A study conducted by a Duke University psychology professor proves something we've known all along: pizza is an effective motivator. In his upcoming book, Professor Dan Ariely went to a factory in Israel, divided its employees into four groups and then provided each group with a different form of motivation to improve productivity. The first group was told they would receive a congratulatory text from their boss at the end of the week. Group number two was promised a $30 bonus. Group three (our personal favorite group) was promised a free pizza coupon. And the last group, which served as the control group, wasn't told anything.
At the end of it all, it turns out the promise of a "well done!" text from the boss actually had the most success in improving productivity. But pizza was a close second! And it definitely beat out the promise of a cash bonus, which surprisingly decreased productivity levels by the end of the week.
So yea, technically words of praise are all workers need to do their best. But if your boss asks, tell them it takes praise and pizza. I mean, hey, the promise of a hot pie didn't hurt!