5 Tips for Using Non-Monetary Incentives to Improve Motivation and Productivity of Creative Teams

Throw money at the problem—that's often the answer companies will take when recruiting and retaining talent and improving a team's motivation and productivity. And while fair compensation has long been important, cash alone isn't always the answer. Non-monetary incentives are vital in building a more well-balanced work environment where all team members feel recognized and rewarded for their contributions. Such "fringe" benefits enrich the human experience in a place that's become increasingly digital: the workplace.

With creatives, motivation, in particular, has become increasingly important. It certainly helps to improve creativity and innovation, which are necessities for developing content that will spark interest from a target audience and drive sales. The attribute also has a way of helping any employee better handle uncertainty. Besides, motivation is essential for completing the task, maintaining quality, satisfying customers, and simply interacting with colleagues.

Just remember that incentives are only valuable if employees value your offer. It's always important to determine what employees find meaningful for any incentive to move the needle regarding motivation and productivity. While incentives will vary from one organization to the next, the following are often the best places to start:

1. Provide Opportunities for Growth and Development

It's no secret that companies should be developing their internal talent. Any investment in their growth will provide returns for the business through increased productivity, creativity, and innovation or improved engagement, loyalty, and retention. However, just offering additional training isn't enough. You'll want to align development opportunities with the professional goals of each member of your creative team. Seek input from the team before building a training and development program.

2. Publicly Recognize Outstanding Performance

Under the right circumstances, public recognition can be quite a motivational tool, and it doesn't need to be much more than a "thank you" or "congratulations" at the start of a meeting. The same can be said for an email notification acknowledging someone who went above and beyond. Just make sure that the recognition is authentic and specific. Employees, especially creatives, can see through even the slightest of insincerities.

3. Personalize Incentives to Motivate Individuals

No two people want or need the same incentives. Personalization matters, even more so if you want the motivation to last long-term. Instead of using a one-size-fits-all approach, consider letting employees choose their incentives. This advantage is twofold: a greater chance of motivating the individual and offering employees greater control over how they want to be motivated, which can improve engagement.

4. Offer Greater Flexibility in Work Arrangements

Beyond cash, greater flexibility may be the most popular of the non-monetary incentives. If your business can swing it, perhaps offer employees more opportunities to work from home. Maybe allowing team members to switch their hours could be a good motivator—that, or work a compressed workweek. Only give what you can afford regarding flexibility, as you never want to take away something offered. This can demotivate the entire team.

5. Provide Tangible Rewards for Achievements

With everything going digital these days, very few team members will have any physical representation of their achievements. Rather than digital badges or icons, consider giving out tangible awards like plaques, medals, or even trophies. Just head online, and you can find an e-commerce trophy store with hundreds of options to acknowledge those high-performing members of your team.

Incentives should match the contribution of the team member. They should also make sense for your organization. Once you find what works and resonates with employees, you'll quickly see a more engaged, motivated, and productive team.