Using incentives to increase work efficiency

When your employees aren't performing to the level that you would hope there are many things that you could do to give them the push they need to give a little bit more. For some employees giving their best is their only option, for others it has to be worth their time.

There are some great ways to encourage your employees, incentives is one of them. Here are some great ways to make incentives work for your business and employees.

• Start by setting goals. Have goals for the company over all, for each department, and for each individual. Management can set the goals or for a team building activity it is a great idea to set them as an entire staff. This gives ownership to each person and department to accomplish their goals.
• Maybe set some friendly competitions. These could be between departments or within each department. This might help boost some of your more competitive employees. Have rewards for those that win and also consolation prizes for those who made a good effort.
• Break them up into teams, give them someone to work with. It might seem easier to accomplish if they are working with someone else to get it done. Team work is a great way to get people excited.
• Let the employees come up with awards to give each other and also let them be the nominators for the winners. This helps them to notice things that can be recognized in others that they work with. It also makes the job more fun to think that someone might be receiving the "Not a Morning Person" award.
• Make sure that your rewards and incentives don't become predictable. Keep the employees guessing and working their hardest because they might be being watched for the next award.
• Have a fun presentation ceremony. Give them the award in front of others and make it creative. Let them wear a crown for the day or give them a "Miss America" sash. Many employees will be boosted by the presentation more than the award itself.

What to give as awards and incentives can be tricky too. Here are some ideas for what works as motivators.

• If you set up a budget for incentives then you can use money as a motivator. Maybe a little more on their paycheck, a separate check, or gift cards. People will never turn down money, just make sure that you don't get your employees to the point that they expect a certain amount, it can kill motivation if expectations are not met.
• Find fun gifts to give. They don't have to be expensive, in fact white elephant gifts can make the job fun. These can be used as random giveaways or as birthday presents too. Let the employee unwrap the present in front of the others, it adds to the excitement, just like a birthday party.
• Not all incentives have to cost money. Many employees would be happy with an extra day off, the best parking spot reserved, or an extra long lunch break. Rewarding employees can be done with simple certificates occasionally as well.

Just reminding employees that you remember that they are helping you out can make a big difference. Let them know that you appreciate them and all they do for you. For an employer just to recognize that each employee is part of the overall picture can help many employees work harder. Make it a point to know each employee, not each employee number, they are more than just a punch on a time clock.

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Categories: Employee Performance,

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