Stop Wasting Money on Employee Perks That Demotivate Your Team
- Kyle Brade-Waring
- Nov 17
- 10 min read
That team pizza party? It's not failing because it's pizza - it's failing because 70% of your team isn't actually motivated by it. And you've just paid to remind them you don't understand what drives them.
"You've just paid to remind them you don't understand what drives them."
As ambitious, big-hearted leaders, we're constantly told to "recognise our people." We know it's the right thing to do. So, we spend time, budget, and energy on perks, bonuses, and team events.
But it's clearly not working.
In the UK, a staggering 90% of workers are disengaged, and 3 out of 4 white-collar workers report burnout. We're spending money on "perks," but engagement, morale, and wellbeing are all falling.
It’s a massive business headache. You're wasting budget on well-intentioned efforts that not only fail to motivate but, in many cases, actively make things worse.
The problem isn't the act of rewarding; it's the assumption that everyone values the same reward. The secret to curing this headache lies in understanding the 9 core human motivators that drive your people. These nine motivators sit within three families - Relationship, Achievement, and Growth - and every individual has a unique ranking of all nine, from most to least important.
The "One-Size-Fits-All" Trap (The Builder & The Friend)
Most generic company perks - pizza, cash bonuses, material gifts - are designed to satisfy one, maybe two, of the nine motivators.
The most obvious is the Builder motivator. This driver is focused on material rewards and financial gain. A cash bonus or a free lunch (a material reward) directly appeals to this motivator.
The second is the Friend motivator. This driver seeks belonging, connection, and positive social relationships. A team lunch or party seems like a perfect fit, designed to get everyone talking and building rapport.
This is great for the 'Builders' and 'Friends' on your team! You've made them feel valued in the language they understand.
But what about the other seven?
You've just run an event that catered to two motivators and, in the process, you've likely frustrated, bored, or even penalised the rest. While 80% of employees say recognition improves engagement, research shows that's only when it's personalised.
Here's where well-intentioned rewards backfire. Let's diagnose what really happens during that 'surprise' pizza party...
When a "Reward" Becomes a "Penalty": A 9-Point Diagnosis
Forcing a generic "perk" on someone with conflicting drivers is a waste. A 'Spirit' who is also a high 'Builder' and 'Friend' might love the party. But if a person's profile actively opposes the reward (e.g., a high 'Spirit' with a very low 'Friend' score), that "perk" becomes a penalty. It proves you don't understand them. This is a primary reason why generic employee perks don't work.
"A 'Spirit' who is also a high 'Builder' and 'Friend' might love the party. But if a person's profile actively opposes the reward, that 'perk' becomes a penalty."
Let's diagnose what really happens during that "surprise" pizza party, depending on the person's profile:
The Defender (Wants Security): They can become anxious. A "surprise" reward or a sudden, unexplained change to the routine (especially if it's not in the calendar) can create anxiety, not joy. They are motivated by consistency, predictability, and knowing where they stand.
A Better Reward: A clear, written acknowledgement in their review that reinforces their long-term stability, value to the team, and career progression path. Defenders need reassurance from leadership, not points.
The Friend (Wants Belonging): They are situationally satisfied. They value the connection... if they get to sit with the colleagues they genuinely like, and if everyone else is having fun.
A Better Reward: For genuine connection, a team coffee or new team-working opportunities work far better than a forced group event. If you're using a recognition platform, let them earn points towards a group experience they can pick together.
The Star (Wants Recognition): They are often indifferent to the pizza itself, but might enjoy the social status. However, a generic, team-wide "thanks" is hollow. The 'Star' is motivated by public, specific praise for their unique contribution. An "employee of the month" award without a heartfelt, detailed explanation of why they won is just an empty gesture.
A Better Reward: Specific, public praise in the all-hands meeting or a company-wide email detailing exactly what they achieved and why it mattered. This can't be automated - it needs to come from you.
The Director (Wants Control): They can be frustrated. A top-down "perk" they had no say in is a reminder that they aren't in control. This is especially true if their 'Friend' score is low. They are motivated by responsibility and leadership.
A Better Reward: Give them responsibility to lead the next client onboarding process or deputise in your absence. If you're using a recognition platform, consider giving them control of the team's quarterly reward budget to allocate as they see fit.
The Builder (Wants Material Gain): They are passively satisfied. They got a free lunch, which is a material gain. But it feels random. A 'Builder' is truly motivated by a clear link between their specific performance and a financial reward.
A Better Reward: A transparent points system where hitting specific targets equals tangible rewards they choose themselves - whether that's products, experiences, or vouchers. Builders thrive when recognition is measurable and consistent.
