The new year is a time when employees feel refreshed, ready to pick up new habits, fulfill 2023 resolutions, and take on more challenges. It is a unique moment on the calendar, and often in the fiscal year when employers have the chance to motivate employees to perform their best work and put practices in place that set them up for a successful work year.
There are a myriad of ways employers can ensure employees have a successful first quarter and year. Some of which include:
- Setting clear work direction and goals
- Establishing employee recognition and employee incentive programs
- Engaging employees in health and wellness programs that support work-life balance
Throughout this blog, we will dive into each of these strategies that are an essential part of creating a strong foundation and successful team.
Give clear direction and set goals
Productivity and performance rise when employees are given a clear strategy and direction along with its corresponding time-bound tasks.
With any team, regardless of where they sit in your organization, setting monthly outcomes based on quarterly goals is an important motivator to keep the team focused and on-track.
Goals provide guidance to employees, giving them direction on how to spend their time and focus on projects that take priority. Goals also enable employees to take action quickly and spend less time on activities that do not impact the organization's bottom line.
One of the most effective ways to get your team excited about hitting their goals and promote a positive company culture, is to implement an employee incentive program. It can be as simple as giving out personalized gift card rewards to employees who were top performers or had the highest level of program engagement. When an employee is recognized for doing their best work, their morale, work ethic, and overall feelings of loyalty towards a company rises.
Reward and recognize hard work
A research report by The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) stated, recognition and rewards are critical to enhancing employee engagement and performance. Employers with dedicated recognition and career development programs scored significantly higher in terms of productivity, revenue, customer retention, and employee retention than those that didn't.
Gift card incentives are one of the easiest ways to show employee recognition and appreciation. Since they can be digital, they offer instant delivery which is perfect for dispersed or remote workforces. Our incentive suite, Engage2Reward™, allows employers to easily send out gift card rewards to employees via text or email for doing great work and hitting their goals. This also empowers managers to provide small denomination “spot” rewards to an employee as they finish a big project or go above and beyond their core job responsibilities.
Employee incentives should always be tailored to employees. In the context of gift cards, this means providing a gift to the right retailer. If you are not sure which gift card brand would appeal most, the Engage2Reward™ Choice Card is a great option. This card allows recipients to redeem their gift card from a brand of their choice with the option to split up their balance and redeem for more than one brand. Plus, employers can choose to add a personalized message, animated greeting card or a photo, creating an engaging experience for employees.
Encourage and support work-life balance
Work-life balance helps set a baseline for a great employee experience. It is important for an employee's mental health and well-being both inside and outside of work. To create a culture of empathy in your organization, consider adding an employee incentive to your work-life balance initiatives.
These gift card incentives can support work-life balance by supporting engagement activities for employees outside of work, like picking up a new hobby, a night out with loved ones, a spa day or taking a day trip. By bringing an atmosphere of appreciation and balance into the workplace, your employees will feel more valued, connected and content in their roles. When put into place, simple employee incentive programs like these make a huge long-term difference in an organization’s culture, employee performance as well as the bottomline revenue.
Another way to support employees is by championing their personal and professional goals. The Harvard Business Review, found “A person’s inner work life on any given day fuels his or her work performance for the day and can even affect performance the next day.” Ensure your HR department has an employee incentive program in place that encourages employees to achieve the new years goals they've set for themselves personally or professionally.
The importance of supporting employees in their personal goals is imperative for the success of an organization. When employees are recognized for their wins--big or small--it gives them motivation to continue doing excellent work.
Register for your free account on Engage2Reward™ today and gain access to the best selection of gift card rewards for your employees.
