Top Landscaping Employee Incentives for Business Growth

Employee incentives are key in landscaping, where retaining top talent and productivity is everything for long-term company growth.

Offering creative and effective rewards increases job satisfaction, reduces turnover, and motivates people to work harder.

This guide helps landscaping business owners learn how to incentivize their teams, from crew members to supervisors, to foster a stronger company culture, higher productivity, and better bottom line. 

Why are employee incentives important?

Retaining good lawn care employees is a big problem for landscaping businesses. 

Unfortunately, the role’s physical demands, seasonal fluctuations, and competition for top talent can lead to high turnover rates. This instability can affect your company's:

• Productivity

• Job site efficiency

• Profitability

Incentives are the solution for:

✓ Motivating team members

✓ Building loyalty

✓ Creating a positive company culture

Incentivized employees will deliver better-quality work and be more engaged in their roles. Implementing incentive programs like training, travel incentives, and flexitime options will increase employee engagement and motivation.

Incentives also attract landscape professionals looking for a rewarding work environment, reducing recruitment costs. 

Enhanced Productivity

Good work rewards crew members and supervisors to meet or surpass production targets.

Keep team focus and accountability with bonuses for:

• Completing jobs under budget

• Accurate reporting of job site completion

• Meeting gross margin targets

A motivated team gets jobs done faster and has more capacity for additional lawn care work, such as mowing and mulching. Effective incentives can increase productivity, morale, and overall business success.

Reduced Turnover

Turnover disrupts workflow and increases recruitment and training costs.

Retain your top talent with incentives like:

• Profit sharing

• Hourly rate bonuses

• PTO programs 

Profit-sharing programs share a portion of the company’s profits with employees through retirement contributions or direct payments to create a sense of ownership and loyalty.

Workplace benefits like this show employees they’re valued, making them less likely to leave for other lawn care companies.

Higher Job Satisfaction and Loyalty

Incentivized landscaping employees are more loyal to the company. Incentives are key to increasing employee engagement by providing opportunities for development, recognition, and feedback to create a committed workforce. 

Consider offering perks like: 

• Gift cards

• Extra time off 

• Recognition programs

A positive company culture means fewer callouts and stronger team cohesion.

By implementing well-designed employee incentives, landscaping business owners can overcome retention challenges to improve performance and profit.

What are the different types of employee incentives?

Incentives come in two forms: monetary and non-monetary. Both are important for motivating landscaping employees and creating a work culture that drives productivity, retention, and satisfaction.

Understanding how incentives work is key to increasing engagement and success. 

Monetary Incentives

Monetary rewards affect employees’ income, making them very effective motivators. 

A well-designed financial incentive program can increase employee motivation by addressing individual needs and wants.

• Offer performance-based bonuses when employees meet production targets, complete lawn care jobs under budget, or achieve high customer satisfaction. These incentives will motivate crew members to work efficiently and deliver results.

• Establish a profit-sharing program to tie employee efforts to the company’s success and keep landscape professionals at all levels of the business focused on the bottom line.

• Reward hard work by increasing hourly rates for top-performing landscaping employees. Gradual pay increases build loyalty and reduce turnover in your lawn care business.

Non-Monetary Incentives

Non-monetary rewards create long-term value by increasing job satisfaction, career growth, and overall employee satisfaction. Unlike monetary incentives, they can also increase workplace engagement and recognition, making employees feel valued and more committed to the company.

• Recognize hard work through recognition programs and awards, such as “Employee of the Month,” social media shoutouts, or team recognition at meetings. Public recognition increases morale, builds a positive company culture, and increases employee satisfaction.

• Offer skill development and training such as certification programs or workshops to help employees develop professionally. These initiatives increase their skills and your landscaping company’s capacity.

• Create clear career advancement paths for promotion in the lawn care industry so that staff can become full-time supervisors or designers. Employees who see opportunities to grow are more likely to stay engaged.

By combining monetary and non-monetary incentives, landscaping businesses can motivate and retain employees and foster a happy work environment.

What are the top landscaping employee business incentives for 2025?

In 2025, landscaping businesses must innovate to retain top talent and increase productivity. 

Business owners can build loyalty and company culture by making employees feel valued and motivated by implementing incentives that meet their needs. 

1. Wellness Programs

Wellness programs cover physical and mental well-being, productivity, and morale.

• Offer mental health support through counseling sessions or app-based solutions.

• Provide gym memberships or fitness reimbursement to keep landscaping employees active and healthy.

• Host mindfulness or stress management workshops to help team members handle challenging job sites.

• Prioritizing employee wellness means happier, healthier crews and team leaders who perform better.

2. Team-Building Events

Team-building events strengthen relationships among crew members and promote collaboration. Rewarding the whole team can also build collaboration, strengthen relationships, and create a positive work environment.

• Host retreats or fun days out, such as a sponsored sports team, to build relationships.

• Plan regular team lunches to celebrate and build trust.

• Get crew leaders involved in planning events so they align with team interests.

• Use these to build company culture and communication.

3. Professional Development Opportunities

Investing in employee growth benefits both the team and the business.

• Provide access to landscaping certifications, workshops, and online courses.

• Pay for employees to attend industry conferences or events.

• Develop mentorship programs with experienced landscape designers and new hires.

• Encourage lifelong learning to help team members upskill.

• Professional development motivates and improves your landscaping company’s service.

4. On-Site Rewards and Celebrations

Public recognition boosts morale and retention, while rewarding employees can increase engagement and performance. Consider how you can incorporate the following into your company culture:

• Monthly celebrations, lunch, or breakfast for top performing crews.

• Gift cards or company-branded swag for outstanding team members.

• Points-based recognition programs where employees can earn redeemable points for various rewards.

