9 travel incentive ideas to reward employees
August 12, 2013 11:08 PM
Take a history trip
Keurig, a Massachusetts-based coffee machine maker, sends high-performing employees on a five-day "Origin Trip" to Central and South America to see where the company and its owner, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, get their coffee. The trip inspires employees as they meet the farmers, deepen relationships within the company, and live the companys environmental mission of sustainability.
Snack toward rewards
Proceeds from vending machines at Stew Leonards employee lunchroom go to good use. The company subsidizes trips and outings for employees with money workers spend on snacks and drinks.
Host a shopping spree
Jeff Alexander, a dentist in Oakland, CA, took his staff on a shopping spree. At a local shopping mall, he gave each employee an envelope with $200 (all in ones!), insisting they buy at least five things and that he would take back any money they had left after two hours. At their next staff meeting, employees had a show and tell with their new purchases.
Make the journey its own reward
Each year, Shane Benson, manager at the University Place Town Center Chick-fil-A restaurant in Charlotte, NC, takes team members on a ski trip. On the bus, they hold rolling award banquets, during which awardees walk the aisle to receive prizes.
Act out a murder mystery
Incentives To Intrigue provides a staff of writers, producers, and actors who come up with a script for a murder mystery or treasure hunt. One such event was staged for group of employees during a dinner on the Napa Valley Wine Train. The San Francisco firm designed the train cars, costumes and events to recall the First International Wine Tasting during World War I.
Take team excursions
Work groups who earn cash rewards at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, CA have purchased box seats at a baseball game and taken a train trip to Napa Valleys wine country during work days. The employer encourages winning work groups to use their rewards as a group.
Make scavenger hunts
Dick Eaten, chief energizing officer of Leapfrog Innovations, hosts scavenger hunts in Medford, MA for corporate clients, intended to promote teamwork and elevate morale. Mercer Inc. also uses a scavenger hunt to orient team members who travel to new cities. Travelling employees visit client offices, large hotels and the convention center when they arrive and are asked to bring back "proof" of their visits to each location.
Enjoy a CEO's retreat
The Container Store awards top-performers a week at the CEOs mountain cabin Colorado.
Reward the frugal
Marketing employees at the Dr Pepper Snapple Group earn points toward a resort vacation by saving on airfare, hotel bills and meals while travelling on business. The two people who collect the most points by the end of the year win the week-long vacations. Travelers earn the vacation by saving money from their travel allotments by taking connecting rather than nonstop flights, flying on weekends, staying in more modest hotels, and dining in less swanky restaurants.
