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In order to get employee participation, reward their innovative ideas and pay them handsomely for their participation. Hand out money, tickets, gift cards, award plaques or whatever is regarded as valued in front of all the employees when they come up with good ideas that save money for the company.
Do not be cheap; your employees can save you a lot of money. They know where the savings lie because they see them every day. You want them to think in cost saving terms and you are very willing to share those cost savings with them for their participation.
Advertise awards and take their picture. Let all employees know that thinking about, documenting and submitting great savings ideas pays off handsomely. Advertise the dollar amount awarded and specify exactly what was suggested. Take a picture of the employee smiling with cash being handed to him/her. Post this picture in several locations throughout your company. Let everyone know it pays to think. They will have their wife or husband along with the kids contemplating and discussing cost saving ideas.
If an employee cannot write the idea very well, invite him or her to demonstrate their suggestion. Offer to have someone from the office write up the proposal and they can sign it. Have someone keep track of all of the ideas and have a second group of judges review the ideas because even though the idea may be lacking in engineering specifics, the overall concept may be very attractive financially and this is exactly what your company wants.
