Incentivizing sales employees to meet and exceed monthly quotas is both straightforward and empirically good for business. Each dollar spent on commissions, cars and cash can be traced to a dollar brought in by the employee. Rewarding non-sales staff, however, can be far more subjective and difficult to quantify; thus, it is often neglected.
But a sales team would accomplish nothing without the full support of every other division. A marketing team creates the campaigns that position a product. A human resources worker ensures the right salespeople are in place. And an office manager tirelessly answers the phone calls and emails that provide the leads for salespeople.
At ESG Incentives, we work with companies to create rewards programs that motivate every employee to excel. We help companies tailor an experience that fits in its unique combination of culture, size, product and budget.
The result is a full team of freshly energized employees all working in harmony to help your company succeed.
Make employees feel appreciated
Few companies consider the impact that increased employee productivity and creativity can have on the bottom line. Companies that do not do so are likely to have employees that come to work just in time, leave as soon as they are able and complete only the minimum work required. If this is the case, it is time to engage their workforce.
Regardless of the product or service, a company’s people are its true investment.
They are the ones who know the operation processes inside and out and can work towards increasing the overall profit margin, decreasing operating expenses and streamlining operations. They will only do so, though, if the company’s leadership takes the time and effort to invest in the company’s employees.
Once the employees experience the rewards of their hard labor, they will become more loyal to the brand. They will feel more motivated to stay at the company rather than job-hopping, and they can create an atmosphere that is welcoming, attracting the new talent necessary to grow and reinvent the business. Finally, they will become more likely to go the extra mile in investing in the future of the company.
Create custom-tailored programs
If only certain divisions or precise actions are rewarded, employees may become apathetic. Worse, they may become disgruntled or disconnected. For example, if employees who excel in sales always win all of the awards, employees who are not involved in the sales process may feel as though their work does not matter.
Delineate the different divisions that contribute to producing, selling and distributing your product, then ensure that each reward is offered to every division. For example, production line employees can nominate coworkers who devise a more streamlined approach to assembly. Front office personnel can nominate fellow employees who create more efficient billing or inventory control methods. Marketing personnel can nominate coworkers who design the most creative campaigns.
Whatever programs a company decides to implement, the one constant is that the award must be achievable for every team member in order to entice all of them to participate in the award program.
Not only will the workforce be more engaged, but the company may also reap a few money-saving suggestions that are prime for implementation.
Choose an enticing reward
Creating an award that will incentivize employees while not breaking the bank can be a difficult task. ESG Incentives excels at planning rewarding, meaningful travel programs that fall within a company’s budget. For example, we may help a technology company plan a trip to Singapore, as it ranks highest in the world in math and science and is an extremely safe place to visit. Its exotic locale also invites tourism, ensuring employees will enjoy their time away from work.
An example of this is seen in the Lenovo Heroes Shanghai 2017 case study. With assistance from ESG Incentives, Lenovo offered a unique cultural experience in China that incorporated the company’s values, increased employee loyalty and served as motivation for other employees.
From a corporate point of view, here are a few ingredients that can help create a successful incentive:
- An employee tour of a high-tech overseas facility to see how it operates efficiently.
- Instruction from workforce development specialists to inform employees as to how they train and increase employee knowledge.
- Fun side trips, dinners and other family-friendly and employee-bonding events.
- The presence of senior managers and stakeholders to show their commitment to and appreciation of all employees, regardless of rank within the company.
Reap the rewards
At ESG Incentives, we make it easy for companies to design and implement incentive and travel reward programs – such as the Lenovo Shanghai experience – that are perfectly tailored to the company, its sector and its employees. We understand the importance of staying on brand for an industry and culture. Taking all of that into account, we create programs that effectively entice employees, and rewards that continue to incentivize the entire company long after the trip ends.