One of the important internal tasks that every business needs to focus on is building a reward and penalty policy for employees. Each department in particular, and the company as a whole, needs a common reward and penalty policy to monitor and evaluate employees. In today’s article, we will share with you a detailed process for building a reward and penalty policy for employees that has a success rate of up to 90%. 

I. The Role of an Employee Reward and Penalty Policy for Businesses

An employee reward and penalty policy consists of regulations on the form and level of rewards for good performance and penalties for violations, which are discussed and agreed upon by the management level within the business.

Building an employee reward and penalty policy plays a crucial role for every business.

1. For the company and business itself

  • Helps businesses build a general set of regulations on rewards and penalties in accordance with the law

A clear and transparent salary, reward, and penalty system for employees is an important rule according to the 2012 Labor Code. Every business has the responsibility to clarify the reward and penalty rules for its employees.

  • Encourages employees to develop their personal capabilities

Salary and bonuses are motivators for personnel to complete work on schedule and ensure efficiency. This is also a reason for employees to proactively learn, cultivate, and develop skills to achieve a better income.

  • Contributes to building the company’s reputation

Attractive salary, bonus, and employee benefit policies are not only meaningful to current employees but also to potential personnel. A far-reaching company reputation will help attract talent during recruitment drives.

  • Increases personnel’s loyalty to the company

Besides its financial significance, the salary and bonus system also represents the business’s recognition of its employees. When deservedly recognized, employees will naturally be satisfied and stay with the company for the long term.

2. The role of the employee reward and penalty policy for employees

Salary, bonuses, or penalties for personnel are a top concern for Vietnamese workers. A clear reward and penalty system will greatly affect employees in cases such as:

  • Considering the work environment: Salary and bonuses help employees ensure their quality of life and work with peace of mind. Therefore, the company needs to offer a suitable compensation policy to attract talent.
  • Strengthening trust: Announcing the salary and bonus policy shows that the company operates transparently and in accordance with the law. This helps employees understand how their salary is calculated and place their trust in the business.
  • Strengthening solidarity among employees: In a large group, conflicts can easily arise. A common reason is dissatisfaction with personal benefits. Therefore, announcing the salary and bonus policy to everyone is very necessary to avoid unnecessary conflicts.

Not only the reward and penalty rules for employees, but also a specifically constructed salary and bonus policy plays an important role. You can refer to the detailed steps for building a salary and bonus policy for employees at: 3 steps to build a salary and bonus policy for sales staff that is reasonable and most optimal. 

The role of an employee reward and penalty policy
The role of an employee reward and penalty policy

II. 3 criteria needed when creating an employee reward and penalty policy template for a business

The clauses in the salary, reward, penalty, and allowance policy template for employees in businesses must ensure the following characteristics:

  • Suitable for the labor and workforce characteristics of each business (depending on the industry’s characteristics, labor may involve strenuous work, hazardous chemicals, night shifts, etc.).
  • Clear, transparent, and detailed in every clause. For example, with the reward system, it must clearly state which cases are eligible for rewards, with specific reward amounts. If an unprecedented case occurs, the manager needs to record it and hold a meeting to add a clause to the salary and bonus policy template.
  • Must be clearly disseminated and guided in detail so that employees understand the principles and regulations stated in the policy template.
Read more: What is the 5S reward and penalty regulation? A simple internal reward and penalty regulation template for businesses

III. What are the key provisions of an employee reward and punishment policy?

Term  Main Content 
Types of Salary Due to various forms of labor, classifying salaries will make management more convenient:
  • Base Salary: The basic salary paid provided the employee works the required hours and completes the tasks assigned in the agreed contract. The base salary must be higher than or equal to the current regional minimum wage set by the state.
  • Salary for Social Insurance Contribution: This is the salary level used to calculate the monthly insurance premium an individual must pay.
  • Probationary Salary: Approximately 85% of the base salary. This regulation also depends on the company’s policy, as many companies pay the full official salary from the start instead of a probationary one (for roles where the employee is experienced, performs well, etc.).
  • Contract-based Salary: A salary based on a fixed-price contract with an individual.
  • Piece-rate Salary: A salary based on the quantity and quality of products the employee produces.
Allowances and Subsidies Depending on the nature of the job and working conditions, employees will be entitled to different allowances.
  • Position Allowance applied for department heads and managers
  • Responsibility Allowance: applied to employees in management roles such as team leaders, deputy leaders, cashiers, warehouse keepers, etc.
  • Gasoline/Travel Allowance.
  • Hardship, Hazardous, and Dangerous Work Allowance: The allowance for jobs with arduous, hazardous, or dangerous conditions is a minimum of 5% and a maximum of 10%. The allowance for jobs with particularly arduous, hazardous, or dangerous conditions is a minimum of 7% and a maximum of 15%.
  • Mobility Allowance for employees who frequently change their workplace.
  • Attraction Allowance applied to employees working in new economic zones, areas with difficult living conditions, etc.
  • Regional Allowance for employees working in areas where the State stipulates entitlement to a regional allowance.
  • Lunch, phone, and housing allowances.
Welfare, Leave, and Holiday Policies In addition to the main salary and allowances, depending on the company’s profits, employees may receive additional money or equivalent gifts annually on special occasions such as:
  • New Year’s Day, Lunar New Year
  • National Day (September 2nd), International Labor Day (May 1st).
  • International Children’s Day (June 1st) (for children, with no limit on the number of children).
  • Vietnamese Women’s Day (October 20th) and International Women’s Day (March 8th).
  • Birthdays.
  • Weddings, funerals.
  • Death of an employee’s relative
  • Employee illness, childbirth, or accident
  • Annual company trip.
  • Employee’s children achieving excellent academic results (at district, city, national, international levels).
  • Other benefits depending on the culture of each company or the products the company deals in.
Bonuses Bonuses for good initiatives, achieving individual sales targets, commissions, rewards for excellent work, etc. Rewards can be in the form of cash, certificates of merit, vouchers for using company services, promotions, salary increases, etc.
Penalties Penalties for lateness, for poor attitude, for professional ethics violations, disciplinary penalties, penalties for job responsibility (work errors, not meeting KPIs, etc.). The forms of penalties are quite diverse, and can include direct salary deductions, material compensation, demotion/salary grade reduction, dismissal, etc.

