Re: Looking for incentives for hourly employees to get the job done right the first t
Becky,
First, welcome to the Cove!
Concerning your question, I have some concerns, other than those so eloquently advanced by the esteemed Steel.
First, the first time an incentive is given to an individual, it is indeed an incentive. After that, there is a danger that it can become to be seen as just another component of the compensation package.
There is also something else that is very powerful that can come into play here: What gets measured is what gets done, sometimes even to the detriment of other areas of importance. If you do decide to implement an incentive package, keep this in mind.
Next, there is the possibility that the incentive is seen as a way to reward management favorites. That is why one of my favorites is the unannounced pizza blitz - I just show up with more pizza (or doughnuts, whatever) than the crew can possibly eat for break. The main thing here is that it is the crew that is recognized. This can be a great morale booster, and I just happen to like pizza.
One way that we use incentives is to request ideas for improvement (process improvement, safety improvement, etc.) Each month one of the good ones is chosen, and the person(s) who turned the idea in gets to choose a prize from the prize vault. The monthly winners are posted on our bulletin board, along with a picture of recently implemented ideas. If you are having problems with getting things done right the first time, this may actually be your most powerful tool.
Anyhow, Becky, what do you think of these ideas? Is there something you can use? If not, please give us more information. I am sure others here have some great ideas too.