How To Boost Employee Morale On A Budget Jane Applegate

"Money can’t buy happiness" is not a cliche when it comes to boosting morale around the office. In these uneasy times, when many entrepreneurs are pinching every penny, knowing how to reward employees without spending a lot is crucial.

"You can do things for employees that don’t cost anything, but are worth a million dollars,” says Bob Nelson, author of 1001 Ways to Reward Employees, now in its fifty-second printing. Better yet, "small businesses can do [these things] because they aren't constrained by a 500-page policy manual."

Stop fretting about not being able to shower your employees with cash, says Nelson, who runs a consulting company based in San Diego. For his doctoral dissertation, Nelson conducted a landmark survey of 2,400 employees in 34 companies.