- Megan Rafuse
- Chief Operating Officer at Virtira
Incentive plans are often built around numbers – targets, productivity, and performance metrics. But today, those levers alone don’t build culture. People do.
This year, we experimented with something different: weaving personal and professional growth into our incentive structure. The results revealed something every distributed company should consider.
Traditional incentive structures tend to focus on business metrics: revenue, productivity, client engagement, or output. These are important, but they don’t tell the full story of what makes a healthy, high-performing team – especially in a remote environment.
We wanted to try something different:
What happens when part of an incentive plan supports individual growth?
The intent wasn’t to add pressure or tie compensation to corporate KPIs. Instead, we encouraged every team member to choose a measurable goal that genuinely mattered to them – something that would improve their well-being, elevate a skill, or create more balance in their lives.
The response surpassed every expectation.
What emerged from this initiative shifted the way we think about incentive design.
People showed up for themselves
Setting a goal is easy; following through is hard. Yet across the team, we saw commitment fueled by intrinsic motivation rather than obligation.
Personal growth strengthened professional confidence
Completing a meaningful goal—one chosen for individual benefit, not organizational output—brought renewed energy and focus to everyday work.
Sharing progress built connection
When we gathered to reflect on the experience, the conversation sparked inspiration, empathy, and shared celebration. These moments matter deeply in a remote setting.
Incentives became more inclusive
Because every person defined their own goal, the program naturally accommodated different roles, strengths, and life circumstances.
While each goal was unique, several themes emerged. People chose commitments that would help them grow, restore balance, or achieve something long set aside.
We saw goals such as:
The common thread wasn’t the type of goal – it was the intention behind it. Each one was chosen because it mattered personally, not professionally. And when individuals invest in their own growth, the ripple effect across culture and performance is unmistakable.
Remote work demands clarity, autonomy, and trust. Personal-goal incentives support all three.
They encourage agency. Employees choose goals that align with their needs, not mandates from leadership.
They fit the reality of remote work. Distributed teams rely on self-direction, discipline, and personal accountability—the same strengths these goals reinforce.
They build shared momentum across distance. Even when geographically dispersed, working toward parallel commitments creates unity.
They acknowledge the whole person. Remote work blends life and work more than ever. Recognizing personal growth is not only human – it’s strategic.
While our incentive program will continue to evolve each year, one insight is already clear:
Personal-goal incentives are more than a perk – they’re a culture-building tool.
They foster autonomy.
They encourage accountability.
They create shared celebration.
And they help people bring their best selves to work.
In a remote environment, that may be one of the most valuable investments an organization can make.
As we design next year’s program, we’re carrying forward what worked: giving people the space, structure, and encouragement to grow in ways that matter to them.
Because when your team thrives as individuals, your culture thrives – and your business follows.
Q1. What are personal-goal incentives?
Personal-goal incentives are incentive programs that allow employees to set and work toward individual goals that matter to them, rather than tying rewards solely to business performance metrics.
Q2. How do personal-goal incentives support remote work culture?
They reinforce autonomy, accountability, and trust—qualities that are essential for remote teams—while helping employees feel recognized as whole people, not just contributors to output.
Q3. Are personal-goal incentives tied to job performance?
No. In this approach, personal goals are chosen for individual growth and well-being, not as measures of productivity or performance outcomes.
Q4. Why are personal-goal incentives effective for distributed teams?
Because remote teams rely on self-direction and personal accountability, personal-goal incentives naturally strengthen the same skills needed to thrive in a distributed work environment.
Q5. Do personal-goal incentives replace traditional incentive plans?
They don’t replace traditional incentives, but complement them by addressing culture, engagement, and long-term team sustainability alongside business metrics.
