Rewarding employees

Point of view: Bosses must face the reality that people don't work out of any obligation towards the company. We work hard; we should be rewarded for our efforts. And yet;our job is not the most important thing in our lives. It is for the betterment of our family that pushes us to excel in our chosen field of work. - Quoted from Today's reader

Nobody works for nothing. That is to say, people work because there’s something in it for them. It could be financial reward, prestige, recognition, pride, a sense of doing the right thing.

The rewards for a job well done vary from person to person. But the need to get something for one’s hard work is universal.

Employers cannot simply expect their employees to do their best work, day after day, year after year, without some sort of meaningful acknowledgement. They must understand that to get the most from their people, they got to recognize their accomplishments in ways that serve to reinforce hard work and encourage continuous creativity and innovation.

To reward employee excellence: (My views)

• Show the money. Reward your high achievers in accordance to their worth.
Compensation (eg. bonuses) based upon results achieved, rather than tasks performed.

• Offer sincere thanks. A well-deserved pat on the back, a written letter of commendation, some private (or public) words of appreciation and recognition.

• Provide meaningful perks. Offer some extra flexibility to work from home where feasible. Give your high achievers the afternoon off from time to time.

• Help them keep up the momentum. A motivated employee will relish the opportunity to work on a challenging, new project. Success breeds success.

• Develop them. Mentoring, coaching, and advanced training. Invest your time and dollars in your top performers. That's the way to accelerate the growth of your strongest performers.

Remember this all leaders and Boss: Always ask. What better way to engage them in the process, show respect, and provide meaningful and impactful reward for outstanding performance.