Many offices hand out rewards and give raises, but you may want to find other ways to reward your workers. When money is tight, you can still show them that you appreciate their hard work.

Unique Ways to Reward Dedicated Workers

When money is tight, you might worry about your workers leaving for greener pastures. Whether you hand out small cost of living increases every year, or you can hardly afford a holiday bonus this year, you can still reward your employees in small ways. Treating them to free meals or snacks and giving them more responsibilities can show that you appreciate their hard work.

Offer Smaller Rewards

Instead of handing out promotional tee shirts, bags or coffee mugs that have your company name across the front, offer smaller rewards that employees can actually use. Arrange for a catering company to come in and set up an omelet bar or a dessert station one day, or order pizza to reward your team for their long hours. You can also reward those workers and let them come in late or leave early once a week or once a month. Even if you cannot pay them more, they will appreciate what you can do.

Give Them More Responsibilities

Let your workers know that you trust them and count on them with simple jobs that you give them around the office. You can set up a reward system that awards them with points for each task they do that they can redeem for prizes like an extra vacation day or a longer lunch break. Reward employees for doing things like scheduling copy machine service to keep your copies working properly, watering the plants, contacting clients or cleaning up around the office.

Focus on the Little Things

Take time to focus on the little things instead of the big things that can drive you crazy. When you let employees know that you appreciate the time they spent working later in the day or cleaning up the break room can go a long way. Even if you can’t offer promotions or large raises, you can implement a point/reward system or treat your employees to show them that they matter.