Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine November 2025

News Magazine November 2025

FEATURE STORY

intended to encourage manipulation of others but to recognize importance and a job well done. It may not seem like a lot of money but it says we appreciate you. Yet, our folks need motivation and appreciation. Maybe a company could adopt an attitude of appreciation expressed in food. 1. Taking pizza to a new construction job site 2. Bringing biscuit sandwiches or donuts into the morning kick off 3. Giving a dinner out for noted service 4. Giving a gift card to an ice cream shop so they can take their kids without straining their budget 5. A gift card as an anniversary present — make that man a hero and provider 6. Birthday card and a gift card for the kids on their birthday. There are lots of ideas that will build a sense of family and appreciation and the study shows that Food is a Motivator. OK, you may not bite into this at first but give it some thought. It may be just what the motivation chef ordered. Thanksgiving is Coming

How to Motivate A recent article in Arkansas Business was interesting, amazing, yet sort of “thought so”. It quoted Harvard Business review and a study by University of South Florida. Seems that-- Food is a Motivator Frontline employees like cashiers and retail clerks value perks like food and outings. “Turns out, free meals and events like happy hours or company picnics go a long way in inspiring workers to deliver better service.” Food and social programs helped employees feel more valued and develop a greater sense of loyalty. The benefit to the company was better service and higher sales. How does this tie into the HVACR industry? My first thought was that our folks are not cashiers or retail clerks; but then I thought, aren’t we? We’re diagnosing problems, serving comfort and refrigeration, handling customer wants and frustrations, and collecting for a job well done. Actually, everyone in our industry is a frontline employee with significant interaction with the homeowner or business. Answering the phone, setting schedules, knocking on the door, explaining the problem and solution, preparing and presenting the quote, completing the job, giving the bill, collecting for the call, and following up on the customer’s satisfaction. Yes, yes, we are all frontline. OK, once again, how do we use the conclusion of this study to our industry. What was the conclusion of the study? We are motivated by food. Yep. We’re motivated by food. By the way, this is not

I am Motivated