Rewarding your staff is the key to creating and retaining a happy workforce. What’s more, offering exciting rewards can be a great way to attract talented new recruits into your business. Therefore, you must ensure you recognise your staff for all their hard work.

And this doesn’t have to come at great expense or resource to your business. There are a number of simple and low cost ways you can thank your staff for their loyalty and hard work, whether that’s chocolates, an early finish or vouchers for a cookery course. Below, we’ll discuss these in more detail.

A thank you note

Never under estimate the importance of the simple thank you note (or email). Nowadays, with businesses increasingly offering quirky perks to their staff, it can feel like you need to make a big gesture to show your appreciation. This is simply not the case. Just recognising that someone is working hard is key. Professionals simply want to know that their efforts are not going unnoticed by their employer.

Team social events

You might choose to organise a fun team social event or activity. There are a huge number of options you can choose from, whether it is cookery classes such as those offered by Seasoned Cookery School, problem solving activities such as escape rooms, or simply just a few drinks after work. What’s more, a number of these can double up as team building exercises, which will bring your workforce closer together.

Team lunches

If you’ve got a number of small teams within your business, as many do, it can be nice to offer a team lunch to those who have been performing particularly well. Again, this doesn’t need to be expensive. They can pick a local restaurant and go out for a nice lunch on the business. This can be a very simple but effective way of showing your gratitude.

Small gifts and gestures

There are a number of small gifts and gestures you can choose from that show your staff you care, and make them feel valued. For example, flowers, treats or gift cards always go down well. These don’t have to be expensive, just a token gesture to say thank you to your team. What’s more, you might choose to give them vouchers for fun activities they can enjoy outside of work, for example, cooking course vouchers.

Flexible working

This is perhaps the most cost effective reward of them all. Today’s professionals are increasingly looking for flexible working opportunities. Allowing your staff to start or finish early, or even work from home on occasion, can be a great way of saying thank you. This is particularly effective as they still work their contracted hours, but they are able to work their job around their private life. This is a win-win situation for both parties.

Recognition

You might not always have something to give – and that’s OK. Simple recognition schemes can be enough. At the end of each month, announce an ‘employee of the month’ or shout about a particular team that’s done really well. This will promote healthy competition but also lets staff know you can see how hard they’re working.

Additional holidays or early finishes

Another low-cost idea is allowing employees who have worked particularly hard to finish early, or have an additional day of holiday. This will be greatly received by professionals, and if they’ve been working extra hard it’s unlikely to affect their workload. Instead it gives them a nice chance to enjoy their free time and recharge, while also showing your appreciation.

Staff discounts

Staff discounts can also be a great way to show your staff you value them, plus they’re practical – who doesn’t like saving money! You could approach local businesses to set up discounts for your staff, especially if you have a bigger workforce, this can be beneficial for both sides.

Alternatively, there are now dedicated employee satisfaction platforms that allow you to reward your staff. For example, Perkbox offers a huge range of discount codes to employees, saving them money across every area of life, from food shopping to days out.

Rewarding your staff is important

If you want to boost your company culture and retain a happy workforce, you need to make sure you’re rewarding your staff. No one wants to feel their hard work is going unnoticed, and there are so many simple and cost-effective ways you can show you care, as outlined in this articl