Employee Morale Boosters
System
5,885 Posts
Can anyone share how your company keeps employee morale positive? What company-wide incentives/activities do your employees enjoy? Thanks much for anything you can share!
Comments
We also have regular celebrations the year. In December we had a few small parties and a gift exchange (voluntary). In April we had employee appreciation day and took them out to lunch (14 employees) and then had an ice cream social here in the afternoon. We try to make things different every year.
We also try to arrange unexpected games and other little things. A couple of years ago we had the employees bring baby pictures and had a contest to see who could identify who. It was not tied to any other event.
We are a small office, but we continually try to make sure the employees know we know what they do and how hard they work. It is a great place to work, and we try to stress that at every opportunity too. In the last 5 years we have only had two employees leave who were not retiring. One thought he had an tremendous opportunity and then tried to come back (couldn't do it). The other was very young and determined that a co-worker was deliberately trying to make her life difficult. Most employees love it here and stay until they retire.
That is the long answer. The short answer is it lies in your upper management. They set the tone and it trickles down. Sorry if that is not what you wanted to here.
Good luck!
Nae
This is probably not the answer the poster wanted.
This will give you deep, lasting high morale.
True leaders see a human being not a bottom line, a turn over rate or a wage increase.
It doesn't have to be religious, I know some very dedicated leaders that are secular in their approach to leadership but I always see one thing in common, they see the humanity and respect it.
Inspire not require.
We have a company magazine and we sponsor a different employee in it each month. Telling about thier job and a picture.
We also have a program called "Aim Bucks". It looks like monopoly money but with product pictures on it. They can earn it in denominations of 1.00, 2.00, 5.00, 10.00 and 20.00. They earn it for doing something above and beyond their regular duties. They are nominated by other employees or supervisors. Their supervisor than decides if it warrants "Aim Bucks" and how much. When they have saved up enough they can buy gift certificates for $10.00 at my HR Store. I have restraunts, retail stores, home improvement stores, movie tickets, and car wash certificates. It is a little work to go buy them, but I enjoy it because it makes the staff happy.
We also do a lunch of the month potluck for all the employees. Usually the company buys the meat and the employees all bring side dishes. We try to make it fun. We do Italian, Spanish, grilled burgers, whatever a different theme each month.
We do a summer picnic each year for the employee and his/her family. This year we are taking them all to a baseball game and the team is serving us lunch before the game. We also have a reserved shady balcony from which to watch the game.
We also do a Christmas party (non alcoholic)at a nice place. We did it at the Spurwing Golf clubhouse last year it was very nice. This year it is at the Hispanic Cultural Center with catered in food.
We do service awards to reward employees that have been with the company for several years. They are awarded gift cards with 10.00 for each year on them. We give them along with a nice certificate. Everyone gets a certificate, but the gift cards are given in increments of 5 years.
We pay 100% for their insurance benefits, Medical, Dental, Life, STD, LTD, EAP. We also pay 70% of their dependents insurance for Medical and Dental. We give them 2000.00 of life insurance on each dependent.
We have flex time hours so that the employees can work a schedule that is workable with their families. We have people working 6-3, 7-4, 7;30-4:30, some work 4 "10 hour" days and have 3 off. Some work only 30 hours a week with 6 hours per day so they can pick up their child after school. we work with them. We have one Chinese girl that works until noon because she has English classes in the afternoon and one employee works 4 days a week 8 hours a day and is off 1 day for religious visitation.
We have a great PTO policy so that each employee that works a year has 80 hours off and after 5 years it goes up. If they do not use all their PTO time they can put it in their 401k.
We also match thier 401K with up to 150.00 a month for each employee.
We give them and HRA amount of 500.00 each and 1000.00 for family to buy down the deductible or to use for vision or wellness.
We have contests to name new products and in our call center we have many contests such as the speedway contest, the rabbit and the carrot,King or Queen for a day and other incentives for them to boost sales.
We do birthday cards to our employees on their birthdays, baby showers, wedding showers, and flowers for employees in the hospital or for the funeral of a lost family member.
We listen to their suggestions. We have a hotline that goes to the president of the company and they can suggest great ideas to him personally. Our supervisors all have "open door" policies.
We give each employee a credit each month they can use to buy company products with and when new products come out each employee gets a free jar or bottle.
They are respected and listened to and awarded with a fair wage. All we ask is a good days work and a little bit of loyalty to the company.
Shirley
You said it.... one of the best morale boosters is just a thank you. Earlier this week the person in charge of "safety" at our plant and I met with our W/C safety engineer (which we do 4-7 times a year.) The last 3 times, nothing much that had been suggested had been corrected/accomplished. Just not a lot of buy in. I reminded the Safety person the week before our meeting and just gently said I hope we will have something to be proud of next week. He apparently got on the stick and all the suggestions had been accomplished. When I got the Engineer's report, I forwarded it not only to his GM but all of our GM's, suggesting that they look at thier plant and praising the Safety person at our plant. You can't believe how happy this has made him. (His GM said something to me about it.) The Safety person told me he printed it and carried it home to show his wife.
This didn't cost a penny, and very little time. However, I think I have made a friend for life for just recognizing him for what he had accomplished. Wish I would do this more often (and that others in our company would.)
We all just tend to be "too busy" for little things like this.
E Wart
It will always be something different. Among the list of ideas: Breakfast, Lunch, Fruit tray, Veggie Tray, Cookies, Snacks, Ice Cream, Starbucks, Cake and a 25.00 gift certificate for birthdays...just something different every Friday. I will hang a sign in the break room and honor people for different achievements on those days, as well as post a positive inspiring quote. In addition to this we will be starting a "MAGIC" program.
Making..A...Good...Impression...Constantly.
This is a monthly reward program. Votes will come to me by email and remain confidential between me and the owner. We will then have a graduating list of rewards for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, & 4th time winners:
Gift Certificates of 25.00, 50.00, 75.00, and a day off with pay.
Hope this helps. I always get so much help from everyone here just by reading. I don't always have time to participate...but thanks to everyone that takes the time here to offer help and ideas!
Marla
TX
I would be interested in your MAGIC program. What criteria are you using for picking the winners and what do they actually do to be nominated for the program. That is a great idea! I like the name and what it stands for.
Shirley
Well...I am just about to get this off the ground and hope it works. Anyone the goes the extra mile, is helpful, has a good attitude all time, shows a general concern towards the success of the company, or just stands out in the crowd. I will accept votes throughout the month and make a decision by the last day of the month so the reward can be issued on the 1st of the following month. I like the "Aim Bucks" idea. That might be something I can do when this seems to gets old.
Thanks,
Marla
I also get alot from reading the postings - would you please send me a copy of your magic program too. - it sounds like something were brainstorming about recently.
Thank you.
[email]llerche@duperon.com[/email]
The only hard copy I have is in the presentation to the President here. I have not even posted this at the office yet. I did reply to Shirley the basic idea. Perhaps that will help you add your own ideas and run with it!
Marla