Think about your first job. Starting towards the bottom, working hard to prove you deserve to be there, and really exceling in your performance. How did you feel when you felt all your hard work had paid off? How did you feel when your superior recognized you for what you had accomplished? It’s rewarding to be praised for the effort you put in while at work. Therefore, it is important for you to understand when you’re in a higher position, whether it be CEO, Manager, Director, or any other position that requires you to be responsible for employees, that their dedication and hard work is recognized and rewarded.
While you’re not expected to give your employees a raise each time they work hard, there are other appropriate ways that you can reward them without overstepping any boundaries.
- Movie Tickets – Say thank you with a pair of movie tickets for the employee and a friend to enjoy!
- Fruit or Cookie Basket – Personally deliver a fruit or cookie basket to the employee’s desk so their coworkers can see that hard work pays off.
- Pizza Party – Order a few pizzas and leave them in the breakroom. This is a great way to reward a group of people or specific department within the company.
- Upgrade Parking – Give them a prime parking spot near the entrance for a week or two.
- Casual Friday – If the office is used to being business casual during the week, reward the team with a casual Friday and allow them to wear jeans.
- Detail their Car – A lot of industrial areas have a mobile detailer that comes in to offer their services. Get in touch with a mobile detailer in the area and have them detail the employee’s car.
- Music – Allow your employees to listen to music for a day.
- Donuts in the Morning – Bring a few boxes of donuts to the team or department that is being recognized.
- Company Apparel – Reward your employee or team with a shirt or hat with the company logo on it.
- Late in or Early Out – Reward your employee with a late start or an early out day. Give them an extra hour or two (paid) to sleep in, or let them leave a couple hours early, with pay, to enjoy their afternoon.
- Verbal Recognition – Bring employees together to recognize the hard work and dedication of a specific person or team within the company. This will inspire your other employees to keep working hard.
These are a few examples on ways to keep your team motivated. Knowing that hard work and effort in the workplace has the potential to be rewarded will ensure productivity stays up and your employees will only push themselves to work harder and maintain a high-performance level.