Employee Incentives – Ideas for Rewards, Recognition, Opportunities, Flexibility
- Handwritten Thank You Note
- Just say it – Thank You, Great Job(say it when you see it or learn about it)
- Alternate Work Schedules
- Thank you note/letter to family
- Lunch with Board Member (or relevant committee Chair)
- Flexible Work Schedules
- Letter of recognition and add copy to the personnel file
- Office treats for no occasion(donuts, cupcakes, cookies, healthy snacks, etc.)
- Free Pass/Voucher for time off(specify a number of paid time off hours)
- Birthday cards signed by the Board (Deliver in person or mail it to their home)
- Buy the paint, Paint their offices (have a paint party, provide the pizza)
- Telecommute from time to time
- Replace the office chairs
- Birthday cards signed by coworkers
- Add some low maintenance plants (reduce stress, cleaner air, esthetically nice)
- Go along on site visits and audits
- Anniversary cards – another great year working together
- Add an office refrigerator, dorm size or full size adds convenience
- Help with a classroom, MWEE, or other outreach effort
- Office birthday celebrations
- Add an office water cooler (go crazy and include hot water tap!)
- Nomination for a deserved award (follow-up with District level recognition)
- Provide timely feedback
- Add an office microwave for added employee convenience
- Spend time mentoring – share your knowledge, insights, connections
- Traveling trophy (reassign periodically to recognize specific above and beyond contributions)
- Name badges for field work and nameplates for the offices/desks
- Have business cards for everyone
- Adopt a policy of paid volunteerism (award X # hours per year that employees can use to volunteer wherever they want)
- Say “Thank You” in creative ways
- Provide District logo “uniforms”
- Obtain a reserve spot and rotate it
- Bring in flowers for the office just because or after a peak period
- Pay for the office coffee and coffee condiments and supplies
- Keep them stocked with bottled water during hot weather
- Bring each their favorite treat with a thank you note for being part of team and helping the District make a difference
- Keep “petty cash” box with small $ ($5 or 10) gift cards for on-the-spot awards and recognitions of special contributions/efforts (check with auditor)
- Post pictures or videos of their projects and work on the District’s web site, You Tube, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. accounts
- Birthday king/queen with banner and tiara/crown and treats
- On the ball awards (sports ball with a note of thanks on it)
- Staff appreciation day – Board make/bring breakfast, deliver lunch
- Casual dress Friday in the office. Or, go casual anytime not in the field
- You make the magic happen (magic wand with a note of thanks for special efforts)
- Staff appreciation lunch – Board has lunch delivered (or makes and brings in)
- Take a tour – go as a group to tour a producer, vendor, supplier, etc.
- Carpool to activities so more employees can attend
- Pay for employees to attend training
- Go on a picnic together and supply to sandwiches/subs
- Host a pot luck and supply the main course, supplies and blankets
- Host a holiday gift exchange between employees ($5 limit)and give each an item (e.g. local honey)
- Give them a turkey at Thanksgiving
- Give them a ham at Christmas
- And the Oscar goes to… Give awards annually to recognize each employees most significant accomplishment that year
- Highlight one employee’s work and contributions each month on the District’s web site, You Tube, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. accounts
- Family or Date night: Microwave popcorn, big boxes of candy, Cracker Jacks, Red Box coupon
- Celebrate Earth Day, supply lunch
- Bring in extra boxes of girl scout cookies or boy scout trail mix
- Wash their cars, or pay for a basic touch less carwash
- Subscribe to professional journals, have them delivered to the office
- Sticky note of encouragement
- Sticky note of thanks
- Certificate of recognition
- Put it in the local paper – give public acknowledgement (if suitable)
- Put it in the trade journal – give public acknowledgement (if suitable)
- Email congrats on accomplishments and encourage others to do same
- Hold contests – tackiest Christmas decoration, worst Hawaiian shirt
- Collaborate with local Y/gym for discounts (maybe other local businesses)
- Collaborate with local credit unions for benefits for District staff
- Get group discount pricing at local amusement parks, sports teams…
- Ask for their input and follow-up on how/why it was/wasn’t used
- Add a suggestion box and follow-up on suggestions
- Bring in fresh fruit for the office: apples, oranges, bananas
- Throw an ice cream sundae party complete with toppings, or bring in individually wrapped frozen treats
- Celebrate it with balloons and a thank you note
- Performance Tokens for outstanding actions and/or evaluations award tokens in 1-hour increments that employees can use for long lunch, running errands, arriving or leaving early, etc.
