This article was written by Managing Consultant, Bryan Schriiffer.
Employee Incentives
In the global economy, businesses are operating 24 hours a day, the pace we are operating at is increasing. It’s important for employers to think about the pressure being put on their employees.
Employees are now being asked to be more flexible in the way they work and the duties they undertake. Salaries and wages are the norm for rewarding employees, but maybe it’s time to take off the blinkers and look at what else is important to remunerate, reward and retain employees in our businesses.
Not all companies have the luxury of spending lavishly on employee perks. Companies that have the cash to burn, who are trying to attract and retain young talent would be able to provide top-notch benefits in order to keep their employees. Here are some that I have found from my research that are not expensive but can help promote a positive culture in your business:
- Allow employees to work at least once a week from home if possible
- Recognise employees for personal achievements or bring in a new client with a celebration
- Allow flexible in their hours for those who walk, cycle or ride to work
- Reward employees with discounts for both your company and company’s you deal for goods and services
- Show gratitude to your employees for going above and beyond
- Close the office earlier on a Friday and treat employees to a group activity it creates a team spirit
- Invite guest speakers to talk to your employees and inspire them
- Provide them with discounted gym club memberships that are used as promotions by the gym
- Take employees on a short, simple walk or a picnic lunch
- Have special days that promote fun like Hawaiian shirt day or odd socks day
- Schedule company events outside to take advantage of nice weather
- Integrate games into the office for some healthy co-worker competition
- Provide employees with an enjoyable group movie outing or free movie passes as a reward
- To help new employee get to know other employees have them organise the next team or company event
- Hire a yoga trainer or in-house masseuse once every few months to reduce employee stress levels
- Allow employees to bring their pets to work for a day, it can create havoc with different animals, so think this one through before have the event
- Create an employee of the week / month and give employee a turn for a free car wash or other reward
- Promote physical activity with your employees give them a pedometer each and have them track their exercise
- Celebrate major holidays like Australia day with employees to bring everyone closer together
- Provide a simple healthy breakfast for employees once a month, it’s a great way to start the day
- Take the employee of the month out to lunch to reward them and get to know them on a more personal level
- Choose one afternoon each month and have some fun with team sports or events
- Provide a rest area for employees to take a break from sitting and staring at their computer and perhaps even take a short nap
So what else can you do to create a stronger team and promote employee well-being? Some of these ideas came from the ABC’s low cost employee perks website.
I challenge you to think outside the box and come up with your own ideas on how you can provide incentives, perks or additional rewards for your employees…
Rowe Advisory is a leading consulting business in Australia. We are strategically placed to be able to lead, manage or advice on adding value to your organisation.
Contact Rowe Advisory on (07) 3210 1104 or
Chief Executive Officer, Jody Rowe, at jody@roweadvisory.com.au
Managing Consultant, Bryan Schriiffer, at bryan@roweadvisory.com.au
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