Ideas on How To Reward Employees Effectively

Employee rewards are important and there are plenty of ideas out there on employee rewards, some good and some not so much. We have put together a list of effective, low-cost ideas:

1. Sincere appreciation
2. Surprise them with their favourite drink
3. Gift them a something to support a hobby of theirs
4. Take them or the team out for lunch
5. Tickets to see their favourite band/artist
6. Tickets to a hard-to-get-tickets-for conference

Ideas for low-cost rewards that people actually want

• Sincere appreciation

By far the most essential reward is not really a reward at all – more like common manners that in fast-paced environments we sometimes forget – and that’s to regularly say a sincere “thank you” and “well done”. The Bersin research into ‘recognition-rich cultures’, found they were not based on big bonus schemes, employees simply knew that their work was being noticed by their colleagues and managers.

• Gift them a something to support a hobby of theirs

Perhaps you’ve got an employee who’s a keen cook, or learning to play guitar. You could gift them lessons with an instructor to help them get more from their hobby.

• Take them or the team out for lunch

You could also take your team out for lunch and explain that this is in recognition for the employee’s outstanding achievement – and as a team, everyone should enjoy a good restaurant in return.

• Tickets to see their favourite band/artist

Is someone’s favourite band or artist on tour? How about asking if they’d like a couple of tickets to see them as a way of saying thanks?

• Tickets to a hard-to-get-tickets-for conference

Similarly, if there’s a hard-to-get-tickets-for conference coming up, you could ask if they’d like to go and tell them you’ll arrange it for them.

Key takeaways

The principle of rewards and recognition is showing that you care, so it’s essential that any rewards given show that you care enough to know what someone would really like. We’ve all had Christmas gifts we don’t want and actually dislike because it seems the giver had no idea what we’d appreciate, they just knew they should give us something. As you’ll notice, all of these suggestions require a level of closeness with your employees. Beyond any particular gesture, this is perhaps the best recognition of all – showing that you value them for their contribution, but also as people who you enjoy spending time with.