A global survey of employees reveals that the vast majority of workers do not find their jobs fulfilling without extra reward.
According to the research 80% of employees felt that a rewards programme would communicate that their work was properly valued.
In fact, nearly 70% of employees said they would put in extra effort at work if they knew they would be rewarded.
However, less than a quarter had received a reward or incentive from their employer in the last two years.
The research was based on an independent survey of 4,800 employees in the UK, USA, Canada, France and Germany, carried out by Gx on behalf of Ixaris.
Although there was some variation across markets, cash and retailer gift cards were by far the most common rewards provided by employers, with cash being one of the most popular choices of reward for employees in all countries.
However, over 70% of respondents said they would treat a cash reward just like regular pay, implying that cash rewards do little to create lasting behavioural change, the report said.
And specific retailer gift cards were not a popular choice of reward for employees.
The report suggested that recipients of retailer gift cards may be disappointed rather than motivated by their reward, which went against the purpose of an incentive programme.
Instead ‘open' gift cards which could be spent anywhere might be a good choice for employers looking to implement an incentives programme, with nearly two thirds of respondents believing that an open gift card which could be spent anywhere made a better reward than a retail gift card which could only be spent at a single retailer.
Ixaris chairman John Chaplin said: "Employers which recognise the efforts of their employees with rewards benefit from a more motivated workforce.
"However, for incentives programmes to be as effective as possible, employers need to balance the desires of award recipients with the interests of the organisation."
