5 awesome ways these bosses rewarded their employees
Whether it’s a simple ‘thank you’ or something a bit more extravagant, it’s always nice to receive rewards for your hard work. How about a generous amount of cash? Say $200,000? Or how about a luxury apartment? Well, that’s what some of these outrageously generous bosses have rewarded their employees with!
We should just say, this isn’t a ‘how-to’. We’re not for one second saying that these should become the norm, they’re anything but normal! However, we felt such acts of kindness and generosity should be highlighted.
Boss rewards employees by giving them the company
After Hamdi Ulukaya, CEO of New York based yoghurt company Chobani, decided to take his company public, he decided to give all his employees an ownership stake in the company, making many of the staff millionaires!
Employees were rewarded based on their longevity and tenure, essentially meaning the longer you had been at the company, the more shares you received.
Some staff received shares potentially worth over $1 million. The average employee received shares worth $150,000.
“I’ve built something I never thought would be such a success, but I cannot think of Chobani being built without all these people” said Hamdi Ulukaya.
Bosses take employees on month-long holiday
Aside from giving their staff unlimited annual leave, Mike Bandar and James Vardy of digital startup Turn Partners often take their employees on holiday to all 4 corners of the globe when the cold British weather gets too much!
The Birmingham-based company often pay for their nine employees to get away together on month-long working holidays, where they can bring their friends and family along.
Whether it’s the beaches of Mexico, five-star hotels in India or relaxing spa’s in Thailand, Turn Partners employees get to work in some of the most exotic and picturesque places in the world.
Mike Bandar, who runs the company with his business partner James, said “Turn Partners covers the costs and although we generally go away for the month, staff can come and go for as long as they please. One of our staff even proposed to his fiancée in Thailand and all of the team threw a surprise party for them on the beach afterwards!”
Senior Developer Luke Lanchaster said: “I fixed a problem at work that was eluding me for months while sitting on a deckchair, listening to the rolling waves and generally having a great time on holiday.”
Sounds awesome!
Boss gives employees over $200k each after company buyout
After Nevzat Aydin, CEO and co-founder of Turkish food delivery company Yemeksepeti, sold his business for $589 million, he decided to share some of his fortunes.
$27 million of the sale was divided among 114 of his employees, working out at $237,000 per employee!
“Yemeksepeti’s success story did not happen overnight and many people participated in this journey with their hard work and talent,” Nevzat told CNN Money. “I believe in teamwork and I believe success is much more enjoyable and glorious when shared with the rest of the team.”
The company was sold to German company Delivery Hero, who approved of Aydin’s generosity. A spokesman said “The success of companies like Delivery Hero and Yemeksepeti is based on amazing company cultures where tremendous people always walk the extra mile.”
India’s most generous boss gives 1,260 cars and 400 apartments to staff as a bonus
Savjibhai Dholakia, head of diamond export firm Hari Krishna Exports, decided the best way to celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali was to give cars, apartments and jewellery to his employees.
“Our aim is that each employee must have his own home and car in the next five years. So, we have decided to gift cars, homes and jewellery to employees,” Dholakia told Agence France-Presse.
According to Dholakia, the rewards were given to recognise the performance and dedication shown by employees and for meeting company targets.
It’s not the first time the head of the diamond export firm has been so generous. He also gave 491 cars and 207 flats to his staff in a similar show of generosity in 2014.
Boss gives employee new car after he walked over 20 miles overnight to make it to his first shift
We thought we’d save the most heart-warming one for last!
When 20-year-old Alabama college student Walter Carr’s own car broke down the night before he was due to start his new job, he walked over 20 miles to make it to his first job as a removal man.
When CEO Luke Marklin of the removal company, Bellhops, heard about Walter’s dedication, he decided to reward him with a new car.
“I am honestly blown away by him,” said Mr Marklin after handing Mr Carr the keys to a 2014 Ford Escape. “Everything he did that day is exactly who we are – heart and grit.”
As a child, Carr and his family were forced to move to Alabama after their home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. While studying Health Sciences at the University of Birmingham in Alabama, he struggled to find work to keep up with his studies.
“This was the first job in a long time to give me an opportunity to get hired,” Walter told AL.com. “I wanted to show them I got the dedication. I said I’m going to get to this job one way or another.”
“I want people to know this – no matter what the challenge is, you can break through the challenge. Nothing is impossible unless you make it impossible.”
On a more serious note, while these types of rewards will be totally out of reach for most bosses and firms, it does still highlight the importance of rewarding employees. It’s important for any CEO or boss to show they understand and recognise the hard work of their firm’s staff. Ultimately, it’s not just the work of a CEO but the work and dedication of the firm’s staff that determines it’s success!
