In order to get the most out of your MiniGame™, it's essential to clearly communicate all elements of the MiniGame to the players to ensure that everyone is on the same page, has a line of sight toward the goal, can easily tell if they're winning or losing, and who's accountable. GUY Engineering, a professional services firm in Tulsa, Oklahoma, presented an excellent example of a MiniGame at the "Show Me Your MiniGame" session at the 26th Annual Gathering of Games. Their MiniGame hits all the essential MiniGame elements: establishing a specific, timely, achievable goal through a MiniGame, making the information available for everyone, motivating their team with fun and memorable prizes, and rallying everyone around the goal to achieve results.

Global Recovery Corp, an engine and part supplier for the agricultural, highway trucking, industrial and automotive sectors, has seen the benefits of opening the books firsthand as a result of their dedication to the Great Game of Business® methodology. In addition to MiniGames™ like their recent $100K+ MiniGame featured on the GGOB Blog, GRC regularly practices the Huddle Cycle, rewards and recognition, and the High-Involvement Planning™ process to maximize engagement and involvement among their staff. Here are some of the most recent advancements in their Game that have helped them double their planned PBT for the first quarter at 55% above plan.

There are two things people want more than sex and money... recognition and praise. - Mary Kay Ash There’s a big difference between getting people to come to work and getting them to do their best work. While money and other forms of compensation are important, employees have been telling us for years what really motivates them to perform at higher levels is recognition and a reward for a job well done.

When you hear the words “cheap and easy”, you might not automatically think of rewarding and recognizing the folks on your team. However, that’s exactly what your employee recognition program should be: an affordable, habitual pattern. While there is value to an occasional blow-out celebration, your employees will feel just as appreciated with frequent, small reminders that they are important. Take a look at some of these super-simple ways to show appreciation to your employees and improve workplace culture.

Rewards are essential to The Great Game of Business® and for improving work culture and engagement. So much so that we should begin with its definition. Reward: To make a gift of something to someone in recognition of his or her services, efforts or achievements. Reward systems recognize staff members who excel in areas, such as customer service, loyalty and sales ability. There are many reasons to begin a reward system, for example:

Workers want a good salary and other financial rewards, but non-financial rewards for employees may be just as important – sometimes more so – in encouraging employees to give their best effort. Through the years, open-book companies like New Belgium Brewing (a craft brewery located in Fort Collins, CO) and Tasty Catering (a full-service caterer out of Chicago, IL) have learned how to best incentivize and motivate employees in creative and meaningful ways — without merely handing out money.

The top three reasons people leave their jobs are these: lack of clear expectations, lack of recognition and lack of supervisor’s willingness to listen to them. Even if you don’t believe the numbers you hear, I believe we can all agree that the cost of replacing an employee is significant. In fact, it costs you anywhere between 2 and 4 times that employee’s salary. Needless to say, it is in most people’s best interest (at least financially) to decrease turnover.

If you’ve seen any of the recent research on what motivates employees in the workplace, you’ll run across several repeating items, such as “having the ability to make an impact,” “recognition for a job well done” and “the opportunity to progress in the company.” A motivating and engaging workforce is one way to ensure that you have a team committed to driving the success of your company.

During our journey to share the coolest employee engagement infographics around, we've shared research detailing the impact of engaged (and disengaged) employees along with the best-practices for engage employees at all levels of the company. Incentive programs, workplace perks and unique rewards are often seen as best-practice for employers. Check out the infographic below to learn if these workplace incentives are really what keeps the talent around.