Now that the working year is well and truly under way, you may find that the freshness staff members showed straight after the break is starting to wear off.
More and more, pre-paid gift cards are becoming a popular business tool to both reward and motivate staff with. While there is no doubt that you stand to give your business an automatic boost by motivating and rewarding staff, it’s important to implement a strategy with their use. In other words: don’t just hand them out!
The team here at Rewards Come True have put together a list of handy hints that’ll ensure you’re maximising the use of your all-important rewards card.
1. Always personalise the cards
As they say, it’s those small touches that can make all the difference. We can help you to brand your gift cards so that they showcase your company logo, contain any specific message as well as the name of the deserving recipient.
2. Timing is everything
When rewarding an employee for going that extra mile, hand them their personalised card straight away to heighten their motivation levels as much as possible. The smaller gap between positive behaviour and reward reinforces the value of repeating that behaviour.
3. Be selective
Given our focus on engagement, we’re big believers in tracking everything. Don’t go overboard with how many cards you’re handing out – ensure that the cards are looked upon as rewards and set a limit on how many cards one employee can receive within a certain period (say, six months).
4. Don’t swap gift cards for other staff benefits/rewards
The whole point of using a rewards card is to motivate staff. When you start replacing bonuses and other benefits with cards, your team will start losing that feeling of being rewarded with something special and extra.
5. Publicly acknowledge your top talent
Any good businessperson knows that your team really can make or break your company goals. Everyone loves being publicly recognised for a job well-done so present the cards in front of the entire team at a staff meeting or employee event of some kind. In our experience and after many years of tracking results, this step is almost as important as handing out the rewards card itself.
6. Use the cards in unison with an overall incentive program
Again, our experience here tells us that rewards cards work best when tied to departmental and larger company goals. They’re a great incentive in order to motivate staff just that little bit extra when times get tough or they hit a snag on a particular project.
7. Ensure your staff actually benefit from using the cards
There’s no point in giving a staff member a card to use in a shop they’re unlikely to go. Stay away from specialty stores so that your team members can spend the money wherever they’d like to and really enjoy your thank-you to them!
8. Don’t make it all too easy
If staff can predict when they’ll receive a rewards card, your strategy won’t be as effective. Consistently vary what KPIs need to be hit and what accomplishments are necessary to reward staff with a card.
Think your business could benefit from a rewards card strategy? The Rewards Come True team can help you to fine-tune your plans and motivate staff so that your 2016 is a big one!
Engage with us on: call 1800 446 347