Bavet’s recipe for unforgettable birthdays & personal recognition
Bavet elevates not only spaghetti, but also personal recognition to an art form. In this article, you’ll discover how Kadonation contributes to their friendly company culture. You’ll also read how, thanks to Kadonation, Bavet is able to attract committed talent, boost team engagement and create an organisation that puts individual development at its heart.
A delicious bowl of spaghetti with a rock ‘n’ roll feel, that’s Bavet. But it’s also a passionate hospitality company with a unique approach and 15 branches. The company was faced with the challenge of how to show their appreciation for their employees in a personal and flexible way. With a growing team, they wanted to move away from a generic recognition policy to both attract and retain talent.
We talk to Leontien Devos, responsible for HR, and Anouk Catteeuw, who looks after marketing. Anouk: “People come to Bavet for a delicious meal and for the experience: bold, rock ‘n’ roll, a little crazy, that’s the best way to describe us. The beating heart of the whole story are our people, we truly believe in their talents.”
About Bavet
Bavet is a collection of spaghetti restaurants, currently with 14 branches. These are situated in various Flemish cities and in Maastricht in the Netherlands. Each branch has its own, authentic atmosphere that goes hand in hand with the building it’s in.
“We recruit our ‘Baveters’ purely based on attitude. They are warm people who radiate hospitality. Team players who will do anything for their colleagues, and proactive go-getters who are really invested in the brand.”
Leontien Devos
Challenge
Unity in diversity
As a growing organisation, they faced the challenge of how to tailor their recognition policy to the diversity of their team. A generic approach no longer fit with their vision.
Leontien Devos, responsible for HR, explains: “We recruit our‘Baveters’ purely based on attitude. They are warm people who radiate hospitality. Team players who will do anything for their colleagues, and proactive go-getters who are really invested in the brand. We don’t expect new hires to have any experience in hospitality as we have enough knowledge in house to train them.”
If your employees are your most important asset, then you have to take care of them and make them feel appreciated. For example, we regularly say thank you in as personal a way as possible. With a handwritten card, a physical thank you or a present.
We do this during the onboarding process, but also during offboarding. Yes, we even thank employees that are moving on, even if it’s our decision as the employer for them to leave. We plan a personal exit interview and give them a small gift as a thank you. By doing this we show our appreciation for the person, not just the employee, and their contribution to our company.”
A very happy birthday
Leontien and Anouk are in complete agreement that the most personal day of the year is your birthday. Anouk:“The only day of the year that’s completely yours. So for Bavet it’s the occasion to celebrate our employees in a really personal way.”
“We are a very diverse company, which makes a‘one size fits all birthday gift’ really difficult. Because we want to give every employee their favourite gift. You have to admit, there’s nothing better than receiving a gift that’s completely perfect for you.”
Want to make your employees feel extra special on their birthday? Do it hassle-free with our handy digital guide and step-by-step plan.
Solution
One central platform for thoughtful, personalised gifts
To help them with this challenge, Bavet chose to partner with Kadonation for their updated recognition policy. Anouk: “Thanks to the Kadonation platform, we no longer forget a single birthday at Bavet. For each birthday, we can order gift cards as well as physical gifts or even experiences – in just a few clicks or completely automated. We also get a good overview of how much we spend on gifts every month. From an accounting perspective, that’s a massive help.”
“The Kadonation Gift Cards” offer a lot of benefits for Bavet. They are redeemable in a large number of shops, and there’s something for everyone, whether it’s a product or an experience. And our biggest logistical challenge is to get the gift to the right person on their birthday. With the digital gift card we don’t need to worry about this any more. And finally, we can add a personal message. That’s important to us, given that we select each gift especially for that specific employee. We always make sure there’s a really personal message.”
Result
Unity, efficiency and personal recognition
The implementation of the Kadonation platform resulted in a recognition policy that reflects the diversity of the Bavet team. Bavet is able to keep the warmth & rock ‘n’ roll alive, even during challenging periods like the pandemic.
“2021 was a very strange period to live through. We were unable to offer the famous Bavet experience in our restaurants for a while. So people had to eat their spaghetti at home. This meant our team members no longer had any direct with customers. Their role was instead limited to preparation and packaging. In other words, all the fun and friendly elements had disappeared from the role of our ‘hospitality heroes’. That made appreciation and recognition of their work more necessary than ever.”
“We regularly visit our restaurants and that’s when we can tell if a little extra is needed. Then our CEO Peter Van Praet will send a handwritten card. Or we choose a great gift that’s perfect for the occasion. A nice care package at the end of the year, for example, because it’s been a really tough year. Or a package with non-alcoholic gin, to get the new year off to a great start with the whole family. Through our employee survey we keep our finger on the pulse in an objective and anonymous way to be able to review the way we do things.”
With the Kadonation platform, Bavet was able to implement a streamlined recognition policy, taking away the administrative hassle but maintaining a personal touch. The flexibility of the platform allowed them to provide gifts that match the diverse interests of their employees, making every birthday a unique and personal occasion. The result? A positive working environment where everyone feels valued, from newcomers to experienced team members.
Bavet proved that, with the right ingredients like a personal approach and Kadonation Select, recognition can be an important, positive factor – even (or perhaps more than ever) during challenging times.
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