Authored by Johnny Dunn in Business Management 
Published on 03-12-2009

In a near economic crisis like this one, you probably don’t want to spend too much money, especially on things like employee benefits. Unfortunately, a lack of good benefits can lead to a severe drop in employee morale and productivity and cause you to lose money. So how can you motivate your employees and reward them with benefits and perks they deserve without spending too much money? You can try doing some of these more unorthodox or unusual benefits. Though some may cost some money, it will be worth it in the end to have happy and hard-working employees.

1. Let them eat while they work

Think about it. The more calories they intake, the more energy and the happier they are. Thus the more work they can do and they can do that work at a much better and higher quality than before. You don’t have to pay for the food, though it’d be nice of you to offer some sort of snack service, you can let them bring their own. Maybe you can even bring in some lucrative profits by buying a vending machine and letting the employees buy and eat out of that.

2. Make a deal with a fitness program or gym

Make a deal with a nearby fitness program or gym or buy some exercising machines in the workplace. Though this may cost money, it has very beneficial psychological effects. Exercising releases endorphin which is a chemical that produces a “happy” feeling in people who do it. Not only that, exercising relieves stress and provides a more relaxed and comfortable working environment for all. Combined with the new food services, this will give your employees the energy and happiness they need to get through the day.

3. Let your employees listen to music in the office

Provide earphones or let them bring their own and allow them to listen to their music. Or if that’s too distracting, play some light background music over the speakers in the office. Music helps many people concentrate and get through long work assignments. Classical music is always good to play over the speakers because it promotes creativity. It also adds to the more relaxed and comfortable working environment which is always healthy for your employees and yourself.

4. Send out coupons and various other small gifts like movie tickets

To your more productive and harder working employees, why not reward them with things like coupons or movie tickets? Coupons are always appreciated especially during hard times like this one, and the movie tickets will let them know that you realize how hard they work and that you wish to reward them. This will give them an incentive to work harder and for other employees to try and match their productivity. Another good idea is to begin an employee of the week or month program and reward that employee with a raise, bonus, a day off. This will have the same effect as giving small gifts to various employees.