Treat employees well and reap the rewards

The budgets of most of America’s workers in today’s economy are a like a guitar string that’s been turned up by a 7 year old pumped up on a bucket of Halloween candy. The rising cost of medical insurance, fuel, taxes, college costs, consumer goods, and consumer services are stretching employees budgets far beyond what their budgets allow for. Ultimately, that becomes an issue of contention between a company’s employees and its executive management team.

According to Fortune Magazine’s Geoff Colvin, “Globilization’s pressure is turning the screws on even the best U.S. companies, making it tougher than ever for them to treat employees well. The good news is that some companies are doing it anyway.

Being a great place to work pays.” - Dallas Chamber of Commerce -

So what can you do to re-energize the people who work for you when your company’s own budget won’t allow you to allocate pay raises, salary increases, or promotions? Some executive managers are offering employees perks such as concierge services, a 4 day work week with Friday off, telecommuting options, take-home meals, and free or subsidized lunches.

Here’s some perks that are being offered in:

Dallas / Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce reports that:

• CDW provides its employees with a box of donuts twice a week.
• General Mills offers its employees free car washes.
• Yahoo provides its employees with a free movie on Fridays.

The Pittsburgh Business Times reports that:

• Many corporations have begun offering its employees free spa treatments to reward them for spending long hours in front of their work computers.

More importantly though, showing recognition to employees for a job well done may be accomplished simply by telling an employee that you’ve noticed what a great job they’ve been doing. Compliments costs nothing, but can make a noticeable difference in that employee’s overall performance. We are creatures who respond positively to praise. Research shows that people often leave an employer because they haven’t received the recognition they want, or feedback on how they are doing.