How to Reward Your Employees: The Do's and Don'ts

How to Reward Employees for Good Performance

When it comes to rewarding employees for good performance, there are a few things you should keep in mind. First and foremost, you want to make sure that the reward is something that the employee will actually appreciate and find useful. A gift card to a restaurant they hate is not going to do much to motivate them. Consider their interests and hobbies when selecting a reward.

 Another thing to keep in mind is that the reward should be proportional to the level of performance. A top performer deserves a bigger reward than someone who simply meets expectations. And it’s always nice to give employees a choice in what their reward will be. Giving them a few options shows that you value their input and want them to be happy with their rewards.

Finally, don’t forget to make it clear why the employee is being rewarded. Everyone likes to know that their hard work is appreciated, so take a few moments to explain why their performance was exceptional. This will go a long way in motivating them (and others) to maintain or exceed that level of performance in the future. 

How To Handle those Underperforming Employees…Without Losing Your Mind!

We’ve all been there…you have an employee who just isn’t cutting it. Maybe they’re consistently late, maybe they’re not meeting sales goals, or maybe they’re just generally not doing their job well. Whatever the case may be, you need to address the issue sooner rather than later. But how? Well, here are a few tips… 

First and foremost, try not to get too emotional about the situation. It can be easy to let your emotions get the best of you when dealing with an underperforming employee, but it’s important to remain calm and level-headed throughout the process. Getting angry or upset will only make the situation worse and make it more difficult to find a resolution. Trust us on this one!  

Second, sit down with the employee and have a frank discussion about the issues at hand. Be specific about what needs to improve and give them ample opportunity to explain their side of things. This discussion should be respectful and professional from start to finish—no exceptions!  

Finally, work with the employee on developing a plan of action for how they can improve their performance going forward. This plan should be realistic and achievable, and both parties should agree on what needs to be done (and by when).  If all goes well, following these tips should help get your underperforming employee back on track in no time!  But if not…well, then you may need to start thinking about letting them go…but that’s a topic for another blog post entirely…  ;)