The Expert (Wants Mastery): They are likely frustrated. This is what demotivates high performers who are not high 'Friend' motivators. The 'Expert' often finds the party a distraction from their work. They are driven by learning, gaining new skills, and being respected for their knowledge. You're giving them pizza; they want a development budget.
A Better Reward: Recognition platforms excel here - award points for completing training certifications that unlock a specialist development budget, conference tickets, or access to an online course library.
The Creator (Wants Innovation): They can get bored. The same old pizza party is actively dull, especially if it takes them away from an interesting project. They are driven by new ideas, change, and creative problem-solving.
A Better Reward: A "blue sky" day to work on a passion project or the chance to lead a brainstorming session on a new company challenge. Platforms can also reward innovation by awarding points for process improvement suggestions or creative solutions.
The Spirit (Wants Autonomy): If they also have a high 'Friend' score, they might tolerate the lunch. But if their 'Friend' motivator is low? This mandatory 'fun' day feels like prison. You've taken away their most valuable asset - their time and freedom. They're spending the entire lunch thinking about the work piling up, work they could be doing if they weren't forced to be there.
A Better Reward: An extra day of flexible working or the freedom to manage their own schedule on a complex project. You can't systemise autonomy - it requires manager discretion.
The Searcher (Wants Purpose): They likely find it meaningless. A 'Searcher' is driven by making a difference. Unless they are also a high 'Friend' motivator who values the team connection, a pizza party is just... empty. It does nothing to connect them to the company's mission or their personal 'why'.
A Better Reward: Assign them to a CSR project or sustainability working group they care about. Some platforms also let you award points for contributing to meaningful initiatives like volunteering or mentoring programmes.
The Real Business Cost of Mismatched Rewards
This isn't just about hurt feelings; it has a tangible, negative impact on your business.
You Are Wasting Your Budget: Let's do the maths. For a company of 50 people, quarterly team morale events could cost £1,500 each. If only 30% value them, you're wasting £1,050 per event - £4,200 annually. Research shows that companies using flexible reward systems - where employees can choose rewards that match their motivators - see 27% higher performance and 78% increased productivity. The difference? Choice. When people select what matters to them personally, engagement skyrockets.
You Are Breeding Cynicism: Your team sees a disconnect. Research shows that monetary rewards or perks used as a "band-aid" for systemic issues (like high stress or poor management) can actually lower engagement and increase turnover. Your team becomes cynical, seeing the "perk" as a cheap attempt to ignore real problems.
You Are Actively Disengaging People: When people feel unseen, their motivation plummets. This is a direct cause of "quiet quitting," where your team does the bare minimum to get by because they've given up on being valued for what truly drives them.
You Are Increasing Turnover: This is the bottom line. Low-engagement teams see 18-43% higher turnover. Your 'Expert' leaves for a role that invests in their development. Your 'Spirit' leaves for a job with more flexibility. You are paying twice: once for the failed perk, and again in replacement costs for the great people you drove away.
Stop Guessing. Start Diagnosing.
Rewarding your team is essential, but how you reward them is what makes the difference. Your team isn't a monolith; it's a collection of unique individuals driven by different things.
The pizza party isn't the real problem; it's the symptom of a broken reward strategy that guesses rather than diagnoses.
Before you plan your next perk, ask yourself two questions:
"Do I know what motivates each person on my team?" (That's diagnosis.)
"Do I have both systematic and personal recognition in place?" (That's delivery.)
Most companies have neither. They're guessing at motivators and delivering generic, one-off perks. The result is wasted budget and disengaged people.
Effective recognition needs two layers working together:
Systematic recognition creates fairness and consistency. Platforms like Cordoba Rewards let you reward measurable behaviours at scale - things like completing training certifications, hitting KPIs, cross-functional collaboration, contributing to process improvements, or living company values. Employees earn points for specific behaviours and choose their own rewards from an extensive catalogue. It's this clarity and consistency that makes it effective - they know exactly what behaviour earns what reward.
Manager-led recognition adds personalisation for motivators that can't be systemised. This is where you reward the Spirit with flexible working, give the Director responsibility for a new project, assign the Searcher to meaningful work, or publicly praise the Star for their unique contribution. These require managers who know their people and have the authority to reward beyond the rulebook.
The diagnosis (Motivational Maps) tells you which layer each person needs most. Then you build both.
"The pizza party isn't the real problem; it's the symptom of a broken reward strategy that guesses rather than diagnoses."
So, What's Next?
Ready to build a reward strategy that actually works? It’s a two-step process.
