Here are a few

new tips you can adapt to help you create a more

productive and motivating work environment.

Recognize with

a Title: Employers have discovered that people do care

about their job titles-sometimes they will even

choose the better title over more pay. A recent graduate

with a desire to move up in a chosen career field may

feel that acquiring a title which will look good on the

resume is worth accepting a little less money. Recruiters

have discovered that they receive a better response with

well-chosen job titles. You can also encourage an

employee by giving him or her a prestigious title even if

you cannot afford to pay more money.

Gold Stars and

Frogs: At Wachovia Bank, each Monday morning they set

milestones for the week with input from staff members. On

Friday, employees receive a Gold Star and $2.00 (funny

money) for each milestone met. Employees can also

recognize their peers with a sticker of a frog, which is

worth $1.00. Staff members display the gold stars and

frogs on a white cardboard poster. At the end of each

month, they hold a random drawing for a dinner ($50.00)

and movies ($25.00).

Generate

Competition! A tip from the US Air Force. Once each

quarter the Wing Commander recognizes the airman, NCO and

Sr. NCO of the quarter at a Commander,s Call. Nominations

come from within each unit, which then works to support

their nominee, thereby generating competition between

units.

Birthday Club.

Energize your employees with fun! Once a month hold a

Monthly Birthday Club celebration. At break-time, have

special ,,goodies� and recognize employees who have a

birthday that month with a card.

Reward Good

Health. At Cornell University, an Excellent Attendance

Program rewards employees who do not use a sick day

within a six-months period with a day off, plus a

certificate of recognition given at a special luncheon.

Improve

Quality, Cost, Performance. At Melroe Company, employees

who submit ideas to improve quality, cost, and

performance are eligible for a $90.00 gift certificate to

Wal-Mart. At a yearly banquet for all contributors, the

company also gives larger cash awards and items such as

televisions.

Work to Earn

Time Off. At Grayson College Golf Course, employees who

did not miss a day of work for three weeks received a day

off, which they could use on days when bad weather meant

the course was not busy.

Butts for

Balls. At Pine Oaks Golf Course, employees receive one

bag of range balls for picking up one cup of cigarette

butts.

A Work of Art

at NASA. The graphics artist made caricatures of

different groups and used the artwork pictures as awards

which team members proudly display them on their desks.

Eventually, everyone on the team got a picture.

Create an

Employee Activity Fund. A tip from the Navy. Use an

annual ,auction� to raise employee activity funds.

Management agrees to contribute (i.e., paying for a round

of golf). Funds raised from the auction are used for

office functions, etc.

Fun at Work.

Consider these ideas to boost employee morale. At

Certilman, Balin, Adler & Hyman (East Meadows, NY law

firm) they hold a free lunch in the conference room each

day for all 25 partners. Started as an opportunity to

discuss business, it soon turned into an enthusiastic

social gathering.

At JW Genesis

Financial Corp. (Boca Raton, FL), Vice-Chairman Joel

Marks allows workers to view TV-sitcom tapes (such as

,,Seinfeld�) during the lunch break. Southwest Airlines

encourages crew members to joke with the passengers.

Terry Deal, business professor at Vanderbilt University,

Nashville, TN, has noted that companies which allow some

play in the workplace often realize higher profits.

Meditation

Rooms for Employees. Job-related stress is an undeniable

part of today,s world. According to estimates of the

National Safety Council, one million employees are absent

on any workday due to stress-related issues. To cope with

this, some companies offer ,,meditation rooms.� At

Acacia Life nsurance Co. (Bethesda, MD-based) and PT

& Co. (NYC), rooms with dim lights, comfortable

chairs and couches and without telephones provide a place

for employees to ,,get away from it all� for a few

minutes. This time of respite enables the employees to

return to their work areas refreshed.

Free by

e-mail/fax: If you would like more tips and/or

information on Greg's new book, TNT for Teams: Dynamic

Ideas to Reward, Energize and Motivate Your Team, please

fax us your letterhead or E-mail with the words ,,TNT�

to 770-760-0581/[email protected] .

Gregory P.

Smith, author of The New Leader, and How to Attract, Keep

and Motivate Your Workforce. He speaks at conferences,

leads seminars and helps organizations solve problems. He

leads an organization called Chart Your Course

International located in Conyers, Georgia. Phone him at

(770)860-9464 or send an email at [email protected] . More information and articles are

available at www.chartcourse.com .