Creative Strategies to Bolster Employee Motivation Beyond the Norm
For many bosses, treating their employees right means offering standard employee perks such as cash bonuses, extra vacation days, or public recognition. But to appeal to the best talent today, companies need to be more innovative and go the extra mile to boost employee engagement and job satisfaction. Here's a list of 16 less common, cost-effective employee reward ideas that you probably haven't thought of yet.
What are Employee Incentives and Why Should You Care?
Employee incentives are rewards provided to employees for achieving a goal or completing a task. Unlike benefits like health insurance or stock advantages, incentives are additional perks designed to motivate staff to reach company targets. Popular incentives include cash bonuses, gift cards, extra time off, unique experiences, or personalized gifts.
A well-designed incentive program can result in improved productivity, teamwork, retention, morale, motivation, culture, well-being, lower turnover, fewer accidents, and higher customer loyalty [1]. Investing in employee well-being is a strategic business decision that benefits both the employer and the employees!
But remember, incentives are only one part of an excellent work environment. A supportive, respectful, and trusting workplace culture is necessary to create a place where top talent flourishes. Engaged, content employees are more likely to be smiley and laugh a lot, contributing to 23% higher profits. On the other hand, low employee engagement costs the global economy a staggering $7.8 trillion annually [2].
16 Uncommon Employee Incentive Strategies
1. Focus on Employees First
While it's important to pay attention to customers, you should never neglect your employees. When employees feel seen, heard, and appreciated, engagement increases, leading to higher profits. To achieve this, implement employee incentives that reward customer-growth goals and engage employees meaningfully.
2. Implement Trust Flex
With the rise of remote work, employees are demanding more flexibility and autonomy. Trust is crucial in such a work setup. Investing in trust not only increases commitment and engagement but also fosters a culture of empowerment, autonomy, and open communication.
3. Embrace the Power of Rest
Offering extra time off as an incentive is a great perk, but it may lose its value if it isn't given within a culture that values rest. To promote the value of rest, encourage employees to turn off their work notifications, celebrate time off, and plan around absent employees to prevent stress.
4. Immediate Rewards
Incentives don't have to be monetary. Small rewards for passing milestones toward a larger goal can act as immediate motivators. As studies show, rewarding employees soon after a goal is met increases intrinsic motivation.
5. Reward Skill Building
Invest in your employees by providing continued education opportunities like online classes or conferences. Structure schedules to include time for skill-sharpening activities, and celebrate employee certifications and knowledge-sharing with the team.
6. Virtual Water Cooler Conversations
Remote work can lead to feelings of isolation. Recreate the water cooler conversations by scheduling virtual meetups to talk about the weekend, create a Slack channel for sharing fun news, or arrange weekly lunch meetings.
7. Use Technology to Recognize Employees
Instant gratification is key to a successful incentive program. Use technology to recognize employee achievements and streamline feedback collection through tools like internal websites, Slack, or Google Forms.
8. Make Incentives Intentional
Be purposeful with your incentives. Match incentives to SMART goals and create a winnable game that clearly communicates what success looks like. Make sure your incentives are both fun and aligned with your team's priorities.
9. Learn the 5 Languages of Appreciation
Understanding how your employees prefer to be appreciated helps make incentives more meaningful. Tangible gifts, quality time, words of affirmation, acts of service, and physical touch are all ways to recognize employees. Find out each team member's preferred language and customize rewards accordingly.
10. Cater to Individual Strengths
Assessments like CliftonStrengths can help you identify employees' strengths and guide you in assigning projects that play to their unique talents. Customizing incentives based on individual strengths can significantly boost job satisfaction and performance.
11. Personalize Recognition
Rather than offering one-size-fits-all incentives, take the time to get to know your employees. Use assessments like the Big 5 Personality Quiz or The Motivation Code to tailor rewards to individual preferences and motivations.
12. Include Family and Significant Others
Recognize that employees are more than their jobs. Show appreciation for their loved ones by incorporating them into incentives, such as family-friendly activities or gifts for pets.
13. Bolster Your Self-Care
Your well-being as a manager has a direct impact on your team's morale. Make time for mental health counseling, coaching, peer groups, learning, relaxation, and hobbies to prevent burnout and lead effectively.
14. Improve Your People Skills
Good managers motivate employees, reduce turnover, and help organizations grow. Building your listening, collaboration, and communication skills can help you become a better manager and create a positive work environment.
15. Develop Your Leadership Skills
Being a good manager requires more than just people skills. Develop your expertise, adaptability, vision, and emotional intelligence to create a thriving work culture.
16. Foster Social Recognition Programs
Publicly acknowledging employees at team meetings, in newsletters, or dedicated recognition channels can boost morale and engagement at no cost. Encourage peers to give recognition through Nominations or Kudos programs to promote a genuine and supportive working environment.
[1] Incentive Research Foundation. (2021). 2021 IRF Incentive Practices Report: Attract, Retain and Engage.[2] Gallup. (2022). State of the Global Workforce: 2022 Report.
- In the pursuit of employee engagement and job satisfaction, an entrepreneurial approach to leadership in business could involve implementing unique, cost-effective incentive strategies that focus on employees' personal growth and well-being, such as offering time off for learning and skill-sharpening activities.
- Complementary to creating a supportive and innovative work environment, effective leadership in business also requires understanding the individual preferences and motivations of employees, fostering social recognition programs that publicly acknowledge their accomplishments, and cultivating a culture of trust and autonomy, thereby contributing to an increase in both productivity and overall profits.
