Incentives and rewards are powerful employee engagement tools to retain your top talent. Your employees deserve an employee incentive program that reminds them that you are thankful for them. The good news is that showing appreciation doesn’t have to cost a lot of time or money.
In this article, we will show you how to reward your employees and stay within our budget. Here are 10 employee reward ideas for small businesses you can start using today.
1. Longer Lunch Time or Extra Break
Let someone have an extra-long lunchtime or let them leave the office for lunch. For example, you can occasionally suggest employees go to a favorite place to eat that isn’t too far but is usually not close enough to make it during the lunch hour.
Employees will appreciate it when they get to that spicy chicken sandwich or cookies & cream milkshake.
2. Allow Pets to Work
This incentive doesn’t cost you a penny. Schedule one day every week for your employees to bring their pets to work. Allowing pets in the office can help reduce stress and make people friendlier. Work/life balance is valuable for employees and being able to bring one’s dog or cat to work can help employees feel they are closer to achieving that balance.
3. Work Happy Hour
After a project well done, a work happy hour maybe just the reward your employees are looking for. Here are some ideas: Order snacks and beverages from a local restaurant, play a game, or gather in a garden and tell something interés about yourself.
4. Cleaning Services
Offer up some outside cleaning help. Purchase a car wash or maid service for the day if your employees are spending more time at work than they are at home.
5. Netflix Subscription
This is a simple reward that almost every employee loves. Load up 50 dollars on a Netflix gift card and feed their binge-watching habit for a few months.
6. Cooking Lessons
Learning something new with your team members! Most people try to cook, and most people fail. Incentivize your employee or small team with cooking lessons one day after work. It would be a fun and yummy time.
7. Meal Delivery for a Week
Take away the burden of cooking for a week. Bring in vendors to offer meals that are ready to take home or pay for a week’s/month’s subscription for a meal delivery service like Freshly. If they want to go the extra mile and cook it themselves, try a meal-delivery service like Hello Fresh.
8. Do Their Laundry
Set them up with a laundry service that will pick up/drop off their laundry at their home. This incentive gives your employees more than just clean laundry – it helps restore some work-life balance to their lives.
9. Time Off to Volunteer
Volunteering can be a life-changing experience and a great chance for employees to build new skills. Giving time off to volunteer is a great way to benefit your employees and your community.
It can be a team activity or allow individuals to take a day off to volunteer when it’s convenient for them.
10. Plant Life
Give your employees a succulent bowl or plant a tree that they can take care of and be proud to have.
