By GREGORY SMITH
Business Columnist

Here are a few new tips you can adapt to help you create a more productive and motivating work environment.

Recognize with a Title: Employers have discovered that people do care about their job titles—sometimes they will even choose the better title over more pay. A recent graduate with a desire to move up in a chosen career field may feel that acquiring a title which will look good on the resume is worth accepting a little less money. Recruiters have discovered that they receive a better response with well-chosen job titles. You can also encourage an employee by giving him or her a prestigious title even if you cannot afford to pay more money.

Gold Stars and Frogs: At Wachovia Bank, each Monday morning they set milestones for the week with input from staff members. On Friday, employees receive a Gold Star and $2.00 (funny money) for each milestone met. Employees can also recognize their peers with a sticker of a frog, which is worth $1.00. Staff members display the gold stars and frogs on a white cardboard poster. At the end of each month, they hold a random drawing for a dinner ($50.00) and movies ($25.00).

Generate Competition! A tip from the US Air Force. Once each quarter the Wing Commander recognizes the airman, NCO and Sr. NCO of the quarter at a Commander,s Call. Nominations come from within each unit, which then works to support their nominee, thereby generating competition between units.

Birthday Club. Energize your employees with fun! Once a month hold a Monthly Birthday Club celebration. At break-time, have special ,,goodies” and recognize employees who have a birthday that month with a card.

Reward Good Health. At Cornell University, an Excellent Attendance Program rewards employees who do not use a sick day within a six-months period with a day off, plus a certificate of recognition given at a special luncheon.

Improve Quality, Cost, Performance. At Melroe Company, employees who submit ideas to improve quality, cost, and performance are eligible for a $90.00 gift certificate to Wal-Mart. At a yearly banquet for all contributors, the company also gives larger cash awards and items such as televisions.

Work to Earn Time Off. At Grayson College Golf Course, employees who did not miss a day of work for three weeks received a day off, which they could use on days when bad weather meant the course was not busy.

Butts for Balls. At Pine Oaks Golf Course, employees receive one bag of range balls for picking up one cup of cigarette butts.

A Work of Art at NASA. The graphics artist made caricatures of different groups and used the artwork pictures as awards which team members proudly display them on their desks. Eventually, everyone on the team got a picture.

Create an Employee Activity Fund. A tip from the Navy. Use an annual ,auction” to raise employee activity funds. Management agrees to contribute (i.e., paying for a round of golf). Funds raised from the auction are used for office functions, etc.

Fun at Work. Consider these ideas to boost employee morale. At Certilman, Balin, Adler & Hyman (East Meadows, NY law firm) they hold a free lunch in the conference room each day for all 25 partners. Started as an opportunity to discuss business, it soon turned into an enthusiastic social gathering.

At JW Genesis Financial Corp. (Boca Raton, FL), Vice-Chairman Joel Marks allows workers to view TV-sitcom tapes (such as ,,Seinfeld”) during the lunch break. Southwest Airlines encourages crew members to joke with the passengers. Terry Deal, business professor at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, has noted that companies which allow some play in the workplace often realize higher profits.

Meditation Rooms for Employees. Job-related stress is an undeniable part of today,s world. According to estimates of the National Safety Council, one million employees are absent on any workday due to stress-related issues. To cope with this, some companies offer ,,meditation rooms.” At Acacia Life nsurance Co. (Bethesda, MD-based) and PT & Co. (NYC), rooms with dim lights, comfortable chairs and couches and without telephones provide a place for employees to ,,get away from it all” for a few minutes. This time of respite enables the employees to return to their work areas refreshed.

Free by e-mail/fax: If you would like more tips and/or information on Greg's new book, TNT for Teams: Dynamic Ideas to Reward, Energize and Motivate Your Team, please fax us your letterhead or E-mail with the words ,,TNT” to 770-760-0581/greg@chartcourse.com.

Gregory P. Smith, author of The New Leader, and How to Attract, Keep and Motivate Your Workforce. He speaks at conferences, leads seminars and helps organizations solve problems. He leads an organization called Chart Your Course International located in Conyers, Georgia. Phone him at (770)860-9464 or send an email at greg@chartcourse.com. More information and articles are available at www.chartcourse.com.

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