There are lots of advantages that small businesses have over large ones, but for me most of these come back to one thing – flexibility.
I was reminded of this the other day when my HR team was having a meeting to answer the question of whether we should institute a formal reward and recognition program.
We ended up doing so, and it’s working well. But I long for the days of when my reward and recognition program involved a few simple questions and tailored responses.
Want to know how to reward staff in daily operations? Ask, listen and respond.
If they like movies, get them movie tickets.
If they like music, get them an iTunes voucher.
If they hate catching the train to work, reward them with a parking space for a week.
If you are small, you can survey your team in about 10 minutes. They’ll love the fact that you care and they’ll particularly love the fact you are actually prepared to improve their lives just a little bit.
I can’t do this in Taskmaster Enterprises any more. But in your small business, I bet you can.
So get it done – today!
Andrew Sadauskas is a former journalist at SmartCompany and a former editor of TechCompany.
