How Can I Create a Fair Reward Policy for Employees Covering for Absent Colleagues?

Dear Friends,

I am working in the service industry, and some of the employees have gone for official work outside of India for 3 to 4 months. During that time period, their work is being done by others in the department. I have to design a reward policy for these employees who are filling in for their absent colleagues.

Please help.

Shyam

Dear Shyam,

Though there are several questions unanswered in the minds of other HR site members, such as which industry (IT, I presume), what level of employees are being targeted, what work they are pitching in for, more on the organization practices, etc., you could do the following:

1. Develop a form listing the tasks to be performed in the absence of the touring/on-site employees.

2. List the tasks with the help of the touring employee/his boss/dept. head.

3. Quantify the tasks/milestones (if possible), assign weightages, and assign a monetary value to them (I am presuming that the tasks are regularly done and not sporadic/one-off).

4. Publicize it by posting in the concerned department with a copy retained in the HR department so that people willingly and readily take up the tasks of their colleagues.

At the end, assess them through their superiors and reward them accordingly.

If everything is not well organized or predictable and is more informal/one-off, then reward them based on broadly defined tasks and accompanying reward amounts. But some basic method needs to be in place. Otherwise, it will be arbitrary and left to the whims and fancies of the superior/COO/CEO/Head of Department/Head of Business and may breed unhappiness.

Rahul

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