Do you remember how fantastic you felt the last time someone told you what a great job you were doing? It’s amazing how something as simple as a quick email or a passing compliment in the hallway can completely elevate your day, your week, your month, and maybe even your year. All the dissatisfaction that has come before simply melts away as you realize, “yes, they do realize how good I am.”
Given that it’s such a simple thing to do, it’s amazing that more employers don’t put more effort into recognizing and rewarding the excellent work of their team. There are plenty of different rewards out there and they don’t need to be expensive to be well received.
Here are four creative employee rewards that you can start using today…
1. Take the afternoon off
Achieving a better work-life balance is one of the primary workplace concerns, particularly among younger workers and those with growing families. So, what better way to show them how much you value their efforts than by giving them some valuable time off to spend with their children, to go shopping, or to relax at home. Offering extra time off as a merit-based reward can help to inspire the whole team and show them that their efforts will be recognized. It can also build competition between employees and create the kind of friendly camaraderie that grows successful companies.
2. Attend a training session of their choice
Your employees want the opportunity to learn and grow. Studies suggest that 87 percent of millennial employees rate career growth and development opportunities as one of the most important aspects of their job. What better reward then, both for employees and your business, than to learn some new skills that will contribute to their continued education and growth. Give them a budget and make sure they choose a training course in the local area to keep costs at reasonable levels.
3. Wellness benefits
More people are focused on health and fitness now than ever before, which means rewards that support the mental and physical health of your team are sure to be well received. There are a number of rewards you can put in place, from subsidized gym memberships to a regular supply of fresh office fruit.
Not only are healthier workers happier and more fulfilled, but they’re also more productive, engaged, and motivated at their work – wherever that work may be: Fruitful Office, an online fruit delivery company are now offering deliveries of fresh fruit snacking boxes to homes across the nation as so many folks are working from home during the ‘new normal’ of Covid. It’s a nice way to show that you still care about employee health and well-being in a time where we’re physically far apart.
4. Charitable donations
Another effective and creative way to reward your team is to tie in your corporate social responsibility initiatives with staff rewards. Give back to your local community and wider causes by making charitable donations in the names of your employees to the causes they support. Allowing your employees to choose a charity that’s near and dear to their hearts will personalize the reward and make it something they really value.
What other creative ways do you reward your team? Please share your tips in the comments below.