1001 Ways to Reward Employees [Paperback]

Bob Nelson Ph.D. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 13, 2005

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The most interesting and inventive business book on the market today . . .a publishing phenomenon.”
—Training magazine (Training magazine )

“Welcome to Bob’s World: A place of above-average managers and workers, all committed to personal excellence, good will and, of course, company profits. [This book] details how a little praise goes a long way.”
—The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Inquirer )

“There’s a difference between having someone show up for work and bringing out the best thinking and initiative in each person. To do that requires treating employees more as partners, not as subordinates. Being nice isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s also the economical thing to do.”
—Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Seattle Post-Intelligencer )

From the Publisher

Empowerment. Self-Directed Teams. Continuos Improvement. Achievement Awards. Case Studies. It would be impossible to do justice to the enormous wealth of ideas that Bob Nelson, in his remarkable 1001 WAYS series, has elucidated for both employers and employees. This bestselling series points to a new way of looking at employee-employer relations, offering practical advice and evidence along side indispensable and clear business theory. Also in the series: 1001 WAYS TO ENERGIZE EMPLOYEES, a practical handbook chock full of ideas for increasing employee involvement and enthusiasm; 1001 WAYS EMPLOYEES CAN TAKE INITIATIVE, turning its voice towards the ambitious employee who wants to develop self-leadership, set goals, and build a team; and the 365 WAYS TO MANAGE BETTER Page-a-Day Perpetual Calendar, with daily advice for the consciencious manager. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company; 2nd edition (June 13, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761136819
• ISBN-13: 978-0761136811
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.9 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #162,644 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

169 of 170 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Reward yourself- buy this book. February 18, 2008

By Phil

Format:Paperback

This book is great and works under the premise that you get the best effort out of people, not by lighting a fire under them, but by building a fire within them.

In short, its simply a collection of ways to reward employees for doing a good job. It is divided into 6 sections (day to day rewards, intangible rewards, tangible rewards..) so there's definitely a boatload of reward ideas to fit just about any work situation. Examples from companies across the United States make this a fun read as well. Also good for any HR department- The Sixty-Second Motivator.

114 of 119 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Employee Rewarding Ideas for Every Budget October 8, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

BOOK REVIEW 1001 WAYS TO REWARD EMPLOYEES by Bob Nelson Workman Publishing Company, NY, NY Whether you manage a department, oversee a division, lead a company, or run a family business with just one employee, there is an essential principle to follow that is too often overlooked: What most motivates the people who work for you is recognition. The problem for too many of us, however, is that we don't have "employee recognition" as a line item in our budgets. In response to that all-too-common problem, Bob Nelson, author of 1001 Ways To Reward Employees, polled the American business community asking for low-cost ideas, proven strategies, achievement awards, contests, time off, case studies, and praise ideas. And the business community came through for him-and for us. This paperback has 225 pages of great ideas that leaders in the business community use to reward their hard-working employees-from keeping a "treasure chest" brimming with gifts so supervisors can reward employees on the spot (Chevron) to cab fare for workers who have to stay late (Time, Inc.) to pocket protectors, magnetic calendars and notepads imprinted with the slogan "Got an idea? Write it down!" to encourage employee participation in a suggestion program (John Deere). Whether you have a large recognition budget, a small budget, or no budget at all, you will find informal and formal ideas, expensive and cost-free ideas-something that will fit your need to let employees know how much you appreciate their efforts. Ken Blanchard, who wrote the forward, noted, "With 1001 Ways to Reward Employees, praising, recognizing and rewarding employees just became a little easier. You can now provide the rewards and recognition that people in your life so richly deserve......This is one book that should be on every manager's desk!" I have taught first-time manager classes over the past five years, and this is one of the concepts and tools our new managers appreciate the most. I've used many of the ideas myself. I highly recommend it! Read more ›

70 of 75 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Lot's of ideas, but be wary of the focus December 23, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

As the title implies, the book contains a large number of ideas. Some will work in some organizations, while others might work elsewhere. As often happens when one tries to generate ideas in abundance, not all will be useful. But being able to puruse the overall landscape of opportunity has been helpful.

My concern, however, is the focus that this book places on recognition, as opposed to results. For a deeper treatment of human performance in the workplace, I suggest people also read RESPONSIBLE MANAGERS GET RESULTS: HOW THE BEST FIND SOLUTIONS, NOT EXCUSES, by Gerald Faust and co-authors. This provides a balance to the overall perspective of the leader. Because after all, the main purpose for rewarding employees is to achieve responsible performance that leads to organizational, bottom-line results.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of Ideas to Make You a Better Source of Motivation May 8, 2000

By Donald Mitchell HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

I am always leary of books of lists. With my skepticism on full blast, this book immediately disarmed me by leading off with my own favorite advice about motivating people: Ask them what motivates them.

The book is then organized into sections that capture different kinds of ways to praise and recognize individuals. Taking the items that turn someone on, you can then cruise the lists until they trigger an idea that fits your situation. The book works well in that sense.

The book works well at another level: You get a sense of human ingenuity by reading all of the interesting things that people have done to appreciate each other. It gives you a good feeling, as well, to consider how much thoughtfulness people show for each other.

Reading the book reminded me of an experience I had in my 20s. Our CEO had encouraged me to run a seminar for people in our company to make strategy development easier for people. I had worked hard, and it went well. Hoping to inspire people, I had arranged for him to speak to the group at the end of the seminar. I was tremendously pleased when he did. Imagine my immense happiness when he arrived with a gavel in hand, and presented it to me. He had ripped it off of a Junior Achievement trophy that he had in his office, because he wanted to give me a gift. After 27 years, I still have and treasure that gavel. This book will help inspire you to have the same effect on others.

Most of us would love to be great founts of motivation, but our imagination trails our enthusiasm. This book will help you fill that void. As Bob Nelson points out, 75 percent of companies do too little motivating. Even if you do the right amount of motivating, this book will help you do it better.... There are appendices in the back to make it easier to implement the ideas in the lists in the front.

It's a great book concept for managers. No wonder the book has been a great seller for years. Be sure you get this book and use it often! You'll be well on your way to overcoming the communications stalls that delay progress in almost all organizations, by creating the basic appreciation for one another that forms the trust necessary to all good understanding.

There's an old saying: Don't show me how much you know, show me how much you care. This book embodies that spirit in a beautiful way. Read more ›

37 of 40 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Use this book to foster innovative thinking August 22, 2000

By Seano

Format:Paperback

This paperback is an easy reference book for managers considering ways to reward (read: acknowledge excellence) among employees. There is also some suggestion of programs designed to reward longevity (just being there).

Good managers are good leaders with vision and drive. Using this book as a tool, a manager might provide a team with the seeds for some creative thinking. However, if your organization is not part of a bigger corporate structure, many of the ideas are too expensive or too large to personally manage. The result is a bit discouraging as you flip pages thinking "good idea...but..."

There are great quotes in shaded areas along the edges of each chapter, and the general ideas are organized under headings such as Employee/Company Anniversary, or Safety. Finding information is easy thanks to the author, Bob Nelson.

I've let my managers read and react to the book, and I used it in a workshop on rewarding employees. This is a fine resource, an affordable book to stimulate discussion, but not likely the sole solution to your issues.

Amazon features a wide selection of books on the topic of employee reward and recognition, this is a mid-range book in that spectrum of resources. It is an effective argument against simply providing cash incentives and managers seeking to win that debate are greatly served by this book.