Recognition, Awards, and Incentives

Keeping up morale in staff can come in many forms. From employee of the month, pay performance bonus, or a good pat on the back, recognizing you staff for their hard work is a vital retention strategy. All people crave some sort of recognition for their work. Showing appreciation can help keep needed staff and motivate others to achieve greater heights.

Recognition

Recognition does not always need to be grand gestures. It can be as small as verbal appreciation for hard work. Motivating staff comes from developing leaders who can praise staff for their positive actions. Younger staff, particularly millennials, crave the positive feedback and praise. Building a system of recognition of staff through various gestures will keep staff and create a better work atmosphere.

Here are some examples of recognition practices and ways of creating a positive work culture:

• 40 Employee Recognition Ideas for Your Praiseworthy Staff  
• 101 Ways to Reward Employees (Without Giving Them Cash)
• Proof that Positive Work Cultures are More Productive
• Proactive Culture Change
• TED Talk: The Power of Appreciation

Awards

An organization can either create an internal awards ceremony or program to show recognition for their staff, such as employee of the month, or enter deserving staff in to LAI’s annual award ceremony

Additionally, local awards could be sought after for select staff. For example, many cities and some counties have 40 under 40 lists or woman of the year awards. Nominating a member of your staff for an award shows recognition for the individual, creates pride throughout an organization, and shows a community the top talent at your organization.

Pay and Benefit Incentives

A classic way of recognizing work is financial incentives. Rewarding good work through either pay increases, one time bonuses, or added benefits is a method of motivating staff to go the extra mile. Here are some examples of different bonuses:

• Pay increases for reaching a certain educational level.
• Pay increases for reaching a certain number of years of employment.
• One-time bonus for consistent hard work.

Non-monetary benefits can also be reward for good and reliable work. For example, an individual might be able to be awarded flexible work schedules after reaching a certain number of months or years of employment. Creative non-monetary benefits could be a tool to help save on your bottom-line and still create incentives for your staff.