Some ideas from Bob Nelson, author of “1001 Ways to Reward Employees,” on how managers can recognize employees for a job well done.

• Write at least five personal thank-yous on Post-It notes and hide them among an employee’s papers on his or her desk.
• Name a space after a worthy worker, such as the “Sally Jones Corridor.”
• Splurge and offer to pay a really excellent employee’s mortgage for a month.
• Bring an employee a week’s worth of bagged lunches.
• Pay for a house-cleaning service.
• Give a day off to go to the beach.
• Pay for a magazine subscription.

Nelson, then vice president of product development and publications at Blanchard Training and Development in Escondido, Calif., also related the story of WordPerfect Corporation President Alan Ashton, who offered to take his 600 employees and their spouses on a week’s vacation in Hawaii if the company doubled its sales for the year. Sales doubled. Off they went.