Employees are the most important assets of your business. To keep them happy and motivated, it is important to offer them appreciation and rewards for their contributions. When employees are appreciated for their efforts, they feel they achieved something important, and when employees are happy and motivated, they work more efficiently. The most efficient method that is known to work is implementing Employee rewards and recognition programs.
Though, there are various methods that you can use to reward and recognize your employees in the office, like public appreciation, offering rewards, compensations, holidays and much more. But what about your remote employees who offer an equal amount of dedication and hard work but never get rewarded or appreciated.
And this is not because businesses do not want to appreciate their efforts, but most of them are simply unaware of how to reward these employees since they are in remote locations.
With all the changes happening in the world at the moment, and more and more businesses shifting towards a remote workforce, it has become more critical for businesses to reward their employees.
With that said, here are some unique and effective ways to reward your remote employees:
Flexibility
One of the best methods to reward you remote employees is by offering them autonomy when they do not want to agree with a certain decision. Forcing employees to work a certain way might not be the most efficient methods to get things done, it will only make things worse.
Whereas, when you let employees choose how they would like to go forward with a task, it ensures them that their management values their decisions.
Understand your Employees
Being offered to work on their own schedule or a different shift can be a great perk for remote employees. Offering them a reward such as this will build trust among leaders and employees and will also have a positive impact on the productivity of the employees.
But to understand what work schedule works best for an employee, you have to understand them first. For example, offering an early bird an afternoon shift would not be helpful at all. But you might find some other employees who will appreciate getting such rewards.
It all comes down to understanding each of your employees and what rewards they might prefer.
Development Opportunities
You can also reward your employees by offering them access to professional development courses or other learning opportunities such as cooking, exercises, and much more. A reward doesn’t need to be always related to your business since it is essential to keep their interest as a priority while rewarding them.
Do not offer such courses or rewards just for the sake of offering rewards. When deciding what kind of rewards and opportunities would work best for them, it is crucial to understand what they would like.
For example, if an employee loves being fit, offering the cooking classes lessons instead of a gym membership would not be a good idea.
Offer Rewards at the Right Time
Being offered the right reward or gifts at the right time can be game-changing for you. For example, sending your remote employees some care packages that can include sanitizers or masks can be a great gesture, especially if some of these products showcase your brand.
Organizing team building events from time to time can also help keep their morale high and will make them feel part of the team. Offer multiple options if you are giving out some gift cards, so employees get to choose what they like instead of leaving them with something they might never use.
Business Merch
Like mentioned in the last point, products that showcase your brand can be a great gift for remote workers, especially if these products can be used on a regular basis, like a t-shirt.
Sending branded products to your employees can be a great gesture to show appreciation for their hard work.
Stay in Touch
It is vital to stay in touch with your employees, as it helps keep them engaged. Boost their morale with team appreciations during weekly meetings.
Including them in every business meeting where you take feedback from your employees. Continuous feedback is a great way to improve the employee reward and recognition program further. Treat your remote employees like you would treat your regular ones.
