Welcome some of the best incentives that have helped with loyalty, morale and recruitment...tickets to sports games? New uniform shoes? Little surprise gifts? (Or is it really just money that drives behavior?) Welcome that feedback too.
Understanding family values, give grace with show up times especially during the school season if they have kids. Get to know their family. Build a relationship.
One of the primary incentives that we offer is that we shut down operations the final week of the year allowing all employees the Christmas holiday week with their loved ones. It takes a great deal of pre-planning and I realize some industries/companies simply cannot do the same. It has, however, been successful for us.
Birthdays off is a fun and easy one!
In my opinion fresh and high quality uniform gear should be a given, not a bonus.
Cold cash is always a great way to motivate people. But here are some other practices I use to really build a strong relationship with my guys
Find out what things they want but would never buy for themselves and get it as a surprise gift. Power tools, guns/hunting gear, gaming stuff ect. If you have trouble figuring these things out, ask their co workers or even message a family member telling them it is a surprise!
Notice one of your guys personal truck has bald tires? Write down the size and have 4 new ones sitting in the bed of his truck on a friday.
Guy shows up with windows down in the summer? His AC is probably out, offer to have it fixed while he is at work.
Food! Food! Food! Try to buy them a hot lunch at least once a week. $15 Per meal this is really a small expense to keep your guys happy. Bring them cold sports drinks often if they work outside! Snacks and little candies are always good too.
Most guys are simple creatures and just want to feel like someone is grateful for the sacrifice they make every day, I know because I am one. Most of these ideas I came up with working at my previous employer before I started my own company and they have had incredible results.
Being clear and concise in your company vision, and actively doing things that aligb with that. Not letting bad employees spoil good employees. It's less about the stuff you do, like tickets to sporting events, although fun, does not improve already meager moral and retention. Have people in management who actually care about the people they oversee, make sure they are trained to handle situations that arise like harassment or workers comp and be fair across the board. I have worked in HR and for tons of companies that had bad management but threw BBQ's regularly and while the food was nice it didn't make up for the problems at hand. I listened to employees, followed up with them, and did what I said I would.
I just make sure I charge enough on the jobs to pay the men well. Pay them well, and you will get all the incentive you need.
