Anticipation of rapid feedback improves performance almost any event or task because it increases the positive experience of the task and increases motivation and persistence. This suggests the timing of a reward may matter more for intrinsic motivation than the size of the reward or possibly that a series of smaller, more frequent bonuses throughout the year could motivate employees more than a larger end-of-the-year bonus.

Many view an incentive delayed as an incentive denied!

Don’t forget, nothing disengages your team members more than predictability. As much as employees say they enjoy working from home, many of them are tired of balancing child care and work responsibilities. They’re weary of constantly preparing meals at home or ordering takeout that’s lukewarm when it arrives. When they hear that there’s another quarterly all-hands meeting, they know they won’t be in the office sharing jokes with colleagues or enjoying lunch brought in from their favorite deli. They’re probably also dreading sitting alone in their home workspace and watching slide after slide of data that doesn’t matter much to them.