You’re probably already familiar with the Belgian company Odoo: with its 12 million users and more than 4,000 employees spread across the globe, it’s pretty difficult to avoid this software provider.
Together with a steady growth in users, it is also important that the more than 150 vacancies are quickly filled with the right candidates. To maintain a high-quality inflow of candidates, the organisation offers a nice referral bonus via Kadonation Select. And it goes beyond pure referral: in some positions the new starter also gets an extra warm welcome in the form of the Kadonation Gift Card.
Challenge
Continue to attract enough suitable candidates for a fast-growing international company.
For a detailed overview of the current gift policy, we sat down with Laura Zerbini and Maëlle Dellieu, both Office Managers and part of Odoo’s four-person HR team. Their role is mainly aimed at creating a positive and productive working atmosphere. In addition, they each take on responsibility for one part of the gift policy.
‘Unfortunately, we have now become too large for an extensive gift policy that covers every special occasion. For example, not everyone celebrates Easter or Christmas,’ Laura begins. ‘But that doesn’t mean we don’t do anything, rather that we focus on ensuring that our gifts are very personal, even as we continue to grow.’
And the company is definitely expanding: their vacancy page currently lists more than 150 open positions. Lots of roles, something that is certainly not easy in the current market. A general shortage of qualified candidates has made it complex and challenging for companies to find the talented employees they need.
To say that strategic talent management is extremely important here is an understatement. So why not let one of your current employees, who was once a sought-after applicant themself, help you in your search? If their enthusiasm for the organisation can help bring in a new colleague, then they should receive something in return. And so the referral bonus was born.
What is a referral bonus?
A referral bonus is a reward given to existing employees for bringing new workers into the company. The benefit of this is twofold: it encourages employees to propose suitable candidates, which can increase the speed and success of the recruitment process, and it helps the company save costs on external recruitment methods by taking advantage of the network of their current employees.
Solution
The power of a sophisticated referral bonus scheme thanks to Kadonation Select.
An international yet personal gift policy was previously named as an important pillar for Odoo. To safeguard that personal touch as much as possible, Odoo made a firm choice for a decentralised gift policy. This allows HR to keep their finger on the pulse, but since the team leaders know their colleagues a lot better, they are the best people to judge what their team members would like to receive.
“For a position that is difficult to fill, the value of the Kadonation Gift Card even doubles from €400 to €800.”
Maëlle Dellieu
What is still organised centrally are the special thanks and bonuses (like the referral bonus). Maëlle clarifies: ‘We know that word gets around about our bonuses in development circles. This is very important to us, because good developers are not easy to come by. But also outside the product teams, we’ve noticed a positive change since the integration of the referral bonus. Employees are more motivated to talk about open roles within Odoo and this often results in the perfect candidate.’
Maëlle elaborates on the value of this bonus: ‘For us, a successful referral is worth €400. If it is a difficult position to fill, we even increase the value of the flexible Kadonation Gift Card to €800. And because we know that developers are very difficult to find, those profiles also get a nice €2,000 bonus when they start. This is all very easy for us to arrange using Kadonation Select.’
Giving newcomers a starting bonus is a smart move. If someone decides not to join the company, this can incur significant costs. Consider the loss in productivity because the vacancy remains unfilled (perhaps also causing increased pressure on current employees), having to make more time for a new round of interviews, and possibly the hiring of a recruitment agency. It’s also simply good for morale when a new joiner shows up on their first day full of enthusiasm. It is estimated that the total cost of an unfilled position ranges from several thousand to tens of thousands (!) of euros.
In addition to these bonuses, Laura also regularly orders a gift via Kadonation Select: ‘Every three months, the all-round best performing “salesperson” from each department receives a nice €300 bonus.’ But there is also appetite to use the platform in other ways: ‘We’re also considering rewarding seniority through Kadonation,’ Laura adds. ‘Ordering is quick and easy and the range of gifts is always expanding.’
Result
Not only more new starters, but also better matches.
‘Whether you’re a small or large company, are just looking for inspiration or actually want to place an order, we highly recommend Kadonation Select,’ says Maëlle. ‘The Gift Card is very popular, because it means everyone will find something to their taste.’
‘I know that when I need to find a gift, I will always look on Kadonation Select first.’
Laura Zerbini
Laura also believes that the freedom to choose and the personalisation options are great features. ‘And the brownies are delicious!’ she laughs. ‘We don’t always take advantage of the large selection, but I know that if I need to look for a gift, I will always look on Kadonation Select first. There’s almost nothing you don’t have!’
The time saved is also a real plus. ‘For example, the invoices are automatically sent to our Finance department, which is much easier than having to request an invoice from an online store afterwards. I’ve become something of an experienced online shopper over the years, but even I still easily save about three minutes per gift,’ says Laura. If you want to order ten different gifts, that time quickly adds up…
What can we improve about the platform? ‘If the platform ever becomes available to individuals, I will definitely be creating myself an account,’ laughs Laura. Duly noted!
Want to save more time like Laura and Maëlle? Try the gifting platform Kadonation Select.
Related stories.
GroupM builds team relationships & promotes transparency with a decentralised recognition programme.
Accent uses one single platform to provide personal, tailor-made gifts to 1,400+ employees.
