34 Examples of Incentives

John Spacey, March 15, 2023

Incentives are rewards for actions, behavior, performance or results. These are prominently offered to employees to aid in recruiting, retention and to try to increase performance. Incentives are also commonly offered to customers and are built into systems such as societies, markets, cultures and schools whereby acting the expected way may be rewarded. The following are illustrative examples of incentives.

Adventure and exploration e.g. opportunity to travel	Authority
Autonomy	Challenging work or experiences
Comfort e.g. being allowed to work from home	Convenience e.g. free shipping
Creative opportunities	Earning a higher position in a hierarchy
Epic experiences	Freedom
Fun e.g. a workplace with entertaining team building events and activities	Growth opportunities
Honor	Improved quality of life
Improved working conditions	Influence
Intellectual stimulation	Learning opportunities
Mastery e.g. being given the opportunities required to grow in your profession	Monetary rewards
Opportunities for self-fulfillment	Power
Praise	Prestige
Recognition	Reduced toil
Reduced stress	Reduced workload
Respect	Safety and security e.g. a pension
Social inclusion and a sense of belonging	Social status
Stability e.g. a professor who wants to achieve tenure	Wellness e.g. more time off