IV. How to build a scientific and effective employee reward and penalty policy

1. Refer to legal regulations

To build the most accurate salary and bonus policy, please refer to some of the documents below:

  • Official Dispatch 4320 / LDTBXH-TL from the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs guiding the construction of salary payment processes for state-owned enterprises.
  • Decree 49/2013 / ND-CP detailing the implementation of regulations
  • Decree No. 52/2016 / ND-CP regulating salaries, bonuses, and remuneration for managers of one-member limited liability companies with 100% charter capital held by the State.

2. Establish a policy-building council

The Policy Committee is established based on the principles of transparency and democracy. Therefore, the mandatory members of the council include: Chairman of the Board, standing members, and members.

The council is responsible for drafting the salary and bonus policy, then collecting feedback from employees within the company and finalizing the policy.

3. Determine a reasonable method for rewarding and penalizing employees

To pay each employee correctly and appropriately, the HR department needs to determine the right method, timing, and manner of payment. In addition to salary and bonus regulations, you also need to be transparent about the process and timing of employee payments.

Special cases such as employees sent for professional training, working overtime, maternity leave for female employees, bereavement/wedding leave, etc., also need specific and clear regulations.

4. Build a clear reward and recognition evaluation framework

A new evaluation framework can provide strong encouragement for employees. Where there are rewards, there must also be penalties, so a reward and penalty policy is also very important in a business.

Introducing reward and penalty regulations aims to boost employee morale and help them become more disciplined. These rewards and penalties will depend on how the company builds its culture and the nature of its business industry.

5. Apply the employee reward and penalty policy in practice

To put the salary and bonus policy into practice, businesses need to compile it in a concise, easy-to-understand, and clear manner. It must be widely announced within the company, questions from employees must be answered (if any), and the implementation of the regulations must be monitored.

Afterward, the HR department needs to collect feedback from company employees to see if it aligns with everyone’s expectations. Because if the compensation and benefits policy is unreasonable, it can cause employees to resign.

Steps to build a reward and penalty policy
Steps to build a reward and penalty policy

V. Detailed and scientific employee reward and penalty policy for businesses in 2022

For more details on the latest employee reward and penalty policy template, please refer to the policy below:

Policy link: Employee Reward and Penalty Policy Template

VI. Factors to consider when building an employee reward and penalty policy

  • Legal regulations

When building a reward and penalty policy in the company, it is necessary to avoid violating the law. Specific legal bases will be introduced in the next section. Businesses should research this in advance from multiple perspectives.

  • Feedback from company employees

The company’s reward and penalty policy directly affects employees. Therefore, it is essential to understand their legitimate desires when creating the rules. Through this, the issued document will have characteristics such as objectivity, fairness, respect, etc.

  • The external labor market

The company’s reward and penalty policy should be adjusted to be in line with the general market. Excessively low bonuses or overly harsh disciplinary measures can both have negative impacts. The company should observe and learn the following factors from other businesses:

  • Average bonus levels
  • Disciplinary actions based on severity levels
  • Other benefits and compensation

A salary, bonus, and allowance policy template is a necessary document for the management and operation of a modern enterprise. Hopefully, with the guidance in this article, each business can design a standard policy for itself, and at the same time, have a reasonable way to issue and resolve issues related to this policy.

Once a detailed reward and penalty policy is in place, the challenge for businesses is how to maintain its operation, and observe and evaluate employees in the most objective and effective way. Understanding this, 1Office brings you the optimal employee management software solution, HRM, with outstanding features.

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