Contest Incentives

Even during bad times, employees still need to be reminded that their hard work is appreciated. By holding monthly contests to see who can bring in the most revenue, and then rewarding that employee, is a simple yet effective way to increase motivation at work. The reward can be anything from a gift card to promotional apparel. Whatever the reward is, make sure your employees know why that person is being rewarded that month. You can even hold multiple contests and all of the winners can pick rewards from a box.

Simple Recognition and Praise

During this tumultuous economic time, companies are cutting back on costs in multiple ways. Unfortunately, the main way companies save money is by initiating layoffs and salary cuts. This leaves the remaining employees with more work and less money. When this happens, people develop a "sink or swim" type of attitude and either rise to occasion or crumble under the pressure. In order to assure that your employees don't take a turn for the worse, incentive programs are needed more than ever.

Since money is still an issue, simple promotional items are a good way to keep morale up. Recognizing your employees hard work can also help keep a positive attitude at the office. Praising them for the small things, and showing support when they need it, is an easy and inexpensive way to keep them working hard. A recent study by the Human Capital Institute in Washington, D.C., showed that when recognized by their managers, 84% of employee's work was impacted positively.

Employee Meetings

When thinking of new ways to motivate your employees during the cold winter months, sometimes the best idea is a new approach to an old method. Take employee meetings for instance, every company has one, some multiple times a week. Instead of always meeting in the board room, take a few of your employees out to dinner to discuss your upcoming project or new client. Employees tend to feel more relaxed when out of the office, which can open their minds up to better ideas. The free meal will be incentive to come to the meetings if they aren't mandatory. If you are on a budget, you can always order pizzas at the office.

If attendance is an issue, you can entice employees to come with free giveaways. Whoever comes up with the best solution to a problem or idea, gets a gift certificate to a restaurant or a basket with an assortment of candy. Either way, a free mail or a free gift will help motivate your employees to not only show up to the meetings but to incorporate their great ideas as well.