Rewarding people
Ask your employees what motivates them
Identify which benefits are most appealing, through meetings, surveys or the line management system.
Ensure line managers and colleagues take small steps to recognise a job well done
Just giving a simple “well done” or “thank you” can have a powerful effect on an employee who has worked hard. This can also have a positive impact on the rest of the team. People also want to feel important so show them how important the job that they have done is for the whole organisation.
Ensure rewards are deserved and perceived to be so
It is important that people can see the link between effort and reward, and identify the set of behaviours or achievements which consistently lead to rewards. They must be fair too – not simply rewarding ’favourites’, otherwise, rewards can lose their impact for reinforcement and motivation.
Consider other forms of incentives, beyond the purely financial
A broad range of different incentives can successfully reward effective contributions, depending on the organisation’s working culture and the factors which motivate your employees. Examples for consideration include: share ownership, increased flexibility, extra holiday or sabbaticals, innovative development opportunities, enhancements to status or increasing autonomy.
Think carefully before rewarding ‘star’ performers instead of teams or the organisation
In some cases, picking ‘star players’ can have a negative impact on teamwork and motivation.
An “awards ceremony” can reward employees for exceptional performance
Holding a formal event to recognise effort and performance can demonstrate that achievement of individuals and teams across the whole organisation is valued. To this end, it is important that the nomination and judging process is fair and transparent, and the event is well-publicised.
Undertake an equal pay review survey
Ensure the remuneration across the organisation is fair and avoids discrimination by auditing how people doing similar jobs, at similar levels of performance are rewarded.
Review benchmark levels of pay in your sector or region regularly
Online tools such as PayWizard from the TUC can help establish average rates to ensure your package remains competitive.