Why is 1001 Ways to Reward Employees, with over 1.4 million copies in print, such an extraordinary bestseller? Because a little over ten years ago Bob Nelson took the seeds of an idea and turned it into something indispensable for business. The idea? That it’s not a raise that motivates an employee, and it’s not a promotion—what really sparks a person to perform are those intangible, unexpected gestures that signify real appreciation for a job well done. Now, after having worked with thousands of organizations in the years since 11001 Ways to Reward. . . was first published, Bob Nelson presents a second edition packed with hundreds of new ideas and examples of how companies are using rewards and recognitions to boost productivity and keep their valued employees happy. Airplane mechanics are rewarded with balloons and pinwheels. Another manager calls his employees’ mothers and thanks them for raising such industrious children. There are ideas from the offbeat (The Margarita Award) to the company-wide (a quiet room) to the embarrassingly simple (a hand-written thank you note) to the wacky (the Laugh-a-Day challenge) to the formal (a two-week promotion to special assistant to the president). Each section includes no-cost rewards and low-cost rewards, both public and private, making this new edition an indispensable resource for making the person/achievement/reward equation work.

“Share these ideas with key members of your company. Together, select a half-dozen ideas that resonate with all of you. Next, devise a plan to systematically implement these. And watch your company grow both in profitability and as a great place to work.” —Inc.com Employee engagement has been consistently cited as a top and growing priority by CEOs, managers, and human resources leaders across the country. From bestselling author Dr. Bob Nelson will help move any organization from just measuring the need to engage employees to actually changing management behaviors that will lead to a stronger culture of engagement. Your organization will become more effective at both attracting and retaining talent and maximizing the contribution of your employees. 1,001 Ways to Engage Employees: Categorizes specific research-based factors proven to impact employee engagement. Cites hundreds of examples of what other companies are doing to enhance employee engagement—ideas you can use right now. Offers practical insights and advice from hundreds of clients Dr. Bob has worked with. Highlights the key research on employee engagement you need to know and use. Is the only resource on the market that guarantees behavioral change on the part of your leaders that will deliver desired results. Employees are your company’s most important asset. Attracting the best, getting them to do their best work, and keeping them in the organization are critical to your company’s success. 1,001 Ways to Engage Employees gives you all the powerful tools you need.

Today more than ever, businesses need fresh ideas to nurture talent and retain employees—enter 1,501 Ways to Reward Employees, thoroughly revised, updated, and even more chockablock with ideas than 1,001 Ways to Reward Employees, the groundbreaking national bestseller. Adapted to meet the needs of an evolving workplace—especially to deal creatively with virtual employees, freelancers and permalancers, international colleagues, and the rule-bending expectations of millennials—its 1,501 low-and no-cost rewards and strategies are drawn from thousands of companies across the globe. Ideas range from the informal (Wells Fargo’s thank-you e-cards) and the offbeat (JS Communications two free “I Don’t Want to Get Out of Bed” Days) to the formal (J. C. Penney “affirms” new managers in a moving ceremony) to the totally nutty (the legendary honor of having your office “sodded”—literally, grassed over—at Microsoft). For bosses, managers, entrepreneurs, small-business owners, consultants—anyone who’s responsible for working successfully in an ever-tougher economy—this is the rewards bible.

Written from the employees' viewpoint, this book explains why good working relationships form the core of effective workplace recognition.

Bob Nelson, author of the multimillion-copy bestseller 1001 Ways to Reward Employees, and human performance expert Mario Tamayo offer hundreds of practical, creative tips for helping employees—and their managers—make work more fun. According to the employees that work for firms listed in Fortune's “100 Best Companies to Work for in America,” the most defining characteristic of these organizations is they are all “fun” places to work. Fun is the secret sauce every business needs to better engage and motivate its employees today. Work Made Fun Gets Done! gives readers simple, practical ideas for instantly bringing fun into their work and workplace. Based on examples from scores of companies like Zoom, Pinterest, Bank of America, Zappos, Honda, Microsoft, and many more, this book provides clear examples of exactly what managers and employees alike can do to lighten the tone in the work environment and allow employees to have more fun at work. From AAA's “Dump a Dog” program where workers can pass their least-wanted project on to their manager and Houzz's complimentary office slippers to CARFAX's themed-wardrobe Zoom meetings and Google's company-approved Nerf-gun battles and paper airplane contests, you'll find dozens of ideas you can immediately adapt and implement in your own workplace. Work and fun have typically been considered polar opposites, but this book proves they can be integrated in ways that produce more motivated workers—and exceptional results.

A practical, motivational handbook explains how to design and manage a rewards or recognition program in the workplace, the best ways to recognize the contributions of an individual or group, how to develop a low-cost recognition program, and how to assess its effectiveness, accompanied by templates, handy reference cards, and low cost recognition ideas. Original.

A powerful story about the African philosophy of teamwork and collaboration that has the power to reshape our workplaces, our relationships with our coworkers, and our personal lives, written by the bestselling coauthor of Fish! and the bestselling author of 1001 Ways to Reward Employees. John Peterson, a new manager in the credit department at a major big-box retailer, is struggling in his job. The people under him are not working as well or effectively as they need to, and his department is falling behind in meeting its goals. His only solution is to take on more work himself, burning the midnight oil and coming in most weekends to pick up the slack and keep his department above water. When one of the employees stays behind to help him—a young man who came to America from a small village in Africa—he learns of the ancient wisdom and hidden power of the African philosophy of Ubuntu. Before long, it begins to change the way he thinks about the people he works with, about himself, and about how he runs his department and his life. In an engaging and completely fresh narrative that holds a unique message for today’s business world, Ubuntu! shows us a way to overcome our fears, insecurities, and the “me-ism” that so often permeates our workplaces, and replace it with a culture of genuine respect and collaboration. It promises to take its place alongside Fish! and other business parables as the next bestselling classic in the business category.