Employee motivation can often be a big contributing factor in determining the success of a project or business. Unmotivated employees are less likely to work to their full potential and this could ultimately affect your profit margin. It’s worth investing in a few creative incentives to keep your employees motivated and keep your business successful and profitable. Here are a few examples of how you can motivate your staff:

  • Corporate awards – Many businesses have an employee of the month scheme, but why not take it one step further and hold an annual corporate awards ceremony? Have some bespoke corporate awards made up then hold an awards ceremony, you could even incorporate it into the annual Christmas party. Rewards such as ‘Most Improved’, ‘Best Attendance’ and ‘Employee of the Year’ generally work well. Or you could get a bit more creative and add a touch of fun by handing out awards for the wackiest tie etc.
  • Corporate perks – Get in touch with other businesses in the area, ideally gyms and leisure activities, and see if they offer any corporate discounts. Some gyms offer reduced membership for employees of local businesses because they’re glad of the extra business it will generate for them in the long run. Do your research and find out what your employees would benefit most from, then find the best deal to suit your company’s needs.
  • Goal based incentives – It’s a good idea to offer individual, team based, or company-wide incentives for your employees. For example if they meet their targets for the week you could reward them with a dress-down day or by bringing treats such as sweets and cakes in for them. These types of incentives work well for projects with tight deadlines that require hard work and focus. Your employees will be more motivated to complete the task if they know there’s a reward at the end of its successful completion.
  • Seasonal gifts – In order to encourage your employees to work hard throughout the year you could offer seasonal gifts at various times throughout the year i.e. Christmas, Easter and other religious holidays depending on your employees. The lead up to Christmas is usually a busy period for most businesses and you’ll be asking a lot from your employees, so it’s only right that you should reward their hard work by way of a gift or a nice bonus in their pay cheque.
  • Wellness program – Start by surveying your employees to find out what their potential health and wellbeing needs are, i.e. weight loss, smoking cessation, team bonding etc. Once you’ve identified what would make your employees happier both in and out of the workplace then you can begin to launch a wellness program to suit their needs. For example if you have a large number of staff interested in weight loss you could offer flexi time which allows for longer lunch breaks in which they can visit the gym. Encourage various clubs within your workforce such as book club, after-work sports clubs, and a stop-smoking club. All of these things will help your staff to bond with one another and achieve goals that will aid their mental and physical wellbeing.

Your business is only as good as your workforce, so it’s important to keep your employees motivated and one way of doing this is by introducing a staff incentive and reward scheme. There are many benefits to introducing such a scheme, as staff incentives generally –

  • Help retain staff
  • Attract better staff to you company
  • Improve productivity
  • Encourage teamwork and knowledge sharing
  • Increase staff motivation and morale

Whatever your budget, introducing a staff incentive scheme could pay back into your business tenfold and doesn’t need to cost the earth. While many businesses recognise the contribution of their staff with a bonus at the end of the year, increasing numbers of businesses are looking for ways to motivate staff all year round.

From time off to corporate gifts here are some ideas to get you started…

 

Staff incentive ideas

Party time

Throw a themed event. It doesn’t have to be hugely expensive, just something to reward your hard working staff and a chance for them to let their hair down. Think sports day, beer and pizza party, movie night, games day or a fancy dress evening…

Vouchers

Use small gifts to reward achievement. Token rewards like cinema tickets, gift vouchers or coffee cards are great ways to say thank you. Bigger achievements can be rewarded with VEX Gift Certificates which can be spent in over 40,000 shops, covering 150 different brands, plus you can even have them printed with you company name and logo.

Discounts

Offer employees and their families a small discount on the goods or services you provide. This is a benefit to both parties and one of the perks many prospective employees look for when joining a company.

Free food

Lay on a free breakfast once a month with all the trimmings – think bagels, muffins, fresh fruit and yogurt. Alternatively, order in some take out coffees to help tackle the mid-afternoon slump or take away pizza if you’ve had a particularly successful week..

Recognition scheme

Ask employees to nominate each other, when someone has done a particularly good job. This way, employees can thank each other for support and going the extra mile, which is positive for team work and will boost morale.

Time off

Something money simply cannot buy. Give your employees the chance to win some time off by producing outstanding results. Allow employees that have children to take ‘family days’ and work from home when the kids are off school. Alternatively give everyone a surprise half day off – why not early on a sunny Friday afternoon and head for an al fresco lunch?

Red Frog Events company claims to have the best employees benefit package in the world, including unlimited holidays. They claim that their positive work culture means the system never gets abused, and provided the work gets done their employees can take as much time off as they like.

Don’t forget to say thank you

It’s completely free, but also very rewarding for an employee to hear when they’ve done a good job. Always remember to give praise where it’s due when there’s a job well done.

Say thank you in person, with a card or even have a ‘wall of thank yous’ where everyone can show their gratitude to those ready to help out.

Liam McClure is a keen blogger with a focus towards business and social media. He is also very interested in the ways that staff incentives can be used to encourage and inspire workers to think deeper about problems faced in their role.

How do you incentivise your staff all year round?