Why incentive travel will motivate for a very long time
There’s nothing quite like a holiday to rejuvenate the mind and body. You can do anything you like and go anywhere you want. Imagine how motivated your employees would be if you told them you were footing the bill for their next holiday?They’d certainly be very grateful, strive to work harder, and feel engaged in their work.
So, why don’t more companies offer incentive travel as a reward?
“Too extravagant. Too costly. Too complicated”, often come to mind. True, these reasons sound valid, but when you look at the big picture, the reasons to overcome these hurdles are much stronger.
1. Motivation
The motivational effects of incentive travel last a lot longer than any other reward.Holidays and weekends away come top of the list when employees are asked to remember a reward they have received. Employees chat. And travel incentives ignite excitement. So, the right travel incentive will get your employees talking about the trip pre-the-event as they strive to hit targets and reach the incentive. They will of course talk about the holiday during the event, and when they get home there will be lots of memories to share afterwards. Travel incentives are a great way to give your employees a much-needed motivational boost. Not only will their work benefit from this, but team mates who are talking to them about their reward will be driven to achieve the same experience too.
2. Loyalty
We all know when you’re counting the pennies, every penny counts. For some employees that ultimate adventurous trip or exotic holiday is just out of reach. So, an all-inclusive, incentivised holiday is sure to excite and motivate them as well as give them something to aspire to. But most importantly it can instil a sense of pride in your team and make them feel proud to work for you because it reminds them that the hard work and effort has paid off, and reaching that goal was worth it. Loyalty from employees shouldn’t be underestimated. Loyalty promotes a good working atmosphere and encourages employees to work hard. Don’t only look at loyalty as an internal aspect; if you have a loyal employee, this will reflect in all customer interaction, which will in turn help to build loyal customers too.
3. Strengthen team bonds
Incentive trips can be for one top performer or couples, where an employee gets to take a loved-one or a friend away with them, or they can be group trips where a team has worked together to achieve a goal. The latter is a great way to strengthen teams and create camaraderie amongst peers. There is nothing more pleasurable than watching a team motivate each other to reach a target and achieve a well-deserving reward at the end of it.
So, it’s worth weighing up the cost of a travel incentive compared to the long-term investment in a team who will be driven to achieve goals, show loyalty to their employer, and enjoy coming to work and feeling proud to be a member of their team – for much longer than a cash boost in their pay cheque.
Want more tips for keeping employees motivated throughout January?