Diagnose: Stop guessing what motivates your team. A Motivational Maps Workshop reveals exactly what drives each person - and transforms how they work together. And if you're in HR or a business coach, you can get accredited to deliver Motivational Maps to your own clients and teams.
Deliver What Actually Matters: Once you understand your team's motivators, implement a two-layer recognition system. For systematic, transparent rewards - where consistency and fairness matter - we work with partners like Cordoba Rewards whose platform gamifies measurable behaviours and lets employees choose their own meaningful rewards. For the non-transactional motivators - autonomy, responsibility, purpose, recognition - equip your managers with the insight and authority to reward personally.
Different people, different drivers, two layers, one strategy.
Stop treating the symptom. Contact us to diagnose the cause and build a reward system that delivers real engagement.
What are the 9 core employee motivators?
The 9 core employee motivators are organised into three clusters: Relationship (Defender, Friend, Star), Achievement (Builder, Director, Expert), and Growth (Creator, Spirit, Searcher). Each motivator represents a different driver - from material gain (Builder) to autonomy (Spirit) to purpose (Searcher). Every employee has a unique ranking of all nine motivators, which determines what truly engages them at work.
Why do traditional employee rewards fail to motivate teams?
Traditional employee rewards fail because they're designed around one or two motivators - typically Builder (material rewards) and Friend (social connection) - whilst ignoring the other seven. When 70% of your team has different primary motivators, generic perks like pizza parties or cash bonuses can actually demotivate people by proving you don't understand what drives them. Research shows recognition only improves engagement when it's personalised to individual motivators.
What is the difference between systematic and manager-led recognition?
Systematic recognition uses platforms to reward measurable behaviours at scale - such as completing training, hitting KPIs, or cross-functional collaboration. Employees earn points and choose their own rewards, creating transparency and consistency. Manager-led recognition addresses motivators that can't be systemised, like autonomy (Spirit), responsibility (Director), or purpose (Searcher). These require managers who understand their people and have authority to reward personally. Effective recognition strategies use both layers together.
How do you identify what motivates different employees?
The most effective way to identify employee motivators is through diagnostic tools like Motivational Maps, which reveal each person's unique ranking of the nine core motivators. This ISO-accredited tool measures both the importance of each motivator and how satisfied employees currently feel, providing actionable insights for personalised recognition strategies. Organisations using Motivational Maps report an average 11% increase in staff motivation scores.
What are examples of personalised employee rewards?
Personalised rewards match individual motivators: Builders respond to transparent points systems where performance equals tangible rewards; Experts value development budgets or conference tickets; Spirits need flexible working arrangements; Directors want increased responsibility; Stars require specific public praise; Searchers seek assignment to meaningful projects; Defenders appreciate written acknowledgement of job security; Creators thrive with blue-sky innovation time; Friends value intimate team experiences. The key is diagnosing which motivators matter most to each person, then delivering accordingly.
How much money do companies waste on ineffective employee perks?
For a company of 50 people, if quarterly morale events cost £1,500 each but only 30% of employees value them, you're wasting £1,050 per event - that's £4,200 annually. The hidden costs are even higher: low-engagement teams see 18-43% higher turnover, meaning you pay twice - once for the failed perk, and again in replacement costs when employees leave for roles that better match their motivators. Companies using flexible, choice-based reward systems report 27% higher employee performance and 78% increased productivity.
Can employee recognition platforms address all motivators?
No single platform can address all nine motivators. Recognition platforms excel at rewarding transactional motivators like Builder (material rewards), Expert (development), and partially Friend (group experiences) through transparent, measurable systems. However, motivators like Spirit (autonomy), Director (responsibility), Star (personal praise), Defender (security), Searcher (purpose), and Creator (innovation time) require manager-led recognition that can't be fully systemised. The most effective strategies combine both systematic platforms and manager discretion.
What is Motivational Maps and how does it improve employee engagement?
Motivational Maps is an ISO-accredited diagnostic tool that measures the nine core workplace motivators for individuals and teams. It reveals what each person values most at work and how satisfied they currently feel, transforming abstract concepts like "motivation" into actionable data. Organisations using Motivational Maps report increased engagement scores, easier performance conversations, and better retention because managers can personalise recognition to what genuinely drives each employee. The tool works at individual, team, and organisational levels to create targeted engagement strategies.
Sources
90% Disengagement (UK): Metateam, "The Hidden Cost of Employee Disengagement"
75% Burnout (White-Collar): As cited by The HR Director:
80% Personalised Recognition: Reward the World, "Why One-Size-Fits-All Rewards Don’t Work"
"Band-Aid" Rewards & Turnover: Perceptyx, "The Downside of Employee Recognition"
