Creative Incentive Programs: Keeping Your Employees Happy
by Jennie A. Thompson
Reservations Department Manager
Travel Advantage Network
Did you realize that approximately 65% of employees leave their companies because they are dissatisfied with salary and/or benefits? (Society for Human Resource Management) What are you doing to retain employees that are valuable to your organization? Are you meeting the individual needs of people in your employment? These are questions every manager should ask her/him self on a regular basis.
For those of us in the Travel Industry, there are many ways to motivate employees through incentive programs. The most important thing to remember when developing incentives is that all employees may not be motivated the same way. For example, one employee may work very hard for a cash bonus, while another person may be motivated by recognition for a job well done in front of the group.
I have found by creating a positive and fun working environment, coupled with an effective incentive program, the turnover in my sales department has decreased significantly. Here are a few of the programs I have found to be especially successful.
Non-Monetary Incentive Programs
- Daily Recognition – Every day during our department meeting, we announce the top producer from the previous day. That person gets the Top Dog (a stuffed animal we pass around) to place on top of their computer. At this meeting we also read letters from clients that praise our employees.
- Weekly Recognition – Every Monday the Weekly Top Dog is announced and everyone’s reservations totals are displayed on our Numbers Board for the entire office to see.
- Monthly Recognition – Top producers for the previous month are recognized by the CEO at our company-wide employee meeting at the beginning of each month.
- Charity of the Month – Each month an employee is responsible for choosing a charity, deciding how to support the charity (donations of food, clothing, money, time, etc.), and coordinating the effort. Company-wide participation is encouraged and creates an atmosphere of excitement in the office. Ideas range from writing letters for American soldiers to food drives for the needy.
- Unusual benefits – The Educational Travel program allows employees the opportunity to visit one of our home properties for up to 3 days at a time. Employees are asked to submit a brief report after the trip about their experience and pay the cost of cleaning.
Monetary Incentives
- Employee of the Month – Employees are nominated by their peers and then voted on by management. Prizes awarded vary from $100 gift certificates to train rides and tickets to see Broadway Plays in New York City.
- Employee of the Year – The employee of the year typically receives accommodations for 4 days / 3 nights in the Caribbean.
- Yearly Bonus – This bonus is based on employee performance over the course of the year. It is a tiered structure where employees are always aware of what they need to achieve to hit each and every level.
- Attendance Travel Rewards – For every day that an employee arrives to work on time, they are given $1 to spend on a vacation after their anniversary date. We have had employees travel to Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico and many other destinations in the United States.
Games
- Departmental Games – These contests, designed to target areas that need a boost, are run daily, weekly, and monthly. Friendly competition among employees is healthy and helps them become cognizant of their productivity level.
- Company-Wide Games – These contests are also designed to increase productivity by getting everyone in the organization involved. The exercises create excitement and foster interdepartmental teamwork.
- Prizes – Monetary prizes are always popular, but paid time-off and free lunches are also favorites. There are many different ways to creatively motivate your employees. Hopefully, these ideas will inspire you to develop incentive programs for your own team. It’s important to remember that employees are the face of your business no matter what industry you’re in. Keeping employees happy and motivated will only boost productivity and enhance your organization.
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