Great Job!

Dr. Ed Cole, Owner/veterinarian, Gulf Gate Animal Hospital

Our employees are devoted. They stay several hours after their shift for emergency surgeries or take clients home after they have lost a pet. These kinds of acts deserve incentives. We offer incremental denominations of “pet bucks” that can be used toward pet care and products. But we also surprise them now and then with something special. One time we held a staff meeting surprise where a limo picked everyone up for the mall. We gave them each $200 to shop, and we covered the office for a couple of hours. Another time we took everyone to Busch Gardens.

Charles Murray, CEO, PPi Technologies

For the past 10 years, we have had $50 lunch and $75 dinner gift certificates for employees who receive compliments from a customer. For me, the fact that a customer took the time to write or call about an employee’s performance is a very big deal. It is very motivational for the staff to know that their reward comes from outside the company.

Molly Jackson, Co-owner, New Balance Sarasota and Molly’s! A Chic and Unique Boutique

Recognition is important to retain good employees, and we always do it in front of their co-workers. None of them are there for the extras, but they love it. New Balance Bucks is the program we have had the longest. We reward top employees by giving them certificates they can use to buy store products. The employees love it, and it allows first-hand knowledge of what they are selling. And at least once a month we partner with our vendors and manufacturers to design cool scratch-off posters [that give employees prizes] and we also give lottery tickets. My advice to anyone who says they do not have the time to develop an employee incentive program is once you put it in place, it is easy to keep going.