Summary of Motivational Ideas
HR Forum
August 14, 2002
When posed with the challenge to “come up with 3 ideas to motivate staff
that you or others could implement,” attendees of the HR Forum held on
August 14, 2002 at the Bren Center met that challenge.
The discussions centered around morale and retention of employees in an
environment of limited resources. The groups generally discussed
motivational ideas and determined that 1) there should be some fun in the
workplace; 2) that employees enjoy and are motivated by recognition for
good work, good service, accomplishment and achievement; and, 3) that
employees are energized by challenging and stimulating work.
Three categories of activities evolved from the discussions: socials and
celebrations; recognition; and training, development and job related
activities. Activities in any of these areas can benefit employee morale,
motivate staff in their job performance and create a work environment that
will retain excellent employees.
Following is a summary of the imaginative and innovative ways that our
colleagues shared to recognize and motivate staff. Some of these ideas are
new and some are currently being practiced in departments on campus.
Socials and Celebrations
Social activities and celebrations sponsored or endorsed by management can
significantly affect employee morale and collegiality.
 Have potlucks, pizza parties, ice cream socials and barbecues with
managers cooking and/or serving. These activities provide an
opportunity to socialize with department and school colleagues or to
celebrate a specific accomplishment.
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 Have monthly birthday parties or lunches away from the office, or
impromptu gatherings to celebrate something. The completion of a
group project can be a good time to celebrate.
 Have an annual breakfast paid for by the department. It can be
combined with an all staff meeting.
 Have competitions such as a holiday decorating contest or a pumpkincarving contest with each office department or unit is judged and
awarded prizes or ribbons.
 Arrange for the staff to participate in a charitable event as a team (e.g.
a food drive, toy drive, a 5K walk or run).
Recognition Programs
Employee recognition is one of the most important methods for improving
morale, retaining good employees, and encouraging performance. Most
employee recognition comes from managers and administrators to their
employees but it is also important that staff have the opportunity to
recognize their colleagues as well.
 Develop “Extra Mile” or “On the Spot Awards” for managers to
recognize staff for exceptional individual actions and special effort.
Provide a letter or certificate of appreciation to the employee or
employees and reward them with a Bookstore gift certificate(s) or
other certificates of interest. Publicize the awards throughout the
department, School or unit.
 Develop an Employee of the Month program. Some departments
recognize outstanding employees in the Chair’s monthly update or in
the department newsletter. Some ideas for recognition include
sending a thank you note, placing employee’s picture on the web or
giving cinema tickets.
 Provide an annual “Perfect/Best Attendance” award to the employee
who has missed the least days of work in the year.
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 Recognize the importance of long-term service and loyalty by giving
an annual Department Service Award for years of service in a specific
department.
 Create a staff appreciation website for your department. Ask staff to
assist in determining the design, content and procedures for
submitting information for the website.
 Recognize each employee’s anniversary date with the University.
You may have welcomed them when they came to UCI and you can
let them know that you appreciate each year of service.
 The Zot-a-Gram program has been discontinued campuswide but you
can create your own version of the program where staff can recognize
other staff for providing special assistance or doing a great job. The
Zot-a-Gram contains a personal message of appreciation.
Training, Career Development, and Job Related Activities
Employees can be motivated by stimulating, challenging work. Others may
be concerned with worklife issues and may be motivated by the opportunity
to have options in their workday. Still others may be interested in career
development. Managers who show care and concern about workplace issues
important to their staff can greatly affect morale.
 Consider alternative work schedules and flex time as your department,
school or unit may allow.
 Devise ways to facilitate team building and interaction between
faculty and staff. (e.g. joint participation on departmental committees,
plan faculty and staff social).
 Make a suggestion box or send out a survey asking staff for their ideas
to improve your office, department, school or unit and then implement
any that are possible. Consider providing the opportunity to return
the survey anonymously.
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 Review the communication practices in your department. Ask your
employees what they would like to hear about and how the
communication practices might be improved.
 Plan staff meetings hosted each quarter by a different department. Let
each department share its work and accomplishments by planning lab
visits, slide presentations, brown bag lunches, etc.
 Support personal and professional training and development by giving
time and resources to employees for workshops, seminars,
conferences, etc.
 Create opportunities for role reversals or trading places to provide
cross training for staff and also allow them to better understand and
appreciate the work of their colleagues. This can be in the same
department or with employees from different departments.
 Have a staff retreat out of the office to review the past year in the
department and to discuss department goals for the coming year. In
addition to being a morale booster, meeting out of the office in a
different setting can encourage employees to be more open with their
comments and ideas. It also allows the staff to know their colleagues
on a more informal basis.
 Assign special projects to individuals or teams. Working on one-of-akind projects can relieve the boredom of repetitive daily tasks,
stimulate interest in new areas, and help employees acquire new skills.
Below are just a few examples of programs currently being practiced on
campus. There are many more practices out there so talk with your
colleagues and share your ideas. The possibilities are there!
The Math Department holds an annual staff retreat at the end of
summer. All department staff attend the retreat held in the afternoon at
a staff member’s home. The business part of the retreat is followed by
a potluck to which spouses are invited.
University Advancement has implemented a departmental New
Employee Orientation (NEO) program. New employees receive
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written materials from various departments, can attend weekly
afternoon workshops so units can share what they do, are assigned a
“buddy”, and have the opportunity to meet with all the Senior
Managers. New employees are also welcomed with a UCI pin, a mug
with the department values on it, and tickets to a UCI event.
In the School of Biological Sciences, Department Managers provide a
lunch to show appreciation to the administrative staff. The staff are
each presented with goody bags and movie passes.
In the School of the Arts, faculty and staff informally nominate staff
for recognition. Selected staff receive tickets given to the School to
events in Los Angeles and at the Barclay Theater.
University Advancement has developed a staff recognition program
called the “Star Program”. Staff can nominate other staff across units
and levels to receive a “star” for being a team player or going the extra
mile in helping or assisting others. Each star says “You’re a Star” on
the front with a brief note from the nominator on the back.
University Advancement also has a KUDOS award program for
outstanding service to the department and the community. Five staff
are nominated each quarter and the awards are presented at the all staff
meetings. A KUDOS committee that serves for one year makes the
selection.
The UCI Libraries also have a KUDOS award program to recognize a
Library staff member showing outstanding service to the Library,
having a significant impact on his/her department, and discharging
his/her duties in a unique and superior manner. The award is presented
annually by the University Librarian.
The Department of Physics has created a Birthday Club to celebrate
birthdays each month. Those who wish to participate contribute $2
each month to be used to pay for the birthday person’s meal at the
lunch.
For further information about programs currently being practiced on
campus, please contact your Human Resources Consultant.
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