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Furniture World Employee Retention Strategies - 50 Ways to Reward Your Employees - Installment #9

Furniture World Magazine

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By Dawn McCooey

We know that a part of employee retention involves saying “thank you” and recognizing those employees who are excelling in their job. Last week, we explored the importance of recognition and rewards.  Today, I want to share some concrete examples of fitting rewards – ways that you can say “thank you” without breaking the bank!

50 Ways to Say Thanks to Your Employees:

  1. Personalized thank you notes. A handwritten note speaks volumes about gratitude and caring.
  2. Gift certificate related to an individual’s interests: art supply store, golf equipment store, ski pass, pet supply store, hardware store, bookstore, home décor, etc.
  3. Coffee passes. Purchase a punch card or certificate for staff’s favorite coffee take-out.
  4. Personalized gift bag. Include a magazine related to staff interest, a large chocolate bar or fruit chews, a restaurant gift certificate and a small package of coffee or hot chocolate or teabags.
  5. Photos: Enlarge a photo of each staff on the job. We rarely have photos of ourselves at work. A large photo of the individual, autographed with “Thanks” and your signature would be treasured.
  6. Pizza lunch. Have pizza delivered to the office during the lunch break and invite everyone to enjoy. Stagger the lunch times and mix it up so that staff have a unique opportunity to mix with colleagues who normally take a different time for a break.
  7. Go for a picnic. Leave the office or production line. Either hire a substitute or do this on two days with half the staff on each. Have a caterer prepare a huge picnic basket and head off to a picturesque location (it may be minutes from your business).
  8. Morning coffee surprise. Have a caterer deliver exquisite pastries, fresh fruit and gourmet coffee just in time for coffee break.
  9. Attach a staff’s name to a product. Name items on your restaurant menu, or processes or products after staff who have contributed, i.e. “Tim’s Apple Pie” or “Angela’s Safety Checklist” or “Gordon’s Clips.”
  10. Take out an ad in the newspaper to celebrate someone’s special accomplishment. For example: ”At XYZ Company we’re proud to announce that Sam Smith has received an honors MBA degree.“
  11. A day off with pay. Surprise a high-performing employee with a day off with pay in the middle of the week.
  12. Take an employee to breakfast or lunch. This one-on-one time is precious for giver and receiver.
  13. Spa gift certificate. Provide a spa certificate and award time off work to attend.
  14. Gas card or certificate. Reward that hard-working employee who commutes long distances to get to work.
  15. Concierge service. Provide a gift certificate for the employee who doesn’t have time to run personal errands.
  16. Monthly gym pass. For the whole crew, or for an individual.
  17. Leave an hour early pass. Provide a certificate that allows an employee to leave an hour early on the day of their choice.
  18. Take-out dinner. Provide a certificate for ethnic food or employee’s favorite restaurant for a Friday night take-out.
  19. New tools. Put a ribbon and a personalized card on a new printer, drill, or a fountain pen that will help your crew do their job.
  20. Community garden project. Purchase seeds or plants and pay staff to donate a day of volunteering at a community garden project.
  21. Team building event. Go sailing! Or white water rafting, or fishing, or play Monopoly, anything that involves all team members in an activity away from the workplace.
  22. New uniforms. Or a certificate to a uniform shop.
  23. Certificate for an evening college course, related to staff interests.
  24. Tickets to a concert. When an employee expresses interest in a particular play, or music event, surprise them with two tickets.
  25. A wall plaque, or poster, something related to the employee’s contributions at work. For example, a team leader would appreciate a motivational “teamwork” poster.
  26. Coffee mugs, with company logo and individual names.
  27. Waive coffee fees for a month. If staff are contributing to a coffee fund, have a “month of coffee on me” reward.
  28. Volunteer Time, for staff who provide volunteer work in the community, reward with time off on a regular basis to participate in the community.
  29. Child care reimbursement. Pay staff childcare costs when staff have to be out of town for work.
  30. Random acts of kindness. Provide staff with transit tickets, small amounts of cash, book of free coffee certificates etc. and set them loose in the community to perform random acts of kindness.
  31. Wild Ideas Party. Host a catered event that encourages creative brainstorming and problem-solving. Give prizes to the most creative ideas.
  32. Medal ceremony. Engrave a medal for each employee with one word that describes their special contribution to the workplace. Hold a ceremony and present the medals.
  33. Wellness Day. Set aside a whole day and invite experts in to address wellness issues. Provide sample products and a mobile chair massage option.
  34. Eco-Friendly Day. Same as above. Invite experts in to discuss ways to make your workplace more earth-friendly. Provide sample products and prizes for new ideas that may be implemented.
  35. Boss for the Day. Invite an employee to take on your job for a day, while you do their job for the day. Share and debrief with all staff.
  36. Make a film. Get your budding videographers to create a fun video of a day in the life of your company. Give everyone a role, allow for Academy Award-winning performances from all of your stars.
  37. T-Shirts. Create a fun T-shirt contest with company logo, cartoons or caricatures. Award prizes for the best in show.
  38. Book Club. This idea from Brandie Yarish at Genologics Inc. Implement a lunch hour book discussion group, and purchase the first ten books with input from staff.
  39. Spouse or Significant Other Recognition Night. Host an evening that celebrates the contributions of spouse of other family, or “significant other” supports for employees.
  40. Bring Your Child to Work Day. Encourage staff to participate in an annual bring-your-child-to-work day. Double check safety procedures and review them with employees prior to the event.
  41. Bring Your Pet to Work Day. Same as above, where appropriate. Check out pet-compatibility issues and allergy alerts prior to approving this one. A “dog walk afternoon” may be an appropriate alternative.
  42. Show Off Day. An adult version of Show-and-Tell! Invite staff to bring in something from home that they are proud of. It may be a piece of furniture they’ve built, a photo of the new deck they built; an auto they’ve restored; a quilt they have made, a scrapbook of travels; their child’s baseball trophy, anything goes. Set up a designated area with time slots for each contributor to describe his project.
  43. Certificate of Achievement. Create a certificate to acknowledge the specific staff achievement. Frame it and present it at a staff meeting.
  44. Baby Photo Contest. This idea from Jennifer at Cold Star Freight. Invite staff to post their baby photos and have a contest to match photo with each staff.
  45. Flowers. Never underestimate the value of a well-timed bouquet placed on an employee’s desk.
  46. Day in the Soup Kitchen. Arrange with a local charity to donate the food, and staff time to assist in the preparation of meals for the needy.
  47. Just Because Gift. Similar to Greg Sager’s examples, listen to employee yearnings and present them with a surprise gift. It doesn’t need to be large or expensive, just an indication that you heard them.
  48. Magazine Subscription. Surprise an employee with a magazine subscription, related to industry you work in, or employee’s special interest.
  49. Goodwill Day. Purchase a bag full of dollar store fun items. Draw names, and have each staff acknowledge the person whose name they have drawn by presenting them with one of the gifts and describing how it fits for that person. Donate the items to a shelter at the end of the day.
  50. One Person’s Junk, Another’s Treasure. Have a “Bring in Your One Piece of Junk” day. Auction off each piece and donate proceeds to an agreed-upon charity.

By Dawn McCooey, Author of  the Bestselling “Keeping Good Employees On Board” www.EmployeeRetentionTools.ca