Page 3 of 3Team incentives
There's another plus to be unearthed. Research has shown that incentives awarded on a team basis have even more effect than individual rewards, because employees are encouraged to keep an eye on what their colleagues are doing, and either step in informally when they spot something amiss, or share the experience confidentially in a weekly bulletin report or similar.
This is already established practice in the public sector where acceptable ways of eliminating the stigma of 'grassing' have been devised. Useful observations can be immediately rewarded, whether they come from shift leader or storekeeper.
The mishaps that the energy industries are prone to, whether it's blow-outs or shut-ins, illegal bunkering or petty theft, make this a difficult business for the HR professionals to make their mark in. So the industry continues to have difficulty attracting the skilled workforce it needs, and needs to replace in line with fast-moving national legislation.
Companies operating in all Africa's oil and gas basins need abundant highly skilled workers to meet coming challenges, so devising a realistic incentive scheme that is adapted to the special problems of this activity is an excellent way of keeping talent away from the drain.
