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Offer free drinks

It may not sound like much, but giving your employees a free drink or two during their working week can be a great motivation. Whether you stock up on bottled water and hand it out at the start of the day, or you invest in one of the many bottle coolers available from online refrigerator specialists like Corr Chilled, it's easy to make your team feel special.

Train ‘em up

Financial benefits are great for giving a short-term motivation boost, but it's training and staff development that offers long-term benefits to employee productivity. Create educational incentives within your company - whether that's a training away day or a business conference to develop skills - and keep on top of personal development schemes to ensure your employees are making the most of their training.

Positive recognition

Recognising an employee for their good work has been linked to increased individual productivity. Provide positive reinforcement that gives your employee a boost - you don't need to wait for their annual feedback meeting to tell them they did a good job.

Create the right atmosphere

While you're certainly not expected to treat your employees in the same way you would your mother and daughter, creating a ‘family atmosphere' is one of the best ways to increase productivity. You can improve the relationship between employees by organising team building events, socialising after work and creating an attractive working environment.

Let them work from home

Whether you like it or not, employees have busy lives. On top of committing their 9-5 in your office, they're also responsible for looking after their families, paying bills and trying to maintain a social life. If you gave your employees the chance to work from home, the chances are that they'd jump at the chance. New research from Marriot Hotels suggests that today's workers are more productive outside the office than they are inside. By offering your employees the opportunity to work flexibly, so long as they get their work done, you can make sure that your employees are refreshed and productive at all times.

Allow social media breaks

It may seem like an odd way to motivate staff members, but giving your team a break to spend time on social media could be beneficial. The Wall Street Journal reports that browsing the internet for just ten minutes has a ‘restorative function' and helps you get back into the right frame of mind for working. Plus, the chances are that your staff members are already browsing through Twitter and Facebook when you're not looking!

Give a gift

When bonuses, pay rises and promotions are out of the question, giving a gift is a great way of boosting motivation and job satisfaction. Whether it's a voucher to the cinema, a gift card or an afternoon off work, it's easy to show your employees that you value their hard work.