Bonuses are a great way to reward the people who have been working for you all year. They act as motivators and rewards and are a nice way to thank faculty and staff for not only helping to build your business but also to keep it alive.
There are a few different ways that you can give a bonus:
1) Cash
2) Gift card
3) The gift of a paid day off
4) Taking them to lunch or dinner
5) Taking them to a show
6) The gift of a paid teacher training conference
7) The gift of a trip /vacation
Depending on how your business has progressed this past year, there are ways to give your employees some kind of a gift to show that you truly appreciate their contribution to making your studio a success. Even if you have very little excess money in the kitty to splash around, if you give them the least expensive of the bonuses you will be sending them the message that they are valued.
Sometimes you need to be creative, especially to stay within your budget. You can always give someone a bonus check, everyone loves to receive money and it can certainly be very helpful to have that extra that you didn’t count on. This could be given according to seniority or could also be performance based. Has a teacher brought in a number of new students? Did one of your front desk staff manage to get some of the students to increase the amount of classes they were taking? Any extra that someone may have gone out of their way to do for you or the studio. It is a nice gesture to be able to reward your staff as well as give them verbal recognition.
Another alternative is a gift card. These can be of any denomination. It could be for gas or for coffee, or maybe for the local deli down the road where they like to buy lunch or perhaps for one of the department stores where they have a big choice of items to purchase. Restaurant gift cards can also be very well received as can supermarket cards. Gift cards to spas and nail salons or hairdressers go down well too. For someone who has done amazingly for you, an airline gift card to help them take a trip is something they will appreciate. Decide what works for the individual that you are giving the card to.
Giving the gift of a paid day off can be a wonderful thing. If you are a little tight on money pay your teacher or staff member for their day and teach the classes yourself. I have done that for teachers before and they have really appreciated having that one day off when they need it without having to worry about their bottom line.
Perhaps there is a restaurant that one of your staff members or teachers likes or you have heard them talk about. What a lovely surprise when you tell them that you are taking them out, pick a day that works. This is also a good way to get to know your staff or teachers in a more relaxed setting.
Most people in our line of business enjoy going to a show. Find out where their interests lie. Do some research as to which shows are playing in your area; perhaps they would enjoy seeing a Ballet or a comedy show. You might just strike it lucky and be able to get tickets to their favorite artist’s concert. You can either buy them a ticket or go with them to share the moment.
Giving the gift of continuous education for your teachers and staff is a wonderful thing because they may not have the finances to do that. This is the gift that just keeps on giving because whatever they learn at a teacher conference or training school or online in a membership website is going to help them tremendously but it is also going to contribute towards the success of your studio. I can certainly recommend our conference that we hold each year in August as we are able to hire the top educators in dance and business to give attendees great ideas and practical help.
For someone that has gone overboard in their work to help you with your studio, how about a paid trip and or vacation? We took four of our staff members to Puerto Rico one year for a five day vacation and they have never forgotten it and still talk about it. You would be surprised at the great deals that you can find online and the wow factor for anyone working for you is huge!
With the holidays coming, find a way to recognize and thank the people who work side by side with you all year. These are just a few ideas; you may have more of your own. The effort, no matter how big or small will be appreciated and stored in their memory for years to come.
