Gainsharing

“Gainsharing” is a bonus or incentive system designed to share the benefits of improved productivity or performance through workers’ active involvement. Cost savings can be fed into staff bonus schemes or ring-fenced for investment in environmental improvements. Energy saving initiatives can result in huge financial savings and it is important for union reps to know where this money goes.

While only about one in seven employers (14%) has distributed the financial benefits of environment/climate change measures (such as energy saving) to employees, the rate of gainsharing has doubled since our 2009 survey, when just 7% of employers had distributed any financial benefits. A limited number of respondents were able to give examples of any schemes which linked being environmentally friendly with financial benefits.