Giving Recreational Equipment Inc’s employees Yay days supports the organization’s overall business strategies in several ways. The Kent based outdoor recreational equipment firm gives its employees two “Yay Days” each year in addition to the black Friday that comes immediately after Thanksgiving for them to enjoy their favorite outdoor activities. The firm believes that the two days are fundamental to the employees and its business strategies as demonstrated by increased sales and revenue. However, the main reasons why the firm offer the two days include:
Employees reconnect with outdoor
More fundamentally, the two Yay Days allow employees to take part in several outdoor activities and the firm believes that by doing so, the employees reconnect with the outside and experience nature. Further, the employees are paid on the two days to motivate them find outdoor activities, especially recreational activities. As its foundation demonstrates, connecting with the outdoor is essential to one’s wellbeing and taking part in outdoor activities enables employees to experience nature. It also provides the employees with the opportunity for them to use their REI gear to get in touch with nature. The two days paid outdoor opportunity enables the employees to get a chance to attempt something that is new and challenge themselves for find their favorite activity. Again, they can use the two days to work close to nature which motivates them to steward projects from the outside the normal office space. Once outside, the employees can do any activity that they feel excites them and create a connection with nature. The employees take advantage of the outdoor where they get outside and do anything from mountain climbing, building trails and even running in marathons and other races. Based on its formation, the firm believes that employees will live well through the outdoor life. When they reconnect with nature and the outdoor, the employees gain new perspectives and feel that nature is welcoming, positive and focused on making their lives better. As such, reconnecting with the outdoor is a fundamental component of the firm’s way of demonstrating why it sells the recreational gears to people so that they can use them to connect with nature and outdoor.
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Delivery of great knowledge and service to customers
Secondly, the ‘Yay Days’ allow the employees to understand how the equipment and gears work since while on the outside, most of them get the chance to use them. Therefore, the employees gain valuable and essential knowledge on how the gears work for the benefit of the customers. Once from the outdoor activities, employees have great insights on how customers can use their gear better and the parts that can offer greater excitement when using the equipment. As a result, the employees improve their customer service delivery as they understand the working of this equipment through experience. They can also advise the customers on the regions and potential benefits of using the gears in certain locations. Enhanced service delivery is critical to the overall success of the firm’s business strategies. However, if employees lack great knowledge on how to use the gears and equipment, they may not offer great services to customers because they do not possess necessary knowledge on the equipment. By going out door for two days, the employees get the chance to use these gears and eventual gain meaningful knowledge on their use and importance through practice. The organization believes that the by embracing the spirit of an outdoor life and experiencing the outdoor, the employees can capture the discovery feeling and bring it to their customers through service delivery. It offers the firm an opportunity to train the employees, build their communities and emphasize the love for the outdoor which forms the foundation of the equipment company.
Boost employees’ Morale
Organizational culture and behavior is essential to the achievement of goals and effective implementation of strategies, especially growth strategies. Better employee benefits and perks are important in motivating employees and enhancing their performance since they feel valued and contribution recognized. Organization behavior theories like equity theory and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs implore on firms like REI to have better ways of motivating their employees and increasing their output. Both need and process-based motivational approaches in the workplace are critical to improved output and performance. Therefore, by offering its employees ‘Yay Days’ the firm aims at enhancing its friendly organizational culture. The two paid outdoor days are just one way the firm is living to its promise of creating a friendly workplace environment and attracting and retaining its employees. For instance, the firm began the employee-friendly culture as early as 1960s by offering them health care benefits. The firm also started a profit-sharing program with its employees among other activities that have focused mainly on ensuring that employees are motivated and cannot leave the organization. The firm has consistently featured on Fortune’s list of best companies to work in as an employee. The firm believes that through the outdoor activities, employees gain the ability to steward their office activities and change their mindset. Going outdoor ensures that employees look at the business in a different way and take the personal responsibility for making not only positive but also a lasting influence on their duties and responsibilities. For instance, through their competitive and noncompetitive activities, employees realize that they can formulate winning strategies, connect with the customers in a more personal way, and ensure that they offer exceptional services because they are motivated and have a better understanding of the equipment.
Marketing Exposure
The employees share their ‘Yay Days” experiences on social media networks like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook among others, and by doing this, the firm gets great marketing exposure. As a result, it attracts potential employees and customers who come to the firm. It also demonstrates the employee-friendly culture at the firm and customers feel that the company is ethical since it cares for the welfare of its employees.
Employee retention
Recreational Equipment Inc. works hard to retain its employees and attract more. Therefore, the two “Yay Days” helps the organization to retain its employees. The firm would like its employees to spend their entire work career with company. The holiday offered by the firm is one of the strategies of ensuring that it retains its employees just like in 2015 when it funded a $60 million incentive plan and sharing of its profits with employees.
Achieving its Mission
Evidently, these strategies illustrates the firm’s mission of improving access to outdoors by offering requisite gear and equipment for outdoor activities while at the same time promoting social and environmental management and stewardship among its employees. The two days paid off indicates that the firm is committed to maintaining its brand and crafting an exceptional workplace culture that will lead to sustainable practices in the long term. The “Yay Days” have become a phenomenon in the business world with many firm formulating creative employee benefits’ schemes and strategies aimed at motivating employees and attracting more customers. REI’s offering of “Yay Days” shows that the company values an friendly workplace environment for its employees.
