Keeping Your Employees Healthy and Wealthy

Many companies struggle to keep good staff and they are wondering why. Is it because the majority of the United States is lazy? Or, is it because most employees feel overworked and underpaid? It's probably a bit of both, but when a company has a superior employee, they need to capitalize on that opportunity to keep them motivated and productive.

Several years ago, the Health Alliance was named as one of the top 100 companies for working mothers. Health Alliance had the opportunity to shine when they offered flexible schedules and childcare at the workplace. This made it great for the working woman who wasn't able to choose to stay at home full-time with her children. In fact, there were many women that had chosen nursing as a career, but had opted to work at the hospitals part-time. This enabled them to make money to provide for their family, have great insurance benefits while knowing they could put their children into the hands of familiar faces.

The other thing that was really sought after in the late 1990's, were companies that offered a work out facility at work. There were a few benefits behind this. For starters, employees would be early when they came to work out before work. Citibank in Florence, KY adopted this philosophy and has a work out facility on its lower level. In addition, it was convenient in saving the employee time and gas money because they wouldn't have to travel to a health club, and there was a small fee that was payroll deducted for the employee. I worked for this company for a short time in 2003. I had worked out for years at different clubs, and Citibank's fee was by far the least expensive but yet they had the same equipment. There were just fewer pieces of equipment to go around. Everything there is one stop shopping.

Lastly, the system of rewards is huge. If an employee goes beyond the call of duty, or even if they just produce consistently then it cannot go unrecognized. I worked for Fidelity Mortgage in Cincinnati, Ohio from 1998 until 2003. This was one of the best companies I ever worked for. The supervisors there were very goal oriented, and set a bar so you had something to shoot for. When you achieved your goals, they let you know right off the bat how happy they were with your production. If you exceeded your goals, they would offer more money or some other incentive to keep you pressing toward the mark. Once I was promoted, the incentives were more attractive. This included everything from additional bonus percentages on your commissions, or they would send you on vacation. The places we went were the Bahamas, Jamaica, Virgin Islands etc. They weren't just one day trips or weekend getaways that were local. One of my personal favorites though, was a gift certificate to Mitchell's Salon and Day Spa in Cincinnati. I always loved a good pedicure or the option to get a massage.

There are so many different ways that an employer can reward his/her staff. Sometimes it pays to get creative. Having had management experience, I found that if I actively rewarded people on a regular basis, or even made mention of the fact that I appreciated their hard work, it worked wonders for their mental health. Keeping a positive environment is huge, especially when the good feelings must come to induce ones motivation to be productive.