During pandemic-related lockdowns, businesses reported that over 60% of their workforce worked remotely. That trend still continues today with many companies instituting hybrid work environments. With that many employees working remotely, companies cannot afford to not recognize and reward high performance and behaviors that enhance their mission. It can be easy to send the wrong message to remote employees, who may already feel like they are on the outside looking in. Offering rewards that can only be used at the corporate office or running incentive programs that are centered around in-house activities are just a couple of examples of the wrong path to take.

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The future of employee rewards and recognition is personalization. Implementation of these customized programs requires extensive research. You’ll need to get to know your remote employees well to achieve the expected results. One way to do this is to create an online community or virtual office where remote workers can communicate with each other over different social media channels, such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Band. Leadership can drop in to chat, give advice, or help problem-solve as needed. It’s a great way to get to know remote employees personally and professionally.

Here are some examples of personalized rewards trending in the workplace that work for both in-house and remote employees.

Home Service Perks
Everyone has chores to do that gobble up valuable time. Give this precious commodity back to your employees by rewarding them with home service perks. Personal assistant services such as grocery delivery, drycleaning drop-off and pickup, and even child care are available as perks for employee rewards programs. When a remote employee doesn’t have to do house cleaning or mow the lawn, he or she has more time to spend with children, spouse, or friends. For more ideas, check out our recent article on Mobile Service Vendors.

Care Package Subscription
Traditional offices are known for their catered lunches, doughnuts, and birthday cake celebrations. While these treats are largely unhealthy, they foster feelings of comfort and team camaraderie. With remote employees, you have the opportunity to create this sense of belonging in much healthier ways. Online subscription box services allow you to send care packages to remote employees. Packages can include anything from wholesome snacks to assorted teas.

Tech Allowance
Companies are saving a lot of money by allowing in-house and remote employees to use their own computing devices. Reward your high-performing workers or loyal brand ambassadors with some spending money for technology upgrades. A new laptop with increased speeds and an almost instant-on SSD will benefit not only the employee, but the employer as well.

Wellness Program
Professional wellness programs support the whole person. You can enlist the help of a wellness program service provider to offer your employees personalized health-related services. Some of these services could include memberships to a local gym, chiropractic treatments, or nutritional counseling services.

These are just a few ideas for improving the work experience for remote employees. Staying in touch, making them feel like they are a valued member of the team are vital to a great work environment.