Real motivation comes from within.
It is important for employees to know that their suggestions are taken seriously and that they can make a big difference. By carefully reviewing employee suggestions, and quickly implementing those that have merit, management sends a message to employees that they are valued. Here's how some companies have found innovative ways to make employee suggestions programs work. The plant awards those with winning suggestion gift certificates in front of their fellow workers during lunch breaks, publicizing them on the refinery's internal TV system and in local newspapers and entering them in contests for employee of the month or year. If a suggestion results in a new product, the award is equal to 3 percent of the sales achieved in the first year.