Offer attainable, immediate incentives for a job that exceeds expectations, like posting their picture on the bulletin board or in the local paper. Reward them with a free meal with their friends, tickets to a sporting event, a parking space for a month. A gift card that can be used again and again, for Blockbuster, for example, will continue to remind them of the incentive. You could offer a free day where the employee gets to choose a manager to work his shift. Also set up a system of long-term incentives.
Some restaurants give tokens or points that add up to larger rewards.
Get Creative Traditional benefits don't matter much to most teens and young adults. While 74 percent of Chain Leader's respondents said benefits are very important, the focus groups revealed young people are more interested in paid vacations than health and dental insurance. Vacation days can accrue with hours worked. But remember that teens are a very diverse group. Some are on their own and need the same perks as their older co-workers.