• Recognition in on-site meetings in front of peers.

• Spot bonuses for exceeding production targets or positive customer feedback.

• Referral bonuses for recommending high-caliber job candidates.

• A culture of appreciation to build engagement and loyalty.

5. Paid Time Off (PTO) Bonuses

Employees with a balanced workload feel more valued and committed. Extra time off is a valuable non-monetary reward that can improve morale and employee retention. Consider awarding

• Extra PTO days are needed to achieve seasonal production targets, especially during the busy spring and summer.

• Flexible PTO scheduling to accommodate employee needs such as appointments and family emergencies.

• Use PTO incentives to recognize consistent attendance and punctuality.

Market PTO bonuses as a key benefit that differentiates you from your competition.

6. Seasonal Performance Bonuses

Seasonal bonuses keep teams motivated during busy periods and can reduce turnover during the spring and summer with long shifts and extreme weather.

• Reward crew members for mowing or maintenance targets in peak months.

• Pay bonuses quickly to keep momentum and trust.

• Tie bonuses to key metrics, like callbacks or gross margin.

• Build collaboration and morale by awarding both individual and team bonuses.

Using these incentives attracts,  motivates, and retains the best talent in the industry. They will directly impact your bottom line by improving team performance and loyalty.

What are some tips for implementing employee incentives?

Implementing employee incentives requires planning and communication. Design your program to provide the most value for the company while aligning it with your business goals and employee needs. 

Use the tips below to build retention, productivity, and satisfaction.

1. Start with Clear Objectives

Define the objectives of your incentive program before you launch.

What do you want to improve?

• Retention?

• Productivity? 

• Team morale? 

An effective incentive plan will help you achieve those specific goals. Align the program with your landscaping business's overall strategy, like reducing callbacks or meeting production targets.

→ Clear goals mean your efforts will target measurable results.

2. Communicate Clearly with Your Team

Keep employees informed of the program structure and benefits through: 

• Team meetings

• Emails 

• On-site announcements

Show examples of how each staff member can meet performance standards and earn PTO or share profits.

→ Transparency breeds engagement and trust.

3. Keep the Program Fair and Transparent

Design a program that treats all employees equally by basing incentives on measurable criteria, such as:

• Gross margin

• Production goals

• Attendance

A fair system prevents confusion and promotes team unity. Employees always know their eligibility for rewards.

4. Use Employee Feedback

Use employee input to make it impactful.

• Conduct surveys or one-on-one discussions to get feedback.

• Find out what incentives your team likes, like gift cards or skill development.

Tailoring rewards to their preferences will increase participation and effectiveness.

5. Regularly Review and Adjust

Monitor the program’s performance and adjust as needed.

• Use real-time data to track progress, such as Aspire’s reporting tools with data visualizations and drill-down dashboards.

• See where incentives are the most impactful on employee performance.

Regular reviews will keep the program current and aligned with business goals.

6. Set Measurable Goals

Define clear KPIs to measure success, such as tracking metrics like:

• Job site efficiency

• Turnover rates

• Team performance

Use tracked data to adjust incentives or expand on what’s working.

→ Measurable targets mean your incentive program will deliver.

A well-designed incentive program will keep your landscaping business competitive and your employees motivated. Regular reviews and employee input will ensure that the program evolves to work for you.

How can Aspire help with employee incentives?

Aspire’s landscape business software changes how landscaping companies operate by connecting and streamlining end-to-end processes and providing unparalleled visibility into job costs, operational efficiency, and profitability. 

With powerful tools to improve operations and transparency, Aspire allows business owners to recognize and reward hard work to boost team morale and retain employees. 

Using real-time data, efficient tools, and easy-to-use platforms, Aspire enables office leadership to see real-time gross margins, making it immediately recognizable when teams deliver on time and under budget.

Real-Time Reporting and Analytics

• Aspire’s reporting tools show job performance and gross margin.

• Use that data to build data-driven incentive plans tied to measurable results.

• Use real-time updates to show employees how their work impacts the business.

Crew Management Tools

• Simplify communication between field crews and office staff to track hours and job progress with the Aspire Mobile app.

• Get accurate data for performance reviews and incentive payouts.

• Transparent records and geofenced clock-in/clock-out build trust with landscaping employees.

Job Costing Capabilities

• Track labor and material costs to measure performance against standards.

• See who the high-performing staff are to put in profit-sharing programs.

• Job costing will ensure your incentive programs align with your landscaping business’s profit margins.

Scheduling and Dispatching

• Assign tasks and track job site progress in real time.

• Recognize and reward top performers by tying incentives to completed schedules.

• Drag-and-drop, cloud-based scheduling tools increase productivity and accountability by instantly syncing with the mobile app in the field. 

Mobile Accessibility

• Give team members mobile access to schedules, job details, and performance metrics.

• Let employees track their progress towards incentives like PTO or bonuses.

• Transparency will engage and motivate employees to hit production targets.

Aspire’s tools will not only make implementing employee incentives easy but will make them effective.

It’s your turn now

Employee incentives are a powerful way to increase the landscape industry's productivity, retention, and morale. 

Incentives, such as additional PTO and profit-sharing bonuses, help business owners attract and retain top talent while motivating their teams.

Combining monetary and non-monetary rewards will create a balanced program that meets employee needs and drives your bottom line. Tools like Aspire will make it easy to track performance, reward achievements, and adjust for maximum impact.

Implementing incentives shows your landscaping employees that you appreciate their work. They’ll be more engaged, loyal, and committed to delivering outstanding results.

Explore more ways to grow your landscaping company or learn about avoiding common pitfalls.

Ready to simplify your incentive program and achieve success? Book a free demo with Aspire today and take the next step toward a thriving business.