Keeping your employees engaged is one of the most important things you can do as a business owner. Happy, engaged employees are more productive and tend to stick around longer. But how can you keep them engaged without spending a fortune? Let’s talk about some fun, incentives that will keep your employees happy and motivated!
1. Flexible work hours
One of the best ways to keep your employees engaged is to offer flexible work hours. This is especially important now during the pandemic when many people are struggling to balance work and life responsibilities. Offering flexible work hours shows that you value your employees’ time and understand that they have other commitments outside of work. This can be a great way to boost morale and keep your team engaged.
If your budget doesn’t allow you to offer flex hours to all your employees, consider offering it as an incentive for good performance. Employees who meet their goals or go above and beyond can earn flex hours that they can use however they want.
There are a few drawbacks to offering flexible work hours as an incentive. First, it can be difficult to track employee performance if they are working from home. Second, some employees may take advantage of the flexible hours and start working fewer hours overall.
If you decide to offer flexible work hours as an incentive, be sure to monitor employee performance and make sure that everyone is meeting their goals. It may be prudent to put a limit on the number of hours employees can work outside of the office.
It’s also important to remember that not everyone will want or need flexible work hours, so make sure you offer other incentives as well!
2. Paid time off
Paid time off is another great perk that can keep your employees engaged. It shows that you value their time and want them to enjoy their lives outside of work. This can be a great way to promote a healthy work-life balance.
Paid time off is a great incentive because it allows employees to take time off for whatever they need. This can be a great way to recharge and come back to work refreshed and motivated. It can also reduce stress and increase morale, which is important for both employees and businesses.
One potential drawback of paid time off as an incentive is that it can be difficult to use. Employees may not be able to take the time off they need when they need it (such as wanting to take a breather in the middle of an important project), which can lead to frustration.
Another potential drawback is that paid time off can be expensive for businesses. If you offer too much paid time off, you may end up losing money. This is something to consider when deciding how much paid time off to offer your employees.
Despite these drawbacks, paid time off is still a great incentive that can keep employees engaged and motivated.
3. Employee recognition
Employee recognition is a simple but effective way to keep your team engaged. Acknowledging someone for a job well done is a great way to show appreciation and make them feel valued. You can do this informally with a quick email or shout-out in a meeting, or you can make it more formal with an awards ceremony or bonus program.
Whatever method you choose, make sure you are genuine and sincere in your recognition. Employees can tell when you’re being authentic, and they will appreciate the effort!
While employee recognition is a great way to show appreciation and make employees feel valued, it can also have some downsides.
One downside is that it can be expensive to implement a formal employee recognition program. Another downside is that it can be time-consuming to come up with new ways to recognise employees’ achievements. And finally, employee recognition can sometimes create excessive competition and unnecessary tension among co-workers.
As such, it is important to use common sense. Simply acknowledging someone for a job well done can be a great way to show appreciation and make them feel valued.
4. Free meals or snacks
Another way to keep your employees engaged is to offer free meals or snacks. This is a great perk that shows you care about your team’s well-being and want them to be happy and healthy. It can also be a great way to boost morale and show appreciation, showing your employees that you appreciate their hard work and are willing to invest in their happiness!
One potential drawback of free meals or snacks as an incentive is that it could create a sense of entitlement among employees. If they feel like they are being given free food as a reward for their work, they may expect this perk all the time and become disgruntled if it is not provided. Additionally, free food can be a distraction in the workplace and may decrease productivity.
Wrapping it up
There are many different incentives you can use to keep your employees engaged. Some of the most popular incentives include flexible work hours, paid time off, employee recognition, and free meals or snacks.
Each of these incentives has its own benefits and drawbacks, so it’s important to choose the ones that will work best for your team. Flexible work hours are a great way to show employees that you value their time and want them to have a healthy work-life balance. Paid time off is a great way to let employees take a break and recharge, which can increase morale and productivity. Employee recognition is a simple way to show appreciation and make employees feel valued. And free meals or snacks are a great way to show that you care about your team’s well-being.
Choosing the right incentives is important for keeping your employees engaged. Make sure you consider the individual needs and preferences of your team when deciding on incentives and be sure to communicate these incentives clearly and effectively. If you need help increasing employee engagement or implementing incentives in your organisation, get in touch with our team of HR consultants at ChandlerWoods today! We would be more than happy to help you create a happy and productive workplace.