Leaders throughout the years have found that, while external motivation can become expensive and frustrating, internal motivation often produces amazing results. Rather than spending all your energy trying to get your employees to do something they don’t want to do, why not put them in a position that allows them to maximize their talents? Too many employees are stuck in jobs that do not challenge or interest them. As a result, they often find themselves thinking about or doing activities that they’d rather be doing during work hours.

Your best opportunity to find self-motivated employees comes during the hiring process. Take the time to learn about the job you’re hiring for, and then ask questions that reveal applicants’ real interests. Don’t ask them if they want to do the job you’re hiring for; of course they’ll tell you that they’re interested in the job. Rather, ask about their favorite and least favorite aspects of previous jobs. Ask questions that reveal their personality in addition to questions about technical skill. By looking for someone who has passion rather than a skill set, you’ll be much more likely to hire employees who will motivate themselves.

You can also help your current employees find motivation by putting them in positions that take advantage of their natural talents and interests. Ask your employees whether they’re happy with their current position or they’d prefer to be doing something else in the company. You can also start paying attention to their productivity and interest levels for different tasks to help you modify their current jobs.

Finally, keep your employees motivated by giving them new challenges. Even if people are doing what they love, they’ll quickly lose interest if they’re not constantly being challenged. Adjust employees’ workload to make sure they are being pushed without being overloaded and trust them with new challenges when they’ve met their current goals. When your employees are doing what they were meant to do, you’ll be amazed at the change you’ll see in your office.

Learn more about motivating employees through benefit statement software.

Even though exit interviews can provide invaluable information, studies have shown that most companies do not have a solid exit interview strategy in place. If you don’t have an exit interview process, follow our simple steps to get the most out of your exit interviews.

• The best time to ask employees the questions you’d ask during an exit interview is when they’re still happily employed. If you learn about problems within your company before it’s too late, you can stop dissatisfied employees from leaving in the first place.
• While some companies give departing employees a form to complete, we recommend a face-to-face meeting. This will produce more honest answers and provides more opportunity for follow-up.
• Make the exit interview comfortable. Employees should know that there won’t be retribution for an honest discussion.
• If the employee who is leaving is extremely valuable to your company, consider asking if there’s anything you can do to encourage him to stay. It can be relatively easy to retain an employee if compensation is his primary reason for leaving.
• Examine all feedback gathered from exit interviews and create policies that address recurring issues. The best exit interview in the world won’t do any good if it doesn’t lead to change.

The following are a few questions you may want to ask during an exit interview:

• What is your primary reason for leaving? Are there secondary reasons?
• Was there one event in particular that made you leave?
• What were the most and least satisfying parts of your job?
• Did your duties meet your expectations?
• Did anyone in this company discriminate against you or harass you?
• What would you do to improve our workplace?
• Were you happy with your compensation?
• Did you feel communication with management was open during your employment?

If you’re looking for more ways to reduce turnover, consider total compensation reports.  These reports show employees exactly how much their benefits are worth.

We’ve assembled a list of 20 creative ideas for employee outings. Feel free to add onto this list by asking your employees for suggestions and considering even the most outrageous ideas.

Team contests

It doesn’t matter what the contest is as long as you follow one rule – everyone participates. These contests should be activities that everyone in your company can enjoy, regardless of athletic skill level.

• Wii tournament
• Karaoke contest
• Scavenger hunt
• Recess games
• Laser tag

Community Service Projects

Community service activities not only draw your employees together, they also allow your company to give back to your community.

• Sponsor a work team in a charity walk or race
• Plant trees or clean up a neighborhood
• Split the company into two teams and see who can raise the most money for a charity
• Let employees choose the service project, then use a Friday to complete the project as a company

Sports

Sports have the ability to draw people together in ways that few other activities can. Consider sports activities that may interest even those who don’t necessarily like athletics.

• Sponsor a company sports team
• Sponsor a company “fitness club”
• Leave work early to attend a daytime baseball game
• Volleyball, softball or basketball tournament
• Miniature golf
• Bowling

Get Togethers

If you’re looking for a more laid back activity, consider an informal get together. Through these gatherings, your employees can meet each other’s families.

