Dennis Phoenix is a human resource specialist and writer. He writes on topics including business relationships, productivity, employee satisfaction, and corporate awards. He spends his weekends mountain biking and photographing nature. His twitter handle is @DennisPhoenix1.
Managers are always on the lookout for new and creative ways to meet the objectives of their business. However, when it comes to rewarding employees for a job well done, they often opt for the default choice, increased compensation. While there is nothing wrong with this since we all need money to survive, creative leaders should look for other avenues to keep their employees engaged in the workplace.
Creative Rewards
An important consideration for any reward program is to ask if the rewards meet the objective goals of the organization. First, a leader must identify what behaviors contribute to the success of the company. Successful behaviors may include meeting sales quotas, improving managerial skills, or streamlining key processes. Whatever they are for an organization, the rewards should also include some form of recognition and appreciation, two important elements that are often overlooked.
Aside from offering extra compensation or some type of equity ownership, a creative leader has a number of other options to choose from when rewarding employee behavior. Below are several means other leaders have embraced in their effort to compensate employees while also showing them recognition and appreciation.
Give an Award
Award programs have been used for years and are a great way to express recognition for attaining a goal or objective. Choose an award that is appropriate for the task achieved. It may be a simple envelope containing a gift card or movie tickets or a nice art glass award for bigger achievements. Choose a time to present the award publicly and do so with genuine appreciation.
Spring for a Meal
Take your employee out to lunch or dinner and give them some one-on-one time. This is an excellent way for a leader to spend time with employees away from the corporate structure of the office. Has your employee gone the extra mile and spent long hours at the office finishing a project? Show appreciation by sending the employee’s spouse a card with a gift certificate for dinner.
Reward the entire team by treating everyone to lunch. Keep it simple by bringing in pizza or deli sandwiches or spring for an in office catered meal. Such a reward will reap multiple benefits, for not only will it show appreciation but it will also serve as a great team building experience.
Offer Time Off
Offering time off to an individual or team that has gone above and beyond to reach an objective is always well received. If they have been staying after hours then surprise them with an afternoon off. Allow them to pick the afternoon they want off.
These and many other simple expressions of gratitude will always be well received by your employees. The key is for the creative leader to come up with suitable ideas to reward and acknowledge employees and then follow through with them on a regular basis.
Leave a Reply