How to Show Drivers You’re Thankful

Thanksgiving may mark the start of the holiday season, but it also serves as an important reminder — gratitude is a key component of a strong company culture. How can you show drivers you’re thankful for their work this year?

You may have had an idea about what your drivers need and want when you reach the holiday season in a “normal” year. But 2020 is far from normal; needs and wants have shifted greatly throughout the year and continue to evolve.

That reinforces something that we firmly believe at WorkHound: Asking your drivers what they need and want will always provide better information than relying on your assumptions.

“We believe listening to their voices and allowing their voices to have authority about the work environment they want grants ownership to drivers and other workers,” says Katie Love, Marketing Manager at WorkHound. “In doing so, you can really learn about what their greatest needs are. We can spend all our time and budget on things like gift cards and T-shirts, but sometimes all drivers want is to work with people they care about — and who care about them.”

What Research Shows Drivers Want

Listening to driver feedback provides an opportunity to get a good feel for how their needs are changing over time. That’s been especially true during the COVID-19 pandemic, and data in our Q3 trends report emphasized that.

“One of the most urgent topics that drivers discussed in Q3 was about home time,” Love says. “This is related to family and urgent needs, sometimes even related to COVID-19. They’re looking for companies to be diligent about making sure they have — and take — time off.”

This desire for increased home time sometimes reflects promises that were made to drivers before they were hired for a given company.

“We see a lot of times that companies will make a promise to a new hire, then break that promise, and this breaks trust,” Love adds. “When time off is used as a lure during the hiring process, it becomes especially important to ensure that home time is available on a consistent basis.”

Gather Feedback About What Your Drivers Want

If you’re looking to take action to express your gratitude to drivers this holiday season, your first step is collecting information about their true needs. You can do that in a couple of key ways using WorkHound.

“The first step is asking drivers to share their specific, honest needs, and doing this anonymously lets them know they’re not going to face repercussions,” Love says. “On the flip side of that, companies can also use their weekly broadcast to say something like ‘Here are some ways we’re considering honoring drivers this holiday season, share with us what you think would be most helpful.’”

Gathering insights can help you make meaningful gestures to show drivers you’re thankful this holiday season and beyond.

“The main thing is: Every year, drivers need to be shown gratitude,” Love says. “But this year, of all years, carriers have to get it right. Be extremely thoughtful and intentional. Drivers will remember how they were acknowledged for their work during this trying time.”

Ready to raise the voice of your drivers? Sign up for a free demo to learn how we can help.