Team Building Ice Breakers

Help your team bond on your next corporate retreat with team building icebreakers:
Chartcourse Icebreakers
About.com Icebreakers and Energizers
Wilderdom Games and Icebreakers
Businessballs Team Building Games
Training Games.com’s Free Ice Breakers

Non-Cash Incentives and Social Reinforcement

When an employee receives acknowledgement for a job well-done from management, colleagues or customers, he or she feels good about his or her self. This “Social Reinforcement” is a very important motivator for employee performance, and job satisfaction.

Using non-cash incentives make it more socially acceptable to acknowledge rewards by peers. For example, if Jennifer is awarded a weekend getaway as a bonus for top sales, Monday morning, the whole office will be buzzing asking her if she enjoyed herself. It won’t be office taboo for her to talk about the trip, and won’t be as uncomfortable as if someone were to ask her about a cash incentive like a salary increase.

Incentives that are not expendable like cash, dinners or vacations, also serve as reminders to the recipient about his or her performance. Items that are useful such as televisions, mp3 players, dinnerware or sporting equipment are good examples that provide “trophy value.”

Trophy-like awards also encourage family and friends to give positive reinforcement. Things that the family can enjoy or friends can see. On the other hand, cash awards are likely to be spent on what the recipient would normally purchase anyway. Others are less likely to make the connection between a cash reward and the resulting item.

Travel Incentives For Smaller Budgets

Even if you can’t afford to whisk your top performers away to Europe on a private jet, you can still reward your employees with incentive travel that they can enjoy.

Incentive travel can be group or individual. If you can afford to send your team away on a teambuilding retreat, it doesn’t have to be far away. Campsites and resorts, even a day on a chartered boat can create a memorable experience. For individuals, it’s a better idea to send your recipient somewhere exotic enough to be memorable. If possible, allowing a spouse or children to accompany your employee is also a good idea.

An employee incentive getaway generally lasts from three nights to a full week, but weekend getaways can also work for smaller budgets. Accommodation could be in a bed and breakfast. Check travel and hotel websites often to catch their “travel best bets.”

Corporate Incentive Gift Certificates from Amazon

It’s easy to send gift certificates as an e-mail or an e-card, or distribute physical gift certificates through the mail to employees and customers and give them the freedom to choose from millions of products.

Choose Corporate Gift Certificates for orders over $5000, or Regular Amazon Gift Certificates for orders under $5,000.

Gourmet Chocolate of the Month Club

Gourmet Chocolate of the Month Club

Reinforce employee recognition each month, or stay forefront in that top client’s mind with a new gourmet chocolate package each month. Hand made from world class chocolatiers like Grand Cru, Skilligs’ Champagne Fizz Truffles from Ireland, Avo Filo’s Portuguese Chocolami and Chocolates of Vermont, named “The Best in the Country” by the New York Times. Infused with nuts, spices, teas and more. $539.40.

9 Keys For Fair Employee Recognition Programs

When you run an employee recognition program, you want to make sure that it motivates all employees to perform at their best, not create more problems like rumors about favoritism or unfair rewarding processes. The following tips can help you avoid water cooler angst:

1. Establish set criteria for what contribution or performance improvements, behaviors and actions are considered rewardable.

2. Create a program where all employees are equally eligible for recognition within a given department, branch or managerial level.

3. Make sure employers and employees both understand what actions and behaviors are considered in the evaluation and reward selection process.

4. Award all employees who meet the criteria or performance standards.

5. Recognize successful employees as soon as possible after the behavior or action is performed as to reinforce the good behavior.

6. Avoid systems that allow management to select winners based on anything other than performance criteria.

7. Avoid criteria that is overly subjective in nature such as “friendliness.”

8. Provide ongoing opportunities for other employees to succeed in the program.

9. Provide feedback for all employees under evaluation on a regular basis.

Caviar Wishes Gift Basket

Caviar Wishes Gift Basket

Impressive luxury gift basket includes 2 oz. each of Imperial Beluga Caviar imported from Russia, Imperial Ossetra Caviar, American Paddlefish Caviar, Russian Sevruga Caviar and Alaskan Salmon Roe. Plus Russian Style Blini (32), Carr’s Table Water Crackers, Creme Fraiche, Petit Toasts and 2 mother of pearl caviar spoons. $599.95.

Giant Assortment of Gourmet Food Items

Decadent Gourmet Gift Basket

Impress top-notch clients and reward your best employees with a decadent collection of sweet and savory treats including zesty cheese straws, chocolate delights, candies, savory crackers with gourmet cheese, roasted nuts, key lime treats, a variety of cookies, pretzels and more. Over 3 feet high! $505.00

Deluxe Gourmet Gift Basket

Deluxe Office Party Basket

This basket comes with 54 brownie bars, 36 Chocolate truffles, 150 “Nibbler” cookies, 12 tea cakes, 36 mini muffins, 3 lbs assorted chocolates, 2.25 lbs nuts and chews, a chocolate chip fudge Bundt cake, 2 lbs of coffe, 40 bags of Tazo tea and more for $549.99.

Custom Keepsake Gourmet Cookies

Fire Embossed or Copper Foil Gift Boxes

Firebrand emboss or copper foil print your company’s name, logo, slogan, employee recognition message or other customized message on a hand made, solid birch keepsake box. Each box contains 24 gourmet cookies in 6 flavors.

Dimensions= 11″ L x 07″ W x 04″ H. Free firebrand embossing of a name, message or logo. 200 boxes at $43.95US each for $8790.00US. Boxes not sold individually.