How does your company motivate its team and push them to their peak abilities? If the leaders are following the path of top corporations around the world, they’re using incentive travel.
Incentive trips are a smart business strategy that rewards success and boosts employee loyalty. As the shift to satisfaction and wellness continues to expand, the “vacation” benefit industry is booming.
There’s a fine line between “paid vacation” and “business trip” though. The balance has to be just right in order for your company to get the maximum return on its investment.
Ready to start using incentive travel as a normal part of company policy or revamp your current method to optimize the ROI? Check out these three tips to make incentive travel a worthwhile investment.
1. Get Input From Your Staff
How can you plan an incentive trip that will have all your employees on board? Start by picking a destination that the average person doesn’t already have on their typical vacation itinerary.
For example, if your business and employees are mostly located in central Florida, a trip to Disney World or the surrounding theme parks isn’t too exciting. They can all go there any time they have a day off if it’s something they really want to do.
But incentive travel to Hollywood’s Universal Studios or Disneyland is different. It’s a trip across the country that many families wouldn’t be able to afford on their own.
Find out what most of your staff would prefer as their “ultimate” getaway, and base your travel destination on their general interests.
It might be a cabin in the mountains or a tropical beach resort. Without input from those who would be going, you might be attempting to plan a trip that doesn’t incentivize many people.
2. Set Structure Without Micromanagement
Now that you have a destination in mind, it’s time to start working on the itinerary.
Again, there’s a careful balance to maintain here. Too much structure turns a relaxing getaway into a business trip that isn’t enjoyable.
You want this time to be something they remember for the rest of their lives and share with others who didn’t get to go. The excitement to earn the next trip will be the incentive they all need to perform better.
However, left entirely to their own devices, most people will get to their rooms and do their own thing, especially if you’ve chosen a business hotel with all the amenities they need. They won’t reach outside their comfort zones or get to know their fellow coworkers in other departments.
That’s where your team-building activities can help. Fill the itinerary with a lot of independent time, and add a daily fun get-together designed for inter-department bonding. This provides the structure necessary for you to use the trip as a tax deduction while still avoiding micromanagement.
3. Customize the Trip in Levels
There’s a debate that’s been simmering over the past few years about “participation” rewards. In schools, the idea is that kids who don’t get an award feel hurt and rejected, and it harms their mental health. So, everyone should get a participation trophy. The same theory is used in sports at lower levels.
As adults, we know the dangers of this way of thinking for employees. If everyone gets the rewards, why should anyone want to work hard for them?
To avoid this dilemma, consider customizing your trip based on levels. You want it to be attainable enough that anyone can earn it, but you always want to recognize the top achievers.
Here’s an example:
You can customize yours as you see fit. To make incentive travel worthwhile, everyone should feel valued, but not everyone should get a “participation trophy”.
Conclusion
Traveling the world is something many people want to do but very have the financial and time opportunity to follow through with it.
By providing your team with incentive travel, you conquer both of those obstacles. Your individual employees are happy, and your company is more productive. Not a shabby return for a “vacation” from work!
