You think you’ve got recruiting problems!  Talk to the CFO of an Atlanta computer programming firm who pays a headhunter up to $70,000 to find replacements in a market where demand far exceeds supply.  His solution:  The company leases BMWZ3 roadsters for their 40 programmers.  Employees at this company think twice before leaving since leaving the job means losing the car.

Your budget will likely not accommodate such a perk, but the example illustrates that in business these days, almost anything goes when you’re trying to develop employee loyalty.

Some of these ideas suggested by Gregory P. Smith, employee motivation guru, may whet your appetite for cooking up creative retention techniques of your own:

• One business executive rewards her employees with everything from spa sessions to gourmet cooking lessons.  It is the employee’s responsibility to decide what gift he or she wants, and calculate the costs. Then, the employee submits a proposal estimating how much additional business will need to be generated to cover the expense of the reward.
•  United Services Automobile Association provides printed “Thank You” stationery to each of their workers.  Employees are encouraged to use these notes to say thanks to other employees who help them in their work.  Employees wiped out the company stationery supply in a single day when the program was introduced.
• One company created a “humor corner” by the fax machine where employees tack up stress-relieving cartoons, e-mail, and posters.  At the end of the month, the best submission earns a prize.

Still stumped for a great idea?  Contact our Human Resources Department for help in assembling a work-life committee made up of your in-house employees—your own resident employee motivation experts!

(See Smith, Gregory P.  “How to Attract, Keep & Motivate Your Workforce.”  @ web.idirect.com).

“I can live for two months on a good compliment.”

-Mark Twain

The number one reason people quit their jobs is for lack or recognition and praise.

- Gregory P. Smith