A recent Forbes article speaks to a new wave of employee confidence to which company executives should take note. In an economy that continues to struggle (with slight improvements) – employees are finding their confidence and slowly emerging from the “I’m just happy to have this job” fog. Companies need to recognize that to motivate their employees to not just work harder but simply stay on the job – incentives are critical.
The article discusses the need for companies to launch incentives before their employees launch themselves into a new job. What’s unfortunate here is that companies do not already have these incentives in place. While times of economic struggle often cause companies to tighten their belts -- these are the times when incentive programs are needed most and instead of being cut – should be embraced and enhanced.
When employees see their co-workers packing up their desks and being walked out the door – they need to be reminded that despite tough changes - they themselves still have value and are needed at the company. What some executives don’t realize is that employees do not inherently know this and need to be reminded often – which is exactly the type of impact incentives can have.
The author also makes mention of wellness programs. Many companies have begun implementing wellness initiatives and are best served when they opt to tie it in with an overall incentive program. Wellness and incentives are not mutually exclusive. When tied together these two initiatives can further engage employees and remind them that the grass is not always greener.