The early years sector is built on passion and care. Staff dedicate themselves daily to creating nurturing environments where children can thrive. So as we step into 2025, it’s important to consider how to incentivise staff effectively, ensuring your team feels valued and supported.
Here are practical strategies to reward and inspire your team while fostering a thriving nursery environment.
Empowering staff through training
Providing career development opportunities is a powerful way to incentivise staff. When they can see tangible evidence of their professional growth, it can foster motivation and really reinforce their value to the nursery.
Whether staff are embarking on early years leadership training, a special educational needs qualification, or even a specialist interest such as outdoor learning, eymanage can give your employees a clear view of their growth within the nursery. They can access their own training history, track progress toward certifications and qualifications, and even view upcoming opportunities
Flexibility as an incentive
Flexible working has been a post-COVID buzz phrase in all industries. Nursery staff often juggle personal responsibilities alongside demanding jobs, and while nurseries may not be able to offer the same scope of remote working as other industries, flexible working encompasses far more than just working from home. It includes options like adjusting start and finish times, working compressed hours, or even sharing roles. These subtle yet impactful changes can make a significant difference to an employee’s work-life balance, boosting morale, recruitment and retention.
Managing these flexible benefits can be challenging without the right tools. Our nursery management software can help you streamline this process by providing an easy-to-use rota system for managing flexible schedules.
Wellbeing initiatives for staff retention
Nursery staff face a range of physical and emotional challenges on a daily basis, from managing the high energy of young children to responding to their emotional needs. Introducing well-being initiatives to support your team’s mental and physical health can help with staff retention and act as an incentive for recruiting new practitioners.
Start by introducing accessible mental health resources, such as providing contact details for counselling or implementing an employee assistance program (EAP) offering employees access to free and confidential coaching and support services.
Regular wellness check-ins with staff can open up opportunities to discuss challenges and identify areas where additional support might be needed. Additionally, recognising and celebrating achievements, whether through team events, awards, or simple acknowledgements during meetings can help build a sense of belonging and value. eyemployee makes it easy to integrate these initiatives, streamline communication, and track staff wellbeing efforts across your nursery.
Open Communication
If you are struggling with how to incentivise staff, open communication can play a vital role. Ask your staff directly how they’d like to be rewarded. Honest communication creates an inclusive culture where employees feel their opinions matter.
Consider holding regular feedback sessions or surveys to gauge what’s working and what needs improvement. By involving your team in decision-making, you create an incentive system tailored to their needs.
eyworks nursery software provides a platform that encourages collaboration and recognition. You can easily create polls and surveys for team members to leave feedback. And with our social newsfeed, staff can gain recognition and appreciation by directly communicating with parents. Positive comments and ‘Love’ reactions from families can serve as small but powerful motivators, reminding staff of the value they bring to children’s lives.
Team Bonding
Fostering a sense of teamwork goes beyond staff meetings, by organising regular bonding activities you can strengthen relationships and create memories. A relaxed dinner, an escape room challenge, or even a nursery garden project can be a great way to bring your team together.
Additionally activities like yoga or meditation sessions after work can promote relaxation and strengthen team connections outside of the nursery setting.
Incentivise your nursery superheroes!
2025 is the year to build stronger connections with your team. If you’re thinking about how to incentivise staff this year, thoughtful initiatives and creating a culture of care will allow you to not only retain top talent but also ensure your nursery is a place where children, staff, and families feel valued. Happy staff, happy nursery!
For more ideas on how to incentivise staff, improve your operations or to explore how eyworks can support your nursery, book a demo or get in touch with our team today.
