Relationship Building in and out of the Office Encourage faculty and staff to spend time together, to foster closer ties within the workplace. This has been shown to improve happiness, which in turn improves productivity. Togetherness can be promoted in a number of ways: sports, morning stretches, lunch box chatter, etc. Consider having Extension Agents host a regular with an which would allow “Lunch Agent,” members of the community to interact with their Extension Agents in a more relaxed setting. Perhaps encourage elected officials to participate. Encourage staff to eat lunch in more stimulating environments, such as the outdoors, so they are more refreshed when they return to their office. Creative Scheduling A creative schedule should include set visit and perhaps allow “office days,” “client days,” one day to work from home. Creative scheduling will minimize the amount of commuting to work as well as trips to visit clients. Employers generally report a reduction in tardiness and absenteeism for employees on flexible work schedules. This is attributed to the to commute outside of the employees’ ability rush hour and their increased flexibility in scheduling appointments and running errands. For more information, see and Employee of the Month An Employee of the Month program can reward sustainable behaviors such as carpooling, the use of reusable water bottles, volunteering, and being energy conscientious. All of these behaviors can be incentivized in some form to further encourage them. People weigh an incentive's value against the difficulty in earning it. Ask too much, and people will dismiss your incentive. Choose rewards that have inherently higher value, and you can inspire higher performance. Rewards that attract peer attention and stand out from regular pay are cited as some of the most motivating. For more information, visit: Here are 10 non-monetary incentives that might encourage people to excel in the Employee of the Month program. Create a quarterly awards banquet where exceptional employees can be properly recognized for their efforts. A handwritten note from the County Extension Director A flexible hours schedule, where employees can work from home A longer lunch break A free day off work, no questions asked A day “casual dress” First choice of which county car to use when going on a work-related trip
Relationship Building in and out of the Office Encourage faculty and staff to spend time together, to foster closer ties within the workplace. This has been shown to improve happiness, which in turn improves productivity. Togetherness can be promoted in a number of ways: sports, morning stretches, lunch box chatter, etc. Consider having Extension Agents host a regular “Lunch with an Agent,” which would allow members of the community to interact with their Extension Agents in a more relaxed setting. Perhaps encourage elected officials to participate. Encourage staff to eat lunch in more stimulating environments, such as the outdoors, so they are more refreshed when they return to their office. Creative Scheduling A creative schedule should include set “office days,” “client visit days,” and perhaps allow one day to work from home. Creative scheduling will minimize the amount of commuting to work as well as trips to visit clients. Employers generally report a reduction in tardiness and absenteeism for employees on flexible work schedules. This is attributed to the employees’ ability to commute outside of the rush hour and their increased flexibility in scheduling appointments and running errands. For more information, see and Employee of the Month An Employee of the Month program can reward sustainable behaviors such as carpooling, the use of reusable water bottles, volunteering, and being energy conscientious. All of these behaviors can be incentivized in some form to further encourage them. People weigh an incentive's value against the difficulty in earning it. Ask too much, and people will dismiss your incentive. Choose rewards that have inherently higher value, and you can inspire higher performance. Rewards that attract peer attention and stand out from regular pay are cited as some of the most motivating. For more information, visit: Here are 10 non-monetary incentives that might encourage people to excel in the Employee of the Month program. Create a quarterly awards banquet where exceptional employees can be properly recognized for their efforts. A handwritten note from the County Extension Director A flexible hours schedule, where employees can work from home A longer lunch break A free day off work, no questions asked A “casual dress” day First choice of which county car to use when going on a work-related trip
Action%20Plan%20for%20Promoting%20Sustainability%20in%20Extension%20Offices%20-%201-30-14%20....docx