There are so many reasons to reward employees—from recognizing goals that are met, to choosing an Employee of the Month or Team of the Month.
Some traditional recognition programs have direct costs, and might include bonuses, gift cards, lunch with the boss, or a pizza lunch for the team. But rewards don’t always have to be tangible. Many employers believe that nonmonetary recognition can be just as effective in recognizing performance and retaining the best employees.
Bob Nelson, “The Guru of Thank You” and best-selling author and motivational speaker, reports that the type of recognition employees appreciate most is to be recognized by the people for whom they work. In fact, 78 percent of employees indicated that it was very or extremely important to be recognized by their managers when they do good work. Being praised in front of a group is equally appreciated, especially in a team environment.
Smart managers realize that rewards and recognition can also be used in improving performance by reinforcing the actions and behaviors they would like to see repeated. But in this tough economy, it’s not always easy to work extra expenses into the budget. So let’s look at some ways to recognize and reward without adding expenses.
Some of the most common nonmonetary rewards are:
- certificates of congratulation
- a jeans day or casual dress day
- a few hours of paid time off
- a special parking spot
- announcements on a bulletin board, “wall of fame”, or in a newsletter
- mailing a thank you note to the employee’s home address
Other, more unique ideas might include:
- asking those with special skills or strengths to mentor or train others
- allowing a few hours a week for special or advanced training
- encouraging peer recognition by suggesting co-workers make a point of recognizing great performance
- having managers and supervisors carry reward cards to hand to employees on the spot when they “catch them doing right.” Cards could be accumulated and “cashed in” for paid time off hours
- having managers and supervisors fill in for employees by answering their phones for an hour
- sponsoring a themed dress-up day, and allow employees to suggest the themes (ugly tie day, crazy socks day)
- managers performing skits or a talent show for employees if goals are met
- sharing announcements or congratulations with corporate offices, vendors, and clients
- scheduling a funny movie during lunch breaks
- holding fun competitions (Nerf basketball contests, bubble-blowing contests)
No matter which method is used, remember that recognizing employees is not just a nice thing to do. It is a tool to reward your most important asset – your employees.
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