Many businesses have the ability to award bonuses for exceptional performance. Often, the bonus is made in the form of a cash award. However, if you happen to know the award recipient well enough, you may find that you get more “bang for your buck” if you award a personalized bonus.
For example, if the award recipient is a sports fan, tickets to a sports event may fit the bill. If he or she has a particular hobby, you could award something that would be related to that hobby. For example, someone who is interested in quilting might get a gift certificate from a quilting store or someone who is interested in fishing might receive a special fish lure or rod, or a gift certificate to a fishing supplies store.
The challenge here is to find something that meets the employees personalized interests. If you’re not able to do that, you’re better off making a more traditional cash award (or, as a substitute, giving an Amazon.com gift certificate which, these days, allows employees to purchase from a wide range of items).
