7. Workplace Practices >
  7.1 Restructuring & Rebuilding >
    7.1.2 Employee Recognition

Employee Recognition

In an effort to rekindle positive recognition for work well done in 2005, we enhanced our Rewards and Recognition program with the implementation of three new award initiatives: Service Awards, the Busted Hump and the Golden Cone, along with an updated take on our Applause Pause program.

  • The Service Award recognizes employees who’ve been at Ben & Jerry’s for five years and more through gifts, cash, and/or travel vouchers in a tiered system. In 2005, 253 employees were awarded Service Awards.
  • The Busted Hump award gives employees an opportunity to recognize their peers for timely and tangible “everyday” contributions to our business and to our values-led mission. Recognized employees receive a certificate of appreciation and a gift certificate to a local establishment valued at $50. In the fall of 2005, 23 employees were awarded Busted Hump Awards.
  • The Golden Cone Award, given annually, is an opportunity for the Company to recognize, reward and celebrate employees for truly exceptional contributions that enhance the business while still preserving and promoting Ben & Jerry’s culture, Social Mission and organizational values. Recipients of this prestigious award receive an engraved statue and a cash gift of approximately $2,000. In 2005, two employees were awarded Golden Cone Awards.
  • The Applause Pause, formerly awarded only by HR managers, was revised so that any employee can recognize and celebrate a peer’s contribution with a spontaneous financial pat on the back for a job well done. There’s a certificate of appreciation and Ben Bucks (up to $25.00 equivalent) for recognized employees, all redeemable at the Unilever Employee Store and most Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shops.

In addition to these “formalized” recognition programs, we brought back Hats ’N Cones at quarterly Site Meetings to honor employees for each completed year of service with the Company. We hope this longstanding tradition will help to rekindle a sense of camaraderie and teamwork.

While we believe these programs are meaningful, we haven’t come up with a metric to measure their success and intend to improve on the process in 2006.