Old-School Employee Rewards

As summer wanes and kids hit the classroom, meeting their new teachers and learning and playing with friends, new and old, why not recognize and thank your employees by sending them to school too?
What?  Education as recognition?  Unlike some kids that bemoan the beginning of school, most employees see the right educational opportunities as a reward.  And as the New York Times online reports in an article by Teresa Amabile  and Steven Kramer,  authors of “The Progress Principle”,  happier people are likely to work harder.

Being Valued Matters
Decades ago, psychologist Frederick Herzberg theorized that people are motivated most by self achievement, the sense of being valued for what they do, as this article reprint from Harvard Business Review explains. The next strongest motivator is recognition.
Translation:  Show your employees you value them.  They’ll be happier and more productive, and everybody wins.
Employee Engagement
It’s something that’s much needed in today’s workplaces.  The New York Times online article cites the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which has polled over 1,000 adults every day since January 2008.  It shows Americans now feel worse about their jobs—and work environments—than ever before.
The article also has this to say:
“Employee engagement may seem like a frill in a downturn economy. But it can make a big difference in a company’s survival.  In a 2010 study, James K. Harter and colleagues found that lower job satisfaction foreshadowed poorer bottom-line performance.  Gallup estimates the cost of America’s disengagement crisis at a staggering $300 billion in lost productivity annually. When people don’t care about their jobs or their employers, they don’t show up consistently, they produce less, or their work quality suffers.”

What educational opportunities do you offer employees and how do they respond? Let us know!
About Us
gThankYou, LLC  (www.gthankyou.com) is based in Madison, WI and produces America’s favorite meaningful, affordable and convenient employee gifts.  gThankYou!® Certificates of Gratitude™ are one way savvy companies demonstrate commitment to valued employees and customers. The company is best known for its Turkey Gift Certificates, Ham Gift Certificates, Turkey or Ham Gift Certificates and Grocery Gift Cards.   Other Favorites include our Ice Cream and Pie Gift Certificates.