Continuous, supportive communication from managers, supervisors, associates and on the personal end family and friends is too often under emphasized. It is a major, major motivator.
Say thanks and don’t forget the art of sending a card through the good old postal system or via an online service such as Send Out Cards.
Recognition is so easy to do and so inexpensive to distribute that there is simply no excuse for not doing it.
Compensation is what you give people for doing the job they were hired to do. Recognition, on the other hand, celebrates an effort beyond the call of duty.