hospice, and this scheme also helps to raise awareness of charities like St Catherine’s amongst our staff. Tokens can be given for demonstrating teamwork, exceeding sales targets, and supporting the development of fellow colleagues, so it helps to promote our own organisation’s values too.”

Paul added: “The idea came from the supermarkets when you’re given a chip each time you buy a plastic carrier bag, which you can put in the charity collection boxes. We wanted to open this up to our staff to find out which causes are important to them, and give them a real incentive to connect with their local charities and show their support.

“And the more chips you get, the more chance you have of winning a prize in the draw, so we find it works well as a motivator. It’s a win/win scheme, and we’re proud to support St Catherine’s Hospice in this way.”

Service Care Solutions has recently donated a wonderful £935 to St Catherine’s Hospice from the initiative, as well as donating funds to the Alzheimer’s Society, Derian House Children’s Hospice, Lancashire Mind, and the Space Centre.

Hayley Jackson, community engagement officer at St Catherine’s, said: “This is a really great idea which empowers staff to support a charity close to their heart, whilst motivating them to go above and beyond at work and being rewarded for their efforts with the chance to win some amazing prizes. As Paul says, it really does benefit everyone involved.

“We’re delighted that St Catherine’s was one of the causes to receive a generous donation which will make a real difference to our patients and their families, as it helps us to continue offering our specialist care to local people affected by life-shortening illnesses such as cancer, motor neurone disease and heart failure.

“We’d like to say ‘thank you’ to all of the staff who put their chips in our collection box, and we look forward to working with Service Care Solutions more in the future.”

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