The success of your business depends largely on how well you motivate your employees to perform. Motivation is the key to creating an environment where each employee strives for optimal performance. Your real challenge is ensuring that the incentive programs you use are flexible enough to be appealing to everyone on your staff.

Use the following checklist as a guide in identifying, developing, and institutionalizing employee incentive programs.

• Determine what’s important to your employees. Know what motivates them.

• Adopt a program that’s broad and flexible. Give the employee as much control over the reward or incentive as possible.

• Think outside the box! Not everyone wants a gift card or tickets to a sporting event.

• Communicate clearly and often. Explain how the program works and what the potentials rewards can be.

• Extra Tip: Minimize costs of incentive programs by working with industry partners that offer attractive programs that can be implemented for little or no cost. One program is available through Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company. The newly launched Jewelers Mutual Platinum Points program provides jewelry store owners and managers with an array of rewards easily adaptable for use in any employee incentive program.

For more tips from Jewelers of America, sign up to receive the "Tips to Thrive" e-newsletter at www.jewelers.org.