- Recognition in front of peers
Highlight your employees’ achievements by recognizing them in a company meeting, newsletter or on your company Intranet site.
Mary Lawrence, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, MidMarket Human Resource Consultant
- Jeans day
Give out coupons that allow employees to wear jeans on a day of their choosing, or designate an all-employee jeans day.
Chris Brennan, Performance Specialist
- VIP parking spot
Give an exemplary employee a dedicated parking space for a week or month.
Kelley M Zanfardino, SPHR-CA, SCP, Human Resource Advisor, HR Center of Excellence
- Spot awards
When you see employees do something right, give them a (small dollar amount) gift card on the spot. You could also give tickets to a sporting or performing arts event. And to make it more affordable, you can purchase gift cards from discount websites, such as Living Social, Groupon, Restaurant.com, etc., or buy them from a warehouse, such as Costco.
Amy Marcum, Senior Human Resource Specialist
- Hand-written note
A personal note written with sincerity and specifics can sometimes mean the most to an employee. Money or trinkets may never be as rewarding.
Bob Reticker, Director, Performance Improvement
- Impromptu time off
Spontaneous late arrival or early departure days are always a motivator. For example, send a quick email that says, “It’s a beautiful afternoon. Go enjoy it.”
Emily Dusablon, PHR, SHRM-CP, Supervisor, HR Center of Excellence
- Time off coupons
Give out coupons for 15 minutes of time off as a spot award. Employees can collect them to add up to leaving an hour early one day or coming in late one day.
Chris Brennan, Performance Specialist
- Work-from-home day
Remember significant events in your employees’ personal lives, such as a child starting kindergarten, and give them a work-from-home day so they can participate without worrying about coming into the office on time.
Emily Dusablon, PHR, SHRM-CP, Supervisor, HR Center of Excellence
- Breakfast treat
Know your employees’ favorite morning treat and show up with it – coffee, Diet Coke, breakfast tacos, donuts, etc.
Emily Dusablon, PHR, SHRM-CP, Supervisor, HR Center of Excellence
- Indoor food truck
On a hot day, have the leadership team go around the office with a cart handing out ice cream (e.g., Klondike bars, ice cream sandwiches, etc.). On a cold day, have them push around a “Cocoa Cart,” serving hot chocolate to the team.
Chris Brennan, Performance Specialist