Now that I am retired and safely out of the work environment, I have been thinking of ideas that can make the work day better for those still toiling away. I was trying to think of a way to get greater employee participation while, also, inspiring employees to both improve their performance and strive to maintain this level throughout the year.

The program is called Grab, Hold and Nudge. The company identifies its five best employees each month. Require all employees to attend a motivation event to be held in a wrestling/boxing ring. Then, from the ceiling, the company drops 1,000 $1 bills. The employees can keep as much as they can Grab and Hold while being free to Nudge the others in the ring to shake loose any of the bills they are holding. At the end of five minutes the employees can keep all the bills in their hand. Any unsecured money would be put into the pot for the following month.

There are several benefits to a program such as this:

1. It encourages everyone to participate because every one could use some extra crash and let’s face it even an extra $20 is worth a little rumble in the ring. Full Employee Participation.
2. Since this would be a monthly event, there would be plenty of time in a year to improve your performance and get that place in the ring. 12 Opportunities Each Year
3. It is a measly $12,000 for all that potential motivation. Surely this could be made up by paring down the annual Summer Picnic or the Winter Party. Maybe skip the free alcohol or the starters menu. Cost Friendly
4. The employees not in the ring would be inspired by all the cash and fun they will see in the ring. Think about all those cheering employees encouraging their friends to grab any unsecured cash while also seeing a tangible benefit what could happen to a good employee. The company could almost charge admission as it would be so exciting to watch. Inspiring
5. But try not to charge as the competitive nature of Grab, Hold and Nudge teaches important behavioral lessons. First it would inspire employees to get in that ring and if that means working just a little bit harder, gosh darn it, I am going to do it. More importantly it shows the advantage of an aggressive and mercenary behavior in a work environment. Let me tell you, nobody will forget seeing the scramble for cash and the necessary skills you need to pocket all that money. It is difficult to be cut throat until you see the advantages of being cut throat and let me tell you five minutes watching people fighting for cash is worth more than a day of people skills training. Training and Development.
6. Most of all it would bring a little fun for the audience and a little blood pumping exercise for the contestants. Your employees will be talking about each event and looking forward to the next month’s entertainment. Fun

Two cautionary notes. Grab, Hold and Nudge does not necessarily transfer to countries more dependent on coin currency than paper currency. For example, dropping one thousand pound coins from the ceiling in the UK could create a situation akin to the first twenty minutes of Saving Private Ryan. Nobody wants a blood bath so you might test this out first because coins can easily become bullets depending upon the height you drop them from. Just find a few stray cats and dogs, put them in the ring and see how to diminish any possible carnage from the coins.

There also is a slight chance that overly enthusiastic audiences members might rush the perimeter for any cash that might slip off the ring. I have found putting a moat surrounding the ring as an easy deterrent. If your company has a lot of minimum wage employees, you might think about adding some barbed wire to the moat as most people won’t risks the cuts and bruises acquired from such an impediment. Otherwise enjoy all of the fun this new inspiring program will bring to your workplace.

Good luck and let me know your thoughts on this innovative new program.