Being in the employee recognition business, we’re constantly on the lookout for fresh new ways to recognize and reward employees. We recently came across this “Ultimate List” of creative ways to reward employees by our friends at SnackNation. MORE

Editor's Note: Today's Classic features Derek Irvine with some data and insights about the importance of employee engagement - even (and some might argue especially) in a union environment. In today’s workplace, unions still have power when they need to step in for employee rights. MORE

Compensation Cafe has covered Wells Fargo's pay practices since 2009, when the Bank canceled prefunded employee recognition and rewards events in the midst of the Recession, blaming it on federal government restrictions on bank practices following the subprime mortgage crisis. MORE

As a leader in your company, you already realize the importance of acknowledging your employees for their efforts and contributions. Not only does recognition from management foster morale and job satisfaction, it also reduces absenteeism while increasing retention. MORE

One of the memorable scenes in the movie is when Clark opens up what he expects to be a holiday bonus only to find a “jelly of the month” membership card. He even carries around a brochure to look at and share when necessary, demonstrating how excited he is about the coming bonus. MORE

Editor's Note: Continuing our end-of-summer Classic week here at the Café with the question "are incentives equally applicable to -- and appropriate for -- all areas of human endeavor?" . I recently came across an interesting article in Incentive Magazine about safety incentives. MORE

“People work for money but go the extra mile for recognition praise and rewards.” This week’s curated articles will get you thinking more about employee recognition and its link back to productivity, retention and more. 1) Trends in Employee Recognition from HR Trend Institute Employee recognition programs, once considered a “nice” but non-essential component of human resources, have changed dramatically over the past five years. MORE

Healthcare HR and Employee Retention: 6 Key Factors to Consider Nov. One of the largest growing concerns among employers across all industries is retaining high-performing and high-potential employees. signing bonus) and offering new job perks,” the report s states. MORE

Employees that took that survey were asked to rate the three most important attributes of workplace culture. The number one answer from 50% of those employees: pay. But for the most part, I am surprised that so many employees point to pay as the most important part of culture. MORE

Employee engagement is a relatively new concept and concern in the work world. It used to be that only top performers received raises, accolades, and bonuses. Some of your best employees might not be “stars” on paper. Random recognition builds morale and keeps things fresh. MORE