Page 40 - How to Motivate Every Employee

REI, Kent, Washington: New dads get two weeks paid leave to be

with their babies.

Dell Computer, Round Rock, Texas: Everyone gets a week off at
Christmas and 10 paid days a year for personal use.
Here are some thoughts on how you can be creative with incen-
tives:
Be flexible with employees: Did you know that helping your
employees strike a life balance keeps employee motivation high? Did
you also know that the most requested perk on the job is flexibility?
Here’s the kind of flexibility employees ask for the most: telecommut-
ing, flex schedules, job sharing, compressed workweek (10-hour days,
four days a week), reduction in summer work hours, and time off to
take care of personal matters when necessary.
Motivate without money: Yes, it’s possible to motivate workers with
little or no money. Here are some ideas: post a thank-you note on an
employee’s office door, have a day when managers wash their
employees’ cars, answer someone’s telephone for a day, hold morale-
building meetings to celebrate successes, leave a card for a lunch
date at the employee’s discretion, walk around with dinner gift cer-
tificates that can be handed out on the spot, assign a parking spot for
an entire month, give two consecutive Fridays off, buy someone flow-
ers, make a contribution to someone’s favorite charity.
Walk the talk: Be the role model for what you expect in others.
Also, convey your enthusiasm and remind others that problems can
be overcome. Always recognize people who conquer obstacles to
achieve results. Focus on the positive side of new ideas. Meet with
people individually or in groups, especially when morale is low.
Express your optimism and faith in the team. Concentrate on the
small, but significant wins, not just the big successes. Make work fun
and celebrate a lot!

“People want to feel what they do makes a difference.”
—Frances Hesselbein, President, The Drucker Foundation

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