• Movie night
• Family picnic
• Informal happy hour
• Tailgate in the parking lot
• Holiday themed party

You can choose to show your employees how much benefits like employee outings, company cell phone usage and suburban office free parking are worth through a total compensation report.

• Relax
  “Professional” does not have to mean “serious.” As an employer, you should strive to implement a personal conduct policy that allows your employees to work in a safe environment and enjoy themselves at the same time. This may mean that you take a hard stand on sexual and cruel jokes, but remain more lenient on harmless goofing off. Think through all your policies; don’t just create a rule to stop people from having fun or as a kneejerk reaction to a single incident.
• Plan outings during work
  If possible, plan occasional company outings during work hours. Through these outings, your employees will grow closer and create memories they’ll cherish for years. Remember that your outing doesn’t have to be elaborate or expensive to be effective. While you could splurge and take your employees to a miniature golf course, bowling alley or baseball game, you could just as easily schedule a picnic, karaoke contest, talent show or game time in the middle of the workday.
• Surprise your employees
  Treat your employees to something special without telling them. You could give them a few extra hours off work one Friday, put treats in the break room or schedule a casual dress day. Remember that even little surprises can mean a lot.
• Sponsor theme days
  While you may already allow your employees to dress up on Halloween, consider sponsoring other theme days. For example, for one day each year, you could allow jeans, shorts, hats, local sports team apparel or workout gear. The possibilities are endless, so get creative.
• Spread Joy
  When managers act like jerks, they can bring a whole company down; but when they start spreading joy, management can effect a cultural change that quickly spreads across a company. Stress to your management team the importance of smiling and complementing employees.
• Decorate
  Sprucing up the workplace with a few plants and pictures can work wonders for employees’ mood. Consider posting artwork created by your employees or their children.

One final way to improve morale at your company is by distributing total compensation reports.  These statements can show your employees how much they’re valued by connecting a dollar amount to their benefits. Contact COMPackage to learn more about employee benefit statement software.

• Qualcomm hosts a weekly farmers market that allows employees to stock up on healthy food.
   
• Umpqua Bank lends employees money for business attire purchases and sets up a payroll deduction so the employees can repay the bank at no interest.
   
• Stew Leonard’s Company invites employees with 20 years of service to dinner at the home of the company’s founder with a gourmet meal and fine wines.
   
• Paychex has an extensive employee wellness program that awards up to $300 to employees for doing activities like getting flu shots and dental check-ups, attending aerobics or yoga classes, running a 5K race and biking to work.
   
• Atlantic Health rewards its employees with a ton of vacation. All employees who have been with the company for at least 5 years get 28 days of paid vacation. New hires receive 18, 23 or 28 vacation days depending on their positions.
   
• The Marriott hotel chain helps employees and their immediate family move by assisting with buying or selling a home, closing and settlement, mortgages and moving.
   
• Two artists-in-residence work full-time at SAS and have produced a 3,000-piece art collection.
   
• Genetech offers $4 per rider per day for employees who offer carpool rides to their coworkers. Employees who commute by bus, train, van, ferry, or bike also receive $4 daily.
   
• Vanderbilt gives their employees 70% tuition subsidies to attend any college in the U.S.
   
• Scottrade considers opening an office for employees who want to relocate in an area where a branch doesn’t exist. The company has already done this for more than 20 employees.

Show your employees how much their perks are worth through a Total Compensation Statement.  Learn more by contacting COMPackage today.

Benefits of Cash Incentives

• Nothing talks louder than cash – Many employers find that as soon as they offer cash incentives for a task, their employees start working harder. For fast, effective gratification, few incentives work better than cash.
• Easy to distribute – Cash incentives require little extra effort on the part of an employer to distribute. Money can either be added to a paycheck or distributed as cash.
• Practical – Many non-cash incentives appeal more to some people than others. While some employees may not need a new iPod or tickets to a sporting event, everyone can benefit from a little extra cash.

