Motivation is not one-size-fits-all…and neither are rewards. Every employee thinks differently, communicates differently and executes their daily functions in a different way…and they’re all driven by different factors.

If you can figure out what drives them, how to motivate them, how to recognize them, and how to reward them for a job well done in a way that further propels them to succeed, you’ll be able to bolster employee retention rates and reduce company turnover.

Demographics play a key factor in everyone’s individual wants and needs for reward options, but the science behind how we think as people can also help you to navigate your way through your employees’ motivators. This graphic below offers a fun, but thought-provoking way to get inside the minds of your employees and may serve as a starting point to understanding individual preferences of how to both recognize and reward employees.

One thing is for sure, whether you are looking to motivate the left-brained analytical employee or the right-brained creative one, the key to motivation is understanding what inspires each person in your workforce. Recognize employees in a variety of ways and offer a strong mix of both functional and meaningful rewards that resonate.