Employee rewards, when executed meaningfully and on time, can greatly motivate employees. They make employees feel acknowledged for their hard work, enhance their morale, and encourage them to achieve more at work. Employee rewards also increase employee engagement and increase job satisfaction.
Moreover, employee rewards that are useful can enhance these benefits further and extend them for longer. Let’s take a look at some useful and creative employee rewards that your employees will appreciate in 2022:
Paid Time Off
Paid time off is gaining popularity both as an employee benefit and employee reward. After two years of working from home in the global health pandemic, the meaning of work-life balance has changed for most employees.
In 2022, employees are now looking forward to paid time off and utilizing their annual leave. They are also leaning towards working only as much as it allows them to sustain themselves and their families. In these conditions, paid time off makes for a helpful employee reward as it allows employees to take a small break after achieving their professional goals, which they have rightfully earned and deserve.
Budget to Redecorate their Workspace
According to one research, personalizing workspace can increase employee productivity up to 32% percent. It also enhances employee health and happiness. This employee reward is great as it works for all employees, whether they work remotely or in-office.
This employee reward is also very easy to execute. Management can allocate a budget to employees to buy office accessories or furniture in cash. However, reimbursing the employee for their purchases to personalize their workspace can also work.
Company-Wide Recognition
Appreciating employees in-person is significantly effective. However, appreciating employee in front of everyone else at the workplace can be even more motivating and validating for the employee. The chance of getting their hard work noticed and validated can also boost employee productivity.
Management can send out a company-wide newsletter or email to show employee appreciation. Later on, the inclusion of an employee on these company-wide recognition emails can reflect during increments.
Donate to a Charity of Employee’s Choice
Donating to a charity can make anyone feel good. Besides increasing self-esteem and cheering up the mood, donating positively impacts one’s physical and mental health. Besides, everyone feels passionate about at least a few causes. Hence, donating to a charity of your employee’s choice in their name can benefit them greatly. It can make them feel as if they are also saving the world side by side by achieving their professional goals, resulting in a win-win situation for everyone.
Cash Reward
Cash rewards have always been one of the most popular forms of employee rewards. Their popularity doesn’t require any creative spin on them. Keeping them simple and granting them immediately is all it requires to increase employee productivity and motivation.
Last but not least, avoid giving branded office merchandise as employee rewards. Office merchandise can come off as impersonal and useless. They should only be made part of the package of onboarding new hires. Once an employee becomes permanent, show them appreciation through rewards that they can use.
