December is fast approaching which means Christmas is, too. It’s a time of the year when spirits are often raised, but performance can decline. Aside from heightened anticipation, the holidays can be notoriously difficult due to increased workloads, disengaged employees, and higher absenteeism. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to inject some motivation into employees this time of year.
In this post, we take a look at how employee motivation techniques, including gamification, can increase employee initiative and engagement. We’ll also include some fun Christmas ideas designed to encourage every employee to excel over the festive period.
Why Do Companies Offer Employee Incentives?
Until fairly recently, employee incentives focused on bonuses, raises, and promotions. Today, incentives are about far more than compensation, with employers recognizing that employee engagement increases when the proper incentives are used. New incentive strategies aim to meet an employee’s emotional rather than financial health. For many businesses, incentivizing employees at Christmas encourages a strong worth ethic during one of the busiest times of the year.
Are Incentive Programs Effective?
The simple answer is yes. One recent study found that 85 percent of surveyed employees felt more motivated to do their best when they had an incentive.
Employee rewards play an important role in company culture, but they must be part of an overall strategy that addresses all performance and motivation issues. For example, certain types of employee rewards may focus on learning and development. Some businesses incentivize through employee engagement programs that highlight company-wide recognition and rewards. Some use employee engagement activities like gamification to incentivize teams and encourage a positive attitude. Adopting both approaches can reap enormous benefits.
What are the Benefits of Incentives?
There’s no denying the financial benefits of improving the employee experience of improving via incentives. Other gains include:
- Increased productivity
- A culture of collaboration and high performance
- Increased employee retention
- Improved company morale
It’s no secret happy employees are more productive. When you offer employees a wide variety of incentives, they’re more likely to feel motivated and achieve their goals. Gamification is just one way to boost employee motivation and productivity. It can also have a direct impact on sales numbers. For instance, BeeLiked’s online scratch card game helped one client achieve a 65 percent conversion rate.
What Incentives Work Best for Employees?
Is there such a thing as “best” employee incentives? Probably not, as what works for one business could be far different from what works for another. One thing many experts agree on, though, is that the best employee incentives are those that don’t pit employees against each other but, rather, encourage team-minded players to work together to achieve success. The film “Glengarry Glen Ross” about the cutthroat real estate industry, is a perfect example of how not to motivate employees!
The goal should be to find employee incentives that elicit behaviors customized to individuals while aligning with the organization’s mission and values.
Christmas Incentives for Employees
Christmas is a time of good cheer and also marks the end of what was hopefully a successful year. It’s the perfect time to celebrate and reward employee contributions, no matter what their religion or beliefs. Christmas ideas for work can include sales incentives programs, rewarding teams for targets achieved, and recognizing individual behavior.
Christmas work activities can keep employees motivated during December, so why not use the holidays as an excuse for a bit of team bonding? Gift cards and flexible work hours are good ways to recognize a well-done job. There are also a lot of Christmas competition ideas you can use to boost motivation, including gamification. Other fun Christmas ideas that encourage collaboration include things like Christmas sweater day and deck the halls with cheer events.
Christmas games can really get people in the mood for the holidays—and completing their work on time. A Christmas-themed quiz using our quiz software, a “Where’s Santa” hidden image game, and a themed photo contest (those Christmas sweaters) are just three of the events you can create using BeeLiked’s gamification software and online quiz maker.
Employee Engagement Ideas
Need some more inspiration for keeping employees engaged in December? Here are some of our favorites.
- Offer “early finish” days to employees who hit their daily targets. It can be anything from getting off an hour early or enjoying a full day of leisure.
- Flexible hours during the lead-up to Christmas are great for morale and can boost productivity.
- Place a focus on wellness and help employees achieve a work-life balance that reduces stress.
- Encourage peer recognition which creates confidence and trust by acknowledging employees are often the best judges of a job well done.
No matter which incentive ideas you adopt, keep a few things in mind:
- Don’t be afraid to reinvent your Christmas incentives to match better what employees say they need to be motivated and happy.
- Experiences rather than physical rewards are an increasingly popular way to recognize employees.
- Make sure each program is goal-oriented, challenging, and achievable.
Employee Incentives Drive Engagement and Loyalty
Ninety percent of large enterprises use technology to implement their incentive programs. Gamification software is a cost-effective solution your business can use to recognize, reward, and motivate employees, particularly during the holidays.
About BeeLiked
BeeLiked designs fun, motivating games that are easily customized and help employees achieve their goals. They help boost employee engagement, build camaraderie, and improve training and development. Our platform offers various gamification services that make it easy to create games that motivate employees, attract quality talent, and engage and educate employees. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination!
The right employee incentive strategy is key to maintaining your business’ agility in a changing marketplace. If you’re looking for a new, out-of-the-box idea for incentivizing employees during the Christmas period, gamification is an excellent non-financial incentive. It’s a particularly good way to keep employees motivated at a time when many are working remotely due to the health pandemic. And each game can be designed to reflect each employee’s or team’s needs and goals.
To learn more about BeeLiked’s gamification services and customizable gamification solutions that help employees feel more engaged and motivated, get in touch with us today to set up a no-obligation discovery call.
