When onboarding new hourly employees, you want to ensure they feel appreciated and excited to be a part of your company. One of the best ways to do this is by offering effective incentives. Financial incentives like sign-on bonuses (and referral bonuses for your existing employees) are always popular. Still, you may also be able to leverage tuition assistance or non-cash incentives depending on your budget and what will work best for your company. This blog post will take a closer look at some of the best incentive options available for new hourly employees.
Understand what motivates your employees
As a business owner, it’s essential to understand what motivates your employees. This can help you create incentives to encourage them to work hard and be productive. Some employees may be inspired by the opportunity to earn more money.
Others may be motivated by the chance to receive recognition or awards. Still, others may be motivated by the opportunity to advance in their career. Whatever their individual motivators may be, creating an incentive program that considers them is essential. Doing so can ensure that your employees are motivated to do their best work.
Offer a variety of incentives to employees
When attracting and retaining new hourly employees, businesses need to get creative. In addition to traditional benefits like health insurance and paid time off, companies should also consider offering sign-on bonuses, referral bonuses, and tuition assistance. Sign-on bonuses can be a great way to entice workers to accept a job offer, and referral bonuses can help to encourage existing employees to spread the word about open positions.
Tuition assistance programs can also highly recruit and retain workers, as they demonstrate a commitment to employee development. Depending on your recruiting budget, you may also want to consider offering non-cash incentives like gift cards or free products.
Reward good work with promotions and pay raises
If you want to retain the hourly employees, you successfully recruit, rewarding good work with promotions and pay raises is essential. By providing these incentives, you’ll keep your best workers from leaving and motivate them to continue performing at a high level.
Of course, this isn’t to say that you should give raises and promotions to all hourly employees, regardless of how well they’re performing. But if you have a worker who consistently goes above and beyond, it makes sense to show your appreciation with a raise or a promotion. Doing so will keep that employee happy and motivated and send a message to other workers that excellence is rewarded.
Communicate the incentive program to employees
To get the most out of your incentive programs, it is essential to communicate the program to employees clearly and concisely. When introducing a new program, be sure to explain how it works and what employees need to qualify for rewards. Incentives should be tied to specific behaviors or results, so be clear about what you expect from employees. Incentives can be powerful tools for motivating employees, but only if they are properly communicated and administered.
Train managers on how to give recognition and rewards
Managers play a crucial role in setting the tone for hourly employees. They can provide recognition and rewards that incentivize workers to do their best. Done properly, this can lead to increased productivity and morale. There are a few key things to remember when giving recognition and rewards. First, it’s important to be timely, and a great job worker should be recognized as soon as possible. Second, it’s essential to be specific. Letting employees know precisely why they’re being recognized will make the reward more meaningful. Finally, it’s necessary to be consistent. If you only give recognition and rewards occasionally, employees will quickly lose motivation.
Celebrate successes together as a team
Celebrating success is essential when an employee or team does a great job. This not only shows your appreciation but also builds team morale. There are a few different ways to celebrate successes, and the best method will depend on your company’s size and its success’s nature. For example, you might hold a special team lunch or after-work celebration for a job well done. Or you might give employees the day off with pay. Whatever you do, make sure it’s something that everyone can enjoy, and that shows your appreciation for a job well done.
If you’re looking for help implementing the best ways to offer incentives to new hourly employees, Chattr has your back. Our team of experts is trained in using conversational AI to help businesses like yours find and retain top talent. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you create an incentive program that works for your company!
