What motivates employees?

No matter the size, large or small, businesses all over the country are taking time to proudly recognize the hard work ethics and continuous dedication of their employees in the workplace.  Specifically, Jake Burton Carpenter, founder of Burton Snowboards, has not only fueled the growth of his company worldwide, but has done so in a reputable manner by recognizing and rewarding his employees for all of their hard work and dedication.

In 1977, Jake Burton Carpenter founded Burton Snowboards out of his Vermont barn.  Since then, Burton has fueled the growth of snowboarding worldwide through its groundbreaking product lines, its grassroots efforts to get the sport accepted at resorts and its team of top snowboarders.  In 1996, Burton began growing its family of brands to include board sports equipment and apparel brands. Privately held and owned by Jake, Burton’s headquarters are in Burlington, Vermont with international offices in Innsbruck, Austria and Tokyo, Japan.

We all know the success of a business starts with its employees.  And when your employees are rewarded with Dog-friendly offices, season passes to the mountain, free skate park admission, "Fall Bash" attendance, Company Ride Day and Demo closet to name a few, it’s no wonder why Burton was named in the top 100 best companies to work for by Fortune Magazine.

Burton’s latest recognition to its employees came this week when Jake, the founder of the company, sent out the memo below to all his Burlington employees telling them to enjoy one of the last storms of the season with a day off to hit the slopes.  This is a policy for the company - “When it snows 2 feet or more, the office is closed for all employees to go enjoy the mountain". (See letter)  Small reward?  Yes, but impactful.

So, why does Jake feel recognition is so important?  I listed a couple stats below to explain why he might feel this way:

• 85% of employees see a link between their level of motivation and the quality and quantity of their work – Study by Occupational Hazards
• Recognition programs aimed at individuals increased performance by 27% and by 40% for teams - SITE Foundation
• Long-term recognition programs are more than twice as powerful than
  short-term (44% vs. 20%) - SITE Foundation
• 92% of corporations reported that objectives were surpassed, met, or at least partially met through the use of recognition programs - SITE Foundation
• 89% of employees say that positive feedback is their biggest motivator, yet only 39% get any feedback, be it positive or negative¹

Again, the foundational success of a business starts with its employees.  We now know how even the smallest amount of recognition can motivate your employees to work smarter, safer, harder, etc.  Jake Burton and All Star Incentive Marketing know how to motivate, it’s time we all do.