06 Mar Ideas for Award Structures in the Workplace

Creating a corporate awards structure is a great way to motivate staff to achieve their goals and hit or exceed targets. But what type of awards structures are suitable and where do you start? Here, we’ve got some great ideas to help get you started:

Helping your staff reach their targets

Sales teams are often the most important yet most difficult people in your business to motivate. Like with any team within your company, you need to start off by knowing what it is exactly that they value. That way you’ll then know what are the most important motivational factors for them. Here are a few suggestions:

• Offer them a reward such as a holiday or large bonus if they hit or exceed their target
• Give them something they can continue to reference to see where they are in relation to hitting their goal
• Offer smaller incentives along the way as they reach specific milestones set by management
• Make the awards structure clear and well-known by the entire team so they know what they can get from it
• Host an awards night where those that go above and beyond are recognised by senior management and their peers

Peer nominated awards

If you are handling a number of employees or only dealing with management, it can be difficult to see the people in your business who really do a lot to help others. Like all employees, they need the right attention and motivation to want to stay in your employment. A great way to find out who’s the unsung hero in the office, have an annual award that staff members can nominate their colleagues for.

Employee of the month

This idea of highlighting the efforts of one employee for the month, or each quarter is a great way to reward the hard work of staff members who go the extra mile, but don’t have a role in which their work can really be quantified like your sales team. This award can be something you give out on a monthly or quarterly basis. Trophies and plaques which are given with a gift card of some sort can make a great motivational booster and let your staff know that their efforts don’t go unnoticed.

Rewarding staff that consistently perform

Rewarding those who consistently perform is important to ensure they stay with your company for many years to come. Some organisations reward those that achieve consistent results by having an award system that is structured on the number of different types of awards an individual receives in a year. If they receive, for example, one of the ‘top achiever’ awards for two years in a row, that team member may be eligible to go on a holiday paid for by the company.

Once you know what motivates your staff, you can start developing a number of awards schemes for different teams working within your company. Once these systems are in place you should see productivity go up, as your staff strive to achieve and be rewarded for their hard work.