Ways to Reward Employees Without Using Money

Your employees need the motivation to stay in their jobs. If they don’t feel like they are a part of the family, or they don’t think that you appreciate what they are doing, they will decide to leave. Appreciation does not necessarily mean monetary value. Not all employees feel rewarded because you give them a salary bump. There are ways that make them feel appreciated without using monetary rewards.

Give them autonomy

You can assign them a project to work on, without being too interfering. Giving them autonomy makes them realise that they are important, and that you believe they can do it. They will also feel motivated to do a better job because they have the chance to prove themselves.

Leave a thank you message

A simple note that you leave on their table could go a long way. However, the key is to leave a personal message. Be specific in what you want to say instead of expressing generic ideas only. Employees need to know that you appreciate them because of what they did instead of wondering what exactly you appreciate them for.

Create a family

You don’t necessarily need to reward individuals; you can reward the entire group. Creating a family that feels like a community would be helpful. Play games in the office once in a while. Go out on a trip. Treat everyone to dinner. These activities can help release the tension in the group. They also make people feel comfortable with each other while working. Most of all, they will feel that they did something great for them to deserve such activities.

Ask them what they want

You can create a survey where you ask people at work what they want as a reward. It is a good idea for the incentives to come from them instead of deciding yourself. You don’t need to follow all the suggestions, but at least you can offer something that came from their suggestions.

Provide a good parking space and other perks

If you want to appreciate people, a simple act like a good parking space could be helpful. You can make it happen being the leader of the team. You can also allow them to do things they want for a day, but still pay them.

Offer flexibility

You might offer some employees the chance to bring their kids to work. You can also give them more leave with pay. You can give some of them the chance to come to work late or leave early. You don’t do this for all employees, so if you do, it makes employees feel that they are doing a great job. You will have to be stricter if anyone is not good at their job.

Let them participate

Participation in various tasks in the office outside their job description makes employees feel you trust them. For instance, you can ask them about their ideas on your next marketing strategy. They might tell you to try roller banners. They might not be marketing experts, but they can bring some new ideas to the table.

Reward programmes will help your employees feel encouraged to work hard.

This is a guest contribution by Remi Ashton.

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