How rewarding employees has permanently improved engagement at Van Moer Logistics.
“I don’t have a talent manager or a recruitment manager,” explains Yves Hebb, HR Director of the logistics group Van Moer Logistics. “The margins in our sector are low, so we have to fight for every percent.” What the HR department of Van Moer Logistics does have is the ‘Blue Diamond’ appreciation programme, in which employees can earn ‘Jo-kers’ for demonstrating excellent engagement. And it has been a roaring success…
How it all started for Van Moer
Over 30 years ago, Jo Van Moer, barely 20 years old at the time, started the company together with his wife Anne. All he had was an old truck with 1.4 million kilometres on the clock. The company has since grown into a leading logistics group with more than 1,400 employees. Their first driver, the first warehouseman and the first attendant all still work there. And there are no plans to slow down, they have recently made serious additional investments for future growth.
One big family
The strong growth demanded an increased focus on safety. But there was also an urgent need to optimise overheads. What’s more, the high turnover of truck drivers was an issue.
How could they get everyone on the same page? How could they encourage exemplary behaviour and emotionally connect their staff to the organisation in the long term? HR had already taken some ‘one shot’ initiatives here and there, but this was not enough to create sustainable behavioural change.
“HR had already taken some ‘one shot’ initiatives here and there, but this was not enough to create sustainable behavioural change.”
Today, CEO Jo proudly refers to them as being one big family, which he calls the ‘Vanmoerians’. And Jo is delighted, because truck driver turnover has fallen in the Transport Business Unit by 20% in 2021. Damage cases have fallen by almost 49% and fuel consumption has decreased by 3.5% compared to the baseline. At the same time, workplace accidents have dropped by 27.5%, while customer satisfaction has risen sharply.
What is the secret behind these incredible results? What was Yves Hebb’s approach?
‘Blue Diamond’ programme
With a healthy dose of common sense, a strong belief in the power of positive appreciation and perseverance to drive things forward. That’s how the ‘Blue Diamond’ programme came about.
Blue Diamond is a strategic appreciation programme whereby every employee can earn “Jo-kers” (points) when they reach a special milestone, or when an exceptional result has been achieved. The Jo-kers refer to Jo’s first name. The ‘blue’ refers to the logo of Van Moer Logistics and the ‘diamond’ refers to the way they want their employees to shine by regularly showing appreciation for them.
“Blue Diamond is a strategic appreciation programme whereby every employee can earn “Jo-kers” (points) when they reach a special milestone, or when an exceptional result has been achieved”
With a healthy dose of common sense, a strong belief in the power of positive appreciation and perseverance to drive things forward. That’s how the ‘Blue Diamond’ programme came about.
The milestones that Van Moer Logistics rewards are:
- Onboarding
- Years of service (10 years, 15 years, 20 years, etc.)
- A birth
- Getting married/living together
- Birthday
Exceptional results (or engagement) that Van Moer Logistics rewards are:
- KPIs for safety (individual or group)
- Ecodriving
- KPIs for quality
- KPIs for HR and other departments
- Introducing a new colleague
- Outstanding effort
A nice anecdote is that last year Jo gave every employee 50 extra Jo-kers when he turned 50.
So how does the programme work?
On their first day at the company, every employee receives a ‘Blue Diamond’ box with a unique log-in code linked to 500 welcome points and five compliment cards. The employee is invited to log into the programme digitally and is first shown a personal welcome video by CEO Jo Van Moer.
They are also encouraged to use the five greeting cards to show appreciation for a colleague in the coming year. That way, they motivate every individual to create more moments of connection and strengthen the family feeling.
The digital platform was built entirely to the company’s specifications. Whenever an employee has earned ‘Jo-kers’, they are notified via the Van Moer Logistics ‘Connect’ app, which can easily be viewed on any smartphone.
The Jo-kers are the means of payment with which they can choose an incentive of their choice. Employees can also opt to put their Jo-kers together for a group incentive – such as a hot air balloon ride, for example. There is an extremely wide choice, ranging from physical branded goods, digital gift vouchers, travel, experiences, wines, champagnes, charities, training courses, etc., something for everyone! The strength of the programme is that the points (Jo-kers) can be saved up.
In the past, the rewards were all fragmented, so there was no real impact. What’s more, thanks to Blue Diamond, it is now crystal clear what kind of employee engagement is strategically important for the continued growth of the organisation.
“The good engagement that you reward multiplies itself. And the results speak for themselves.” The good engagement you reward multiplies itself. And the results speak for themselves.”
Another nice thing is that managers on the shop floor can ‘catch’ people demonstrating excellent engagement and then give them a physical ‘Jo-ker’ card that they can validate via the platform.
It doesn’t all have to be purely digital. The programme is really popular with the drivers and warehouse staff, and there is even healthy competition between the different teams. You only have to look at the results for proof.
“Another nice thing is that managers on the shop floor can ‘catch’ people demonstrating excellent engagement.”
For the HR Director, Blue Diamond is a breath of fresh air as it gives him a tool to help streamline his appreciation policy. It is a major administrative simplification, not only for HR but also for accounting. But most importantly, they will never miss a single milestone now. “Because, after all, it’s about people,” explains Yves. “And here you really can’t afford to drop the ball.”
Whenever an employee achieves an important milestone, their supervisor is automatically notified. The supervisor is then invited to write a personal message to be presented on the day of the milestone, along with the amount of ‘Jo-kers’ they have earned. This creates an additional moment of connection.
Points versus cash
Many companies struggle with the question of how to reward their employees when the latter make a positive contribution. The advantage of working with points (Jo-kers) compared to a cash reward is that a manager can react much more quickly when an employee demonstrates exceptional engagement.
“The advantage of working with points (Jo-kers) compared to a cash reward is that a manager can react much more quickly.”
The fact that employees can save up and then exchange their points for something tangible like a gift, voucher, training course or city trip, has a much stronger psychological effect.
What’s more, there is an automatic link to payroll. There is an automatic exchange of data every month so that no time is lost in administration.
When staff get a pay rise or a bonus, the effect is very short-lived. It often even goes unnoticed if the amount is only small. The same applies to meal vouchers or an end-of-year gift voucher. These are digitally transferred to your card and you barely notice them. But if people earn points (Jo-kers) and they can see why they have earned them every time through their dashboard, this creates more visibility and connection.
Jo Van Moer has since become the biggest ambassador of the ‘Blue Diamond’ programme. Together with Yves Hebb, not only has he managed to improve the safety culture and quality, but the appreciation policy has also had a positive impact on the financial health of the organisation.