- Bring your daughter or granddaughter to the office day
- 10-pack of 100 grand bars and a note “Thanks A Million”
- Bring your son or grandson to the office day
- ABCD cards: Above and Beyond Call of Duty notes of recognition
- Know everyone’s name (and use it) and know something about the family, pets, interests, etc.
- Give seeds/seedlings for planting
- Special Cause: Have a committee that selects one cause per year to support (e.g. food bank, cancer walk)
- Put it in their file – make sure copies of all accomplishments, notes o f praise, etc. are put in personnel file
- Talk Time – get together regularly with each employee and as a team to talk about anything but work
- Brag Board in each office (desk) for employees personal pictures, inspirational quotes, etc
- Brag Board in main area for District to recognize employees’ accomplishments
- White boards on office doors – write notes for encouragement and congratulations (Board and each other)
- Tuition Assistance for classes benefiting the District
- Library: Learning library books or just books to read and relax
- Surprise open late or close early for a conservation related holiday
- Field trips – they are popular at any age. Go as a group on a morning or afternoon during a slow time.
- Nice Nicknames to recognize expertise and onsite resources (Computer Whiz, Fencing King, Barrel Baron)
- Include your full-time, part-time and temporary employees in all the activities and recognition efforts
- Use annual performance evaluations to set personally important professional goals (training, classes, duties, projects) as well as District goals
- Use annual performance appraisals to ask and discuss what’s working, what’s not, if they need anything to do their job more efficiently or easily, and follow-up on discussion
- Breakfast meetings (provide breakfast-foods and OJ) once a month or quarter to discuss what’s working, what’s not, if they need anything, and to follow-up
- Encourage and support joining professional and job related groups, including during work hours if necessary
- Encourage teamwork, collaborating, and knowledge sharing. Recognize employees and those activities at Board meetings and in evaluations
- Work with high schools and colleges to recruit interns and volunteers to assist staff (and bonus – it supports the District too!)
- Remember to tell them why their work is important and its impact on communities and watersheds
- Encourage and allow them to try new ideas for getting the job done (there is more than one way to skin a cat!)
- Rotate assignments to share critical job knowledge and grow all your employees, and to share blah work
- Let them take the lead and manage special projects and assignments with independence
- Make sure they know you trust them, say it and show it with your actions (actions speak louder than words)
- Put in more face time, get to know each other and build relationships and trust
- Deal with it. If there is a negative behavior or other issue, deal with it. Letting it go lets it fester and harms morale, commitment and even retention of your other great staff. Uncomfortable as it may seem, dealing with it is better. Your employees will respect you more for it and appreciate your action.
- Hold exit interviews. Ask resigning employees what the District could do different or better, what made their job easier, what made their job more difficult. That gets you invaluable, honest and meaningful information than a politically correct “leaving for more money.”
- Ask them. Ask them how they prefer to be recognized (publicly or privately, big fuss or no fuss). Ask them what is meaningful for them, Ask them to give you their ideas for no-cost ideas they would appreciate and for ideas within a $5-$10 price point. They’ll share. Then you can recognize them most meaningfully.
- Offer an idea bounty. Have a problem? Get employees to submit ideas to resolve it an award the winning suggestion an incentive item (small bonus, paid time off, etc.
- Bigger money items: salary increases, performance bonuses, promotions, reclassifications
- Establish District traditions to celebrate/do together
- Acts of service: wash cars, cook a meal, bake a cake, doing the employee’s job for a day, provide baby-sitting for a night out, etc.
- Not all recognition needs to costs a lot. Check out a Dollar Store. Buy in bulk. Check out Amazon. Check out Pinterest. Ask a creative friend or relative for ideas and help.
- Face-to-face not your strong suit? Time at a premium? Scheduling time on whatever calendar you use for relationship building and giving recognition is perfectly acceptable (and certainly preferable to not doing it at all!)
Reminder: Attach rewards and recognitions to real accomplishment. Be specific in about what behaviors or actions are being rewarded and recognized. And, be timely.Page 1 of 2