Are you struggling to maintain productivity in the workplace? Do your employees seem like they aren’t motivated to do their jobs quickly and efficiently? If so, they may just need some attractive incentives to keep them going. Employee burnout is a real thing, but incentives can re-energize employees and help them feel more driven to accomplish their various tasks. The key is to offer incentives that your team members actually want. Here are five employee incentive ideas that really work.
1. Good Old-Fashioned Praise
Many people think that money is the most incentivizing thing you can give. However, monetary rewards actually mean very little if they aren’t backed by verbal praise. The best thing about praise is that it doesn’t cost you any money at all. It just costs time and effort.
You may choose to offer your praise in public, during company meetings or events, or you might decide to offer it in private. Either way, your employees will really appreciate being recognized for their hard work in a personal, meaningful way.
2. Travel Rewards
Most people love to travel, but not everyone can afford to take an expensive vacation. Others feel like vacations have to take a back burner to work and other daily responsibilities. You can help your employees see the world by offering travel rewards as incentives for meeting the deadline for a big project or consistently putting in good work.
An Alaskan cruise or trip to an exotic destination may be exactly what your team members need to feel valued. Alaska is a great travel destination because it offers plenty of adventure, beauty and opportunities for relaxation. The promise of an incredible vacation can raise employee morale and keep your staff on task.
3. Offer Equity
When you offer equity to your employees, it can help them feel like they have a vested interest in the company’s success. To get optimum results through this incentive channel, consider offering equity that increases when the valuation of the company increases. That way employees will have plenty of reasons to work as hard as possible to propel the company to success. As the company succeeds, they succeed.
4. Provide On-Site Gyms
If your employees aren’t very productive, part of the problem may be pent-up stress. Providing an on-site gym is a great way to help your team members blow off steam so they can return to their work spaces more calm and ready to face the next challenge.
Some employers go the extra mile and offer on-site dance, kickboxing, or yoga classes. Before deciding what type of classes to offer to your employees, you may want to take a poll. Ask your employees what types of activities and classes they’d like to participate in. That way you can choose options that are sure to be a big hit with the majority of your staff.
5. Cash
No incentive list would be complete without at least mentioning cash. Monetary rewards are a good option because they please most people. They’re also easy to distribute. But if you’re going to offer cash, gift cards or other monetary rewards, be sure to include a note with them. Everyone likes that extra personal touch that comes along with a card or hand-written note.
Keep in mind that when consistently offered, cash incentives may be viewed as base pay by your employees. Recipients may even start to rely on the cash incentives to pay bills or purchase Christmas gifts every year. Then, if the cash incentives are ever taken away, your employees may become very upset. It’s important to be very clear that the extra cash is not a pay raise, but is simply an incentive for good work.
Start Rewarding Your Employees
It’s easy to become complacent at work if you’re not regularly rewarded for your efforts. Fortunately, these incentive ideas can help you to get better efficiency and results from your employees. Give one or more of these ideas a try today and see how employee morale and performance improve.