7 Smart Ways to Reward Your Employees for Hard Work

A successful organization is built with the dedication and passion of its employees. Not only do employees expect to be paid a competitive salary for their efforts, they want to receive recognition from their managers for a job well done.

Finding ways to reward your employees for their hard work can be challenging. This is especially true in a busy office environment.

If you are short on ideas, there is no need to worry. Here are 7 smart ways to reward your employees for their hard work.

1. Give your employees the opportunity to manage important assignments.

Employees crave the opportunity to grow and learn in their organization. When you assign important projects to your employees, it causes them to feel capable, proud and accomplished.

As you implement this strategy, your primary focus should be on increasing the quality (not volume) of their assignments. Apply this strategy with care to ensure that you do not overwhelm your employees.

2. Start a peer recognition program at your company.

Your employees can easily spot the people who work the hardest in their peer group. Implement a peer recognition program that enables employees to recognize one another for their accomplishments.

YouEarnedIt is a popular new app that is designed to boost employee engagement, redefine employee recognition and increase employee retention. As part of this app’s features, employees can write short recognition posts and reward points to their coworkers. The best part about this app is the recognition is rewarded in real-time.

3. Express gratitude and praise often.

Award Pins for Employees said, “Unappreciative bosses who do not express gratitude to their employees’ for their sacrifice and hard work drive good employees away.” If you want to retain the best and brightest employees, it is not enough to show them gratitude once a year.

You must express your gratitude regularly. Here are a few effortless ways that you can express your appreciation.

• Verbalize your gratitude.
• Write a letter of appreciation to your employees,
• Give employees small tokens of appreciation.

4. Offer opportunities for your employees to earn additional vacation time.

If you are in a company in which a 12-hour day is normal, it will not take long for your employees to lose their zeal. The truth is most people cannot operate at an optimal level once they are exhausted.

Additional vacation time provides your employees with the opportunity to rest and recharge. This will lead to higher levels of productivity.

If you cannot afford to provide your employees with additional vacation time, give them the opportunity to leave work early on Friday or arrive at work a few hours later on Monday.

5. Inform your employees of new developments in the company.

To make your employees feel as if they are part of a team, you should update them on the latest news within the company. As a leader in your company, you may not be able to share confidential information, but you can publish essential information in a company newsletter.

However, it is important to share any information that might affect the well-being of your employees. The last thing you want to happen is for your employees to get information through gossip and office chatter.

6. Solicit feedback from your employees.

How much do you really care about your employees’ opinions? By soliciting feedback from your employees, they will get the sense that they matter to your organization.

After you receive feedback, be sure to implement and highlight some of the ideas. Your employees are smart. If they get the sense that your feedback initiative is insincere, they will not participate.

7. Host company events for your employees and their families.

Holiday seasons are the perfect time to host company events that include friends and family members. Whether you host a holiday party or an Independence Day barbecue, your employees will be excited to celebrate with their coworkers and loved ones.

Now that you know what to do to reward your employees, it is time for you to incorporate them into your current reward system in your organization. By implementing these reward strategies, you can boost employee morale.