Use Barter (Trade Dollars) To Reward and Motivate Employees

Employee attitudes, rather than cash flow or process technology, most affect a company's competitiveness, reports the Stanford Business School Magazine. The following techniques will get employees to devote their hearts and minds to your company:

Start, but don't end, with a mission statement; keep your company's charter alive by reviewing it periodically with employees.

Develop your staff by training them continually about the changing workplace.

Give every employee at least two jobs or areas of responsibility...and people will rise to meet your expectations.

Finally, involve everyone, not just managers, in planning for the future.

Greater Effort Through Barter-Garnered Perks

With budgets, it's not always possible to give top performers a monetary raise. But you can show them that you value their contributions by creating a variety of low-cost, high-impact rewards. Here are a few examples, many of which can be covered by using trade dollars: