Top 3 Things to Reward Your Employees With

When you're a business owner or a leader, one of your top priorities should be to ensure that your employees feel valued and appreciated.

18:54 03 February 2020

After all, we need employees for a company to be able to function and run smoothly. This saves time and energy, and gives us more time to balance our own work and life. If we were a one man crew, then it would take days or weeks longer to accomplish a goal that would take a team of workers only a day to complete. That's why it's so important to show your appreciation to each of your employees.

There are many ways to show your gratitude, and it doesn't always have to involve spending money out-of-pocket. One simple way of doing this is by having a break-room for your team. This can be a place of relaxation for your employees to go to, during their break. It allows them a moment for themselves to just sit and relax, while also giving the much needed time their body needs to re-energize. They can grab a coffee to drink or a bite to eat, while chatting with their coworkers and friends. This will also allow them a moment to contact their family members. The idea of this is to create an atmosphere that is comfortable, so that when your employees return to work, they feel refreshed and be more productive. The folks at CorpCofe.com understand the need to create this type of environment for employees, where they can feel at ease and at home. The relaxation part of it gives your employees a clear mind to head back to work. 

There are many other low cost ways to show your appreciation, but if you want some bigger ideas, below are the top 3 things to reward your employees with.

Image source: https://pixabay.com/photos/men-employees-suit-work-greeting-1979261/

1. Much Deserved Vacation

When you work five days a week, the weekends don't feel long enough and you can start to feel burned out after a while. Everyone deserves a break, and what better way to escape the daily stressors, than to go on a nice vacation. It doesn't have to be expensive, and you can set a budget for each person. Set a price that works for you, but that also allows your workers to go somewhere that they'll enjoy.

There are two ways that you can go about this: one option is to write them a check or to give them a bonus, which allows them to choose exactly which location they'd like to go to; the other option is to directly ask them where they would be interested in traveling to, what their availability is, and then purchase a vacation package for them. It could be a simple two night stay at a nice resort, or however long of a stay you'd like. It all depends on your budget and what you can afford.

You could even consider taking yourself, along with all of your employees and their families on a vacation together. A vacation will not only shows your employees how much you value and appreciate them, but will also give them much deserved time to relax. This in turn allows them to return to work with a clear mind. Stress can affect your work, and this is the perfect way to destress.

2. Additional Paid Time Off

This one goes hand-in-hand with the one above. The idea here is to give your employee the much needed and deserved time off that they've earned. Although most companies include paid time off, vacation time is typically no more than 1-2 weeks per year. That goes by really fast and it's not enough time to actually relax. This is especially true for those with families. That extra time off could give them more time to spend with their spouse or children. Instead of paying out-of-pocket for a vacation, you can pay for them to stay home and choose to do whatever they'd like on their time off.

While some people truly love to work, many people work to survive because they have no other choice. If given the opportunity to never work again, it's likely that many people would choose not to. So, by providing your workers with additional time off, you will make them much happier to return to their workplace once again. You will also stand out from the competition, which means that your workers will be less likely to look for employment elsewhere.

3. A Promotion or Raise

Many of us don't think of a promotion or increase in salary as a reward. But it's actually one of the best rewards you could give your employee. This is especially true for your hardest workers who are reliable, dependable and always give their best effort on a daily basis. It happens all too often, that companies underpaid their employees, or don't give them an increase in their salary as often as they should.

Hardworking employees should be the most valued in the company, and their hard work should be acknowledged. If you want your employees to continue to give their best effort and to remain loyal to you, then this is the best way to show them that you recognize and appreciate all that they do. Promotions are just as important, and any employee that has proven to be a great addition to your company, should receive a promotion within the company. This allows them to grow and put their best foot forward.

While these are the top three rewards you can give your employee, there are many other things you could do for them. Simple things such as saying thank you, or giving them positive reinforcement by telling them what a great job they're doing. It's not just about receiving rewards. It's also about feeling valued and appreciated. Words can do just that. Understanding the importance of recognizing each individual worker, can help make them feel important. If you haven't done so yet or if it's been a while, then go ahead and tell your employees how much you really appreciate them and all that they do. You can make them employee of the month to show your gratitude. It helps to take a step back and remember that if it wasn't for them, you would have to do everything all on your own. If you'd like to make it more meaningful, have a nice get together with all of your employees and their families, to show your appreciation. You can be creative with it.