Everyone likes to be recognized when they have done a good job.

With the economy the way it is today, it’s tough to afford rewards.

Use your imagination Incorporate the holidays with it Use some humor Make sure their peers know that they were

rewarded for a job well done

A little competition never hurt anyone Offer a contest and have it open to all This can range from the cleanest bus to the

best operator or attendant Have fun with it Put out a memo or a poster to advertise the

contest Get the news media involved for some

positive press

Some of your employees are very talented Ask them to donate home made crafts etc. Sell raffle tickets for these items Ask local restaurants and stores for gift

cards or any items they are willing to donate

This is free advertisement for them as well You will be surprised how many places are

willing to help

Cleanest bus award Inspect the buses, pick the top three Have a panel of judges to vote on the

best one Next call the operator and or attendant

in Reward them with “The Golden Broom”

award Take their picture with the “Golden

Broom”

Post their picture for all their peers to see

Make announcements on the radio Use your resources, make home made

certificates off of the computer

Competition, Competition, Competition Have the operators and attendants

nominate each other for the operator of the year

Next set up some testing competition Give a written test and score it Give a driving test and score it Make sure to use impartial judges

Have the competition quarterly Identify the winner at a safety meeting

or post the winner for everyone to see Get the media involved, have them

write it up in the paper or on a news clip

Before long all of the operators will want the same recognition

This will help bring about safety conscious individuals

Next you will need to have a test between the winners of the quarterly operator of the year to identify one individual operator who stands out above the rest

This will be your “operator OF THE YEAR”

At your annual in-service training, have this operator recognized individually as the winner

Now bring out the gifts from the restaurants & stores and present them to “THE OPERATOR OF THE YEAR”

Take some of the money that was raised from the raffle or fund raiser and have a special district shirt made for this individual with the year, their name & “OPERATOR OF THE YEAR” printed on it.

Make an example out of them Assign a special parking slot for the

‘operator OF THE YEAR” Have a tag made up for their personal

car Anything that will identify them as

being a step above will suffice

Use the same examples as with the operator of the year

Have a test, maybe tying down a wheel chair or installing a car seat

Have a written test as well Remember you want your people to

strive for excellence

Any time an employee goes above and beyond their regular duties, make sure they are recognized

Check your districts policies on these issues

For instance you can have a costume contest on Halloween

At Christmas, you can have a contest for the best decorated office

The more fun it is to come to work, the less stressful the environment is

The less stressful the environment, the healthier the employees are

These can include: “SAFE operator AWARDS” “PERFECT ATTENDANCE AWARDS” “HUMANITARIAN AWARD” “ABOVE AND BEYOND AWARD” “HAPPY GO LUCKY AWARD”

Have the employee recognized by the school board at their meetings

Schools can give out shirts with their school’s logo on it

Schools can have operator and attendant appreciation breakfasts

Have the students create a skit on what they like about their operator and or attendant & show it at in-service

TELL THEM HOW YOU FEEL!!!!!!!!!!! AN ATTA BOY GOES A LONG WAY