5 More Ways to Reward Employees

Rewarding employees is one way to build loyalty and show appreciation at the same time. All business owners should want their employees to follow them into battle - and a good way to do this is by creating a climate and culture of appreciation.

Here are 5 more ways to reward your hard-working staff:

1. An MP3 player such as I-Pod or the Zen Nano by Creative (which I prefer!) provides a way to listen to music and actually be even more productive at work.
2. Shirts or sweaters with the company logo for casual Fridays create a real team atmosphere. It also provides free advertising when worn by the employees outside the workplace.
3. An afternoon off is an excellent way to show appreciation and to let the worker relax and enjoy a much-needed break. This would be especially nice after a big project or event.
4. A self-development seminar is a fantastic way to reward, energize, and re-awaken hard-working people. If the seminar is out of town, the trip is an extra bonus. To cut costs and save time, you could bring the seminar in-house for everyone.
5. Create a unique item that is exclusively yours as a reward for any extra effort on the part of your staff. For example, it might be something as simple as a paperweight with your company logo. It could be a state-of-the-art flashlight for the "beacons" in your organization. It could be a model of what you manufacture. It could be a framed motivational poster. Anything that references your acknowledgement of their dedication, hard work, and energy is appreciated when given with sincerity and authenticity.

5 Ways to Reward Employees

This Week with Sara Fitts focuses on rewarding employees in today's post. Rewards don't have to be elaborate or expensive - they just need to be a way to say "thank you", "nice job", or "I like your work ethic" to hard-working staff members. They also serve as a motivational tool to boost morale.

1. Gift cards and gift certificates are excellent ways to reward employees. You can get them from restaurants, specialty stores, spas, resorts, or even from American Express, Visa, or MasterCard.
2. Recognition as "Employee of the Month" with a picture and plaque on the office wall of fame is another good way to keep morale up and inspire extra efforts.
3. Order lunch for everyone and set it up in the conference room. As simple as pizza or subs to a more elaborate buffet - any type of lunch provides a way to relax and enjoy the people you employ.
4. Host an off-site staff meeting. Consider a resort, restaurant, or fitness center. After the meeting, provide relaxation in a comfortable setting.
5. Personal notes and letters are always appreciated - and definitely create a climate and culture of appreciation.

These are 5 simple ways to reward employees. They don't have to be expensive or elaborate. Simplicity is a fabulous way to express gratitude and appreciation. The only requirement is that whatever the reward, it must be authentically given. No one wants to be recognized as an afterthought or required agenda item.

How to Build Loyalty with Employees

I think the best way to build loyalty with your employees is, first of all, to be authentic. If you are "real" with your employees and say what you really mean, really mean what you say, and are able to say you're wrong when you're wrong - you will have loyal employees forever.

Here are some rules for building loyalty among your employees:

• Treat everyone as you want to be treated.
• Enjoy the people with whom you work - if you can't enjoy them, then maybe you have the wrong ones around you.
• Motivate them positively. Use rewards.
• Be honest. Criticism isn't necessarily a bad thing.

When Should an Employee be Terminated?

This Week with Sara Fitts looks at how to make the best of an employee termination decision. This type of decision is never really as easy as you might think it is, but there is a way to make it as painless as possible.

First, when should an employee be fired or terminated? There are many reasons why you might fire an employee. Among them might be:

• disregard for their job performance
• disregard for their colleagues
• disregard for the position they hold within the organization
• failure to perform certain (if not all) tasks associated with the job description
• failure to contribute to the overall culture and climate of the work environment
• failure to address the issues brought to their attention during performance reviews
• failure to work as a productive and efficient team member
• refusal to accept responsibility for their work and for the results of their work
• not "showing up" for work

No matter what business you're in, everyone on your payroll should be earning their pay every single day. I firmly believe that everyone should show up for work everyday; however, I also firmly believe that the owner has the responsibility to set the stage for the culture and climate of the business.

If you're the owner, you must motivate your people to work hard for your business, your products and services, and your customers or clients. Creating the right culture and climate for your business is as important as hiring the right people from the start. Everyone should want to be there and should enjoy the work and the environment in which the work is done.

Here are some questions to answer when you are trying to decide whether or not to terminate an employee.

1. How much time have you invested in this employee? How much effort has gone into the "fix" of the problem issue? Has too much time, effort, and energy gone into a lost cause?
2. How has the employee's performance changed over time? Or, was this simply a poor hiring decision initially?
3. What is the benefit to you, your other employees, and the business to terminate the problem employee? What are the risks of terminating this person?
4. How will this decision fuel you and your business? How will this decision drain you and your business?
5. How can you surround yourself with the best people possible?

I think the real key here is that every business owner must take responsibility for all aspects of the business - and make the best business decisions possible at all times, in all cases.

Small business owners and self-employed professionals struggle with growing their businesses and balancing their lives. I provide strategies, techniques, and resources for better time management and goal-setting so they can get better results. I help them move forward faster to experience greater business success as well as greater personal success. The benefits for every one of my clients are freedom from stress and strain, improved cash flow, more balance in their lives, more time and energy, and renewed interest and joy in their businesses.

If you'd like to talk with me about your business, please contact me directly to set up a complimentary 30-minute conversation. Call me directly @ 703.791.4741 to schedule a time to talk. I look forward to it!

Make Good Hiring Decisions

This Week with Sara Fitts looks at how small business owners can surround themselves with the best people possible when they make good hiring decisions. The business will thrive and the workplace climate will lead to greater satisfaction for the owner and the employees. Whether the business employs one person or 100+, good hiring decisions are necessary for the success of the business, the sanity of the owner, and productivity and efficiency of the employees.

While there are many things to consider in the overall hiring process, these are my rules for making good hiring decisions.

• Know why you need the position you are filling. It's your business, but be able to justify (if only to yourself) why this position needs to be filled.
• Identify 5 - 10 characteristics that you must have in the person you hire for this position. It's your business, but know what you ideally want to have in this position before you know who it is that will fill it.
• Write the job description - and list every detail involved. Later this will help in assessing and evaluating the performance of the employee in this position.
• Post the vacancy broadly enough to get a good sample of talent. Utilize all means necessary to recruit the best possible candidates.
• Interview all candidates in the same day if possible.
• Make your hiring decision as if your life depended on it - because the wrong person in the position can make your life miserable. It's your business, but if you surround yourself with the wrong people, you will be less productive, more stressed, and your workplace will be chaotic. Sure, you can fire the person later, but you'll be wasting precious time, effort, and energy.
• Evaluate performance on a regular basis. It's your business and you need to keep it on track for success, efficiency, and productivity.

Apologies are Accepted

This Week with Sara Fitts looks at how we apologize when we are in positions of leadership.

While we always intend to communicate the right thing at the right time, sometimes we stumble and say things or write things that come out wrong or are misunderstood. Sometimes we simply just use bad judgment and unintentionally offend someone - or lots of people. At these times, it is extremely important to acknowledge the error, apologize for its inappropriateness, and move forward to better the relationship.

It doesn't matter if the error is made by the CEO, the owner or president of the company, or an employee - what matters is that it is addressed. When offensive statements are made, many things can happen. For example, conflict can erupt and shut down production or hurt feelings on the part of staff or customers can ruin business deals.

Regardless of what the error is, the best way to handle it is to acknowledge that someone has been offended, angered, or hurt. To ignore this is arrogant and will have long-standing negative effects. To apologize for any and all errors will go a very long way to build better business relationships. Apologies are accepted. Often that is all that is needed to move forward in business and in life.