SkyCity Pays $1 Million In Bonuses To Waged Staff

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26 August 2003

SkyCity Pays $1 Million In Bonuses To Waged Staff

Following SKYCITY Entertainment Group’s annual result announcement today, the sixth consecutive cash bonus will be paid out to waged staff at SKYCITY Auckland, lifting the total amount paid in staff bonuses across the SKYCITY Entertainment Group to nearly $4 million over the past three years.

Around 1547 wage earning staff at SKYCITY Auckland (and another 815 from other SKYCITY properties in New Zealand and Australia) who work in a variety of roles ranging from dealers to cleaners, chefs, waiters and car park attendants, will share in a total bonus pool of nearly $1 million which will be paid to them over the coming week.

Full time employees will receive $400 cash in the hand, with those who have been with the company longer than five years receiving an additional $50.

SKYCITY Auckland General Manager, Operations, Grant Webster says the bonus rewards staff for working together to achieve demanding financial and customer service targets.

“The team has really pulled together to meet some rather challenging targets,” he said.

“At SKYCITY we set high standards for customer service, and our performance is independently measured each month through market research.

“The results show that our people provide great customer service. Their hard work is central to SKYCITY’s successful financial result.”

SKYCITY is unique in the entertainment and hospitality sector in offering incentive based bonuses to waged staff.

Waged employees at all SKYCITY Entertainment Group properties (SKYCITY Auckland, SKYCITY Hamilton, SKYCITY Queenstown Casino and SKYCITY Adelaide) all participate in a similar incentive based bonus scheme.

When announcing the company’s annual result today, SKYCITY Entertainment Group Managing Director Evan Davies acknowledged the important contribution of staff to the company’s strong performance.

“We recognise the significant role employees play in the success of the business – especially with regard to the delivery of excellent customer service,” said Mr Davies.

“Our incentive programme ensures employees have the opportunity to share in the company’s success, and we are delighted to have extended the successful SKYCITY Auckland model across all of our sites.”

The CEI (Customer Service Index) customer service based bonus scheme for waged staff was originally introduced at SKYCITY Auckland in December 2000, with other company properties following suit over the last two years. Waged employees at all SKYCITY Entertainment Group properties throughout New Zealand and Australia are entitled to a bonus, on top of ordinary wages and other benefits, if both customer service target levels and company financial targets are met.

Independent market research is undertaken monthly through the complex, surveying customers to determine levels of customer satisfaction. When the financial and customer service levels exceed the targets, waged staff are rewarded with cash bonuses half yearly.

The six-monthly bonuses for waged staff at SKYCITY sits alongside a similar plan for salaried staff, under which employees are rewarded annually for meeting company and individual performance targets with a mix of cash and SKYCITY shares. Many individual performance targets for salaried staff are linked to CEI targets, ensuring equal ownership of customer service delivery from front-of-house personnel through to executive management.

Today’s annual result and CEI announcements coincide with new brand announcements for SKYCITY Entertainment Group’s joint venture gaming and leisure operations in Hamilton and Queenstown. From today Sky Riverside becomes SKYCITY Hamilton and Sky Alpine Queenstown Casino changes to SKYCITY Queenstown Casino.

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