Rewards, incentives, perks—whatever you call them, they’re important. At Conpoto, employee recognition is one of the mainstays of our business. Making employees feel appreciated not only improves workplace morale, it also motivates your employees to work harder, according to a related Inc. story.
But employee recognition is not an exact science, because employees are human. A reward that motivates one staffer may leave another completely cold.
Your best bet? Reward and recognize your employees with a variety of different strategies. If one method seems to be a real dud, eliminate it.
Here are seven great tips for making employees feel great, work hard, and stick around.
1. Nail the basics. Before you even think about perks, make sure you have the essentials covered: decent pay, reasonable hours, health care coverage, etc. If your employees are overworked and underpaid, no number of sports bar gift cards is going to make them forget it.
2. Don’t make them wait. Sure, everyone loves that year-end bonus. But if an employee is going above and beyond in July, don’t wait till December to say thank you. Use local chamber cash, powered by Conpoto, to send them a gift certificate redeemable at their favorite local merchants. Let them know you notice what they do well, when they do it—gift in the moment.
3. Incentivize positive behavior. Want to cut down on sick days and health care costs? Offer an on-site quit-smoking program, or a “Biggest Loser” competition with a cash prize (or both). According to a recent survey, an increasing percentage of employers are focusing rewards and incentives on fostering productive behavior like teamwork, creativity, good health habits, and more.
4. Know your employees. Sending a cheesecake to that staffer struggling with her weight may not be your best bet. Getting to know your employees’ likes and dislikes allows you to reward them in a more personalized way. And they’ll be flattered to know you took the time to learn about them. In a larger organization where this is less practical, you can at least offer a choice of rewards. It’s a more thoughtful way to reward and recognize employees.
5. Use technology. With chamber cash powered by Conpoto, you can send treat codes via email. So employees don’t need to dig around for that gift card or certificate—it’s on their phone or tablet. And speaking of technology, don’t forget the power of a virtual pat on the back: posting a kudo on the company Facebook page is a great way to make a deserving worker an instant office celebrity.
6. Remember, money isn’t everything. Neither is stuff. For many employees (especially those with children), time is the most valuable commodity. Letting someone duck out for two hours to attend an elementary school graduation, offering telecommuting as an option once or twice a week, or just telling workers who worked late on a key project to take the next day off can mean much more than any “Employee of the Month” plaque.
7. Say thanks. Chamber cash, powered by Conpoto, is awesome, and workers love getting it because they can spend it at their favorite local places. Free bagels in the lunchroom and Casual Fridays are nice, too. But don’t forget the power of a few sincere words of appreciation. Say “thank you” and mean it.