Drawbacks of Cash Incentives

• Can become viewed as base pay – When employees receive cash bonuses on a regular basis, they can come to expect them as part of their base pay. For example, many people rely on their annual Christmas bonuses or quarterly commission checks to pay their bills. If these benefits ever have to be taken away, things could get ugly fast.
• Disappears quickly – Cash incentives are often quickly forgotten because they are spent on necessities – things like bills, debt or Christmas presents. On the other hand, even small non-cash incentives like movie tickets, electronics or gift cards are remembered long after they’ve been received.
• Takes the joy out of incentives – Non-cash incentives often make a more positive impact because they are viewed as “treats,” while cash incentives are often seen as more practical.

The best incentive programs often involve a mix of cash and non-cash incentives. To show your employees how much their non-cash incentives are worth, consider total compensation reports through COMPackage.

A recent report released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that benefits make up about 30% of the average worker’s paycheck.

The report provided separate numbers for civilian, private, and government workers, but for the purposes of this article, we’ll just look at the private business numbers. The highest percentage of benefit costs for private employers was required benefits, at 8.2%, followed by insurance at 7.8% and paid leave at 6.8%

According to the report, an employee with an annual salary of $50,000 would have a total compensation of $70,721. That employee would be paid:

$5,800 for legally required benefits
$5,516 for insurance
$4,809 for paid leave
$2,405 for retirement and savings
$2,122 for supplemental pay

Show your employees how much their benefits contribute to their pay through a total compensation report from COMPackage.

Minimum Wage
Federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour; however, different states have different requirements. Remember that when different state and federal wage requirements are present, the higher one always applies. Find your state’s minimum wage here.

Social Security Taxes
Employers are required to match the amount each employee pays to Social Security. Make sure you’re compliant with all rules by reading Social Security’s online guide for employers.

Overtime
Employers with hourly workers are required to pay them time and a half for every hour over 40 hours per week.

Those are really the only three things every business in the country is required to offer. However, there are other requirements that come apply only to certain businesses. For example, companies with more than 50 employees are required to provide 12 weeks of unpaid leave to someone who has a serious medical condition, must care for someone with a serious medical condition or just had a baby.

Learn more about which benefits your business is obligated to provide.

Since you’re not required to offer benefits like paid time off, health insurance and retirement, it is in your best interest to show your employees how much these benefits are adding to their total compensation.

Learn more about how you can create comprehensive employee benefit statements in a matter of minutes with COMPackage total compensation software.

The poll found that the economic downturn served as a wakeup call to employees, many of whom suddenly found themselves without insurance or retirement benefits. As a result, 41% of respondents said that they considered workplace benefits the foundation of their personal safety net, up from 33% in the months leading up to the recession.

Also, while factors like advancement opportunities and company culture were important to employees leading up to the recession, the study showed that insurance and retirement benefits have quickly become the most important factors in finding a job.

To attract and retain the best employees, then, it is important that you offer a strong benefits package. If you provide benefits like health insurance or a retirement plan, potential hires will feel better about working with you because they know they’ll be covered during an emergency. Many who were hurt during the recession are looking for assurance that they won’t be hurt again.

Learn more about how you can present an attractive benefits package to your employees.

To make matters worse, studies show that as the economy starts to turn around, employers will start to see higher turnover. Many employees have reported that they’ve stayed in their current positions because they had nowhere else to go, but they’ll start looking for better opportunities as soon as the job market turns.

In a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management, these employees were asked why they planned on searching for a new job as the job market gets better. The number one response given was that they were seeking better compensation and benefits.

While you may not be able to retain your employees by raising salary or offering more benefits, you could make them think twice about accepting other job offers by providing them with detailed benefit statements. You know the value of the benefits you provide, but chances are your employees do not.

By showing your employees the monetary benefits of their health insurance, 401(k), time off or even perks like free parking or cell phone service, you’ll readjust their perception of their current situation. This can help reduce turnover and, in turn, drastically reduce your hiring budget.

View a demo to learn more about how benefit statement software can help you reduce turnover.