Abstract
The purpose of this research was to explore how employees and leaders perceive and experience non-financial incentives in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)
conducting cleaning businesses in Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The research study focused on finding out the kind of non-financial incentives that employees appreciate, the effect that these have on them, and how these practices are impacted by Servant Leadership (SL). The study was conceptually informed by the Resource-Based View (RBV) as a contextual perspective, while the primary theoretical framework was SL supported by the Motivation Hygiene Theory and Self-Determination Theory (SDT). A qualitative interview research design was used to explore the perceptions and experiences of the participants. Twelve participants (six leaders and six employees) from two SME cleaning companies in Sydney were interviewed in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using the six-phase Thematic Analysis (TA) approach suggested by Braun and Clarke (2006). The analysis identified five key themes, which included Recognition and Feedback, Professional Development and Growth, Participatory Management and Decision-Making, Workplace Relationships and Support, and Communication and Adaptation. These themes indicate that participants described nonfinancial incentives such as appreciation, trust, inclusion, and communication as important sources of motivation and retention. Participants also perceived that the value of these incentives was enhanced when leaders demonstrated SL behaviours such as empathy, empowerment, and stewardship.. In general, the findings suggest that non-financial incentives supported by SL behaviours are perceived by participants as contributing to employee engagement, workplace wellbeing, and organisational sustainability in SME cleaning companies, Sydney, NSW, Australia.