Win Prizes Online At Work!

Need a new way to motivate employees? Have them play Vegas-style games in their cubicles. Snowfly, a Laramie, Wyo., consulting company, is marketing a corporate-incentive system in which employees get game tokens when they hit performance objectives. They then use the tokens—actually electronic codes—in online games of chance that can yield bonuses of up to $50, or benefits like extra time off. Clients like Regence BlueCross BlueShield in Portland, Ore., say the quick-playing games have improved both the bottom line and their ability to retain good workers.

Snowfly was founded by Brooks Mitchell, a University of Wyoming management professor and behavior scientist who says workers are motivated by frequent rewards. The elegance of the incentive system is that giving employees a few bucks each time they do something right might seem cheesy. But "10 chances to win hundreds!"—while you're on the job—is an incentive that any cubicle jockey can surely appreciate.

-Linda Stern

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