Managers might think that all employees ever want is a pay raise, but did you know there are ways to improve office happiness beyond raises and promotions? In the latest Mediabistro feature, workplace experts weigh in on the ways you can boost morale, loyalty and productivity without breaking the bank. Below, an excerpt:

1. Appreciation
When it comes to what employees want from a boss, appreciation is number one. Leadership consultant Roxana Hewertson, CEO of the Highland Consulting Group, says appreciation drives self-esteem, happiness and loyalty. “The number one difference between people who love their work and people who don’t is the degree of appreciation they receive from their boss and their peers,” said Hewertson.

But don’t just take her word for it. Get more tips in What Employees Really Want From Their Bosses (Besides a Raise). [subscription required]

Okay, we admit that productivity can be a combination of streamlining tasks, waking up earlier,and not answering messages during the day.

Well, according to an Entrepreneur piece, specific scents by boost your productivity as well! Consider this: The sense of smell is the strongest sense and can apparently influence brain activity.

In fact, Beverley Hawkins, owner of the Vancouver-based West Coast Institute of Aromatherapy, explained to the site, ”Essential oils have anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties and using them in an environment where there are a lot of people can help to keep germs at bay.” Read more

As we try to figure out how to be more productive with our technology and of course our time, writer Scott Young recommends creating two lists to boost productivity.

Essentially, one list focuses on what you must accomplish today and the other list focuses on weekly to do items.

In a Lifehacker post, he recommended moving items from the weekly list to the daily list as the week progresses. Here’s the kicker: As you’re working, only focus on the daily items. When the day is done, so is your list but he indicated if your daily list always has items leftover that trickle into the next day, you’re biting more than you can chew.

He wrote, “Set fewer goals and actually finish them. Easy, right? Unfortunately, almost nobody takes my advice! They claim that they have to get that work done, so they can’t possibly set a smaller to-do list. Instead, of setting smaller goals, they continue creating to-do lists they can’t possibly finish.” Read more

There are some days when job news is just — how shall we put this? — a bit bland. We admit, this post is one of ‘em.

According to the Labor Department, worker productivity increased by 1.6 percent from April through June.

So, how is productivity determined, you ask? According to USA Today, the Labor Department classifies it as the amount of output per hour worked. An increased productivity could be assessed one of two ways: First, it could show an increased workload and thereby eventually demonstrate a need to hire more employees due to an increased workload. Read more

If the Olympics have been a solid distraction from working the past week or so, you’re not alone.

Apparently, they’re so popular in City Hall in Los Angeles that employees have been asked to curtail watching the Summer Games during office hours!

According to The Los Angeles Times, Randi Levin, the chief technology officer, sent an e-mail to city employees and asked them to stop watching online at work. Read more

And by procrastinating we also mean distracting yourself with Olympics coverage which can suck you right away from deadlines and other work deliverables.

According to a post on U.S. News & World Report, Rebecca Thorman wrote, get clarification. “Get clear on what you’re supposed to do. Figure out the desired end result and whether there are preferred formats or processes you should use to get there.”

Secondly, along with clarity comes writing. Could you write out each step in tremendous detail and then tackle the least favorite one first? In other words, she pointed out in the piece, “Do the worst first.” (So yes, this graph actually combines reasons two and three in a pretty red bow.)

It’ll give you a sense of accomplishment plus, when you’re bound to procrastinate later on you won’t feel so darn guilty. Of course, the element of time may be factored into play as well. If the most difficult task ends up taking more time than anticipated, at least you’ll have additional time afterward in case it spills into later hours. The contrary is a bit bleak; tackling the tough tasks later on means you could be tired, unclear, and also running out of time.

For another tactic, you can tackle the easiest one first. Reach for the low hanging fruit if the most difficult one creates agita; you’ll gain momentum as you begin crossing things off your list.

Lastly, and we really like this one, work less! Take a break, walk outside, get a breath of fresh air.

Thorman wrote, “Working too much is counter-productive and breeds resentment. Take a break and enjoy a view of the world that’s not blocked by your computer screen. Even a 15-minute walk down your stairwell and back can give you enough energy to get motivated.”

It’s that time of year — you know it too well. Vacation days are accumulating in the time bank and it’s summer so you might as well take them yet it’s hard to tear yourself away from the office.

According to Joe Robinson, founder of the Work to Live campaign and author of Work to Live, taking vacation is incredibly important.

He told The New York Post, “Vacations are as important as watching our cholesterol and getting exercise.”

Need proof? He pointed out in the piece that taking vacations decrease heart attack risk in men by 30 percent; women who take more than one vacation each year decrease that same risk by 50 percent. Read more

A new study published by the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences at the University of California – Irvine revealed that being cut off from email during the work day reduces stress levels and focus.

This merely adds further proof as to how distracting (and dare we say addicting?) it is to constantly check your in-box and smart phone.

Researchers from the University of California, Irvine and the U.S. Army asked subjects to stop checking messages at work. Keeping in mind it was a rather small study with 13 subjects in total, employees without email access reported they felt better about doing their job and staying on task. Plus, there were less interruptions throughout the day. Here’s the scoop… Read more

Ah, we know the situation all too well. Get a cup of coffee, check emails, flip over to Facebook, back to emails, next thing you know it’s noon.

Well, according to Laura Vanderkam, author of What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast: A Short Guide to Making Over Your Mornings – and Life, the morning is the quintessential time to be productive.

She explained to The New York Post, “First, people are less likely to interrupt you. Second, research into willpower finds that your ability to have self-discipline is strongest in the morning after a good night’s sleep. It gets depleted over the course of the day as we make decisions and as we deal with annoying colleagues and bickering children.”

So, what can you do to think big before getting pulled into a meeting that wasn’t on your calendar? Read more

Tick tock goes the clock.

On a slow work day like today when many people scurry out of the office or grab a quick lunch before they head out the door, some of us are bound to our desks much to our chagrin. That is, until the end of the work day you’re trapped.

When you stop to think about it though, it’s not all that bad. It’s probably more quiet as the day continues and technically, it creates an opportunity to go through that in box.

According to a piece posted by The Daily Muse, there are several ways to be productive on an otherwise non-productive day.

1. Create a succession plan. For starters, you can take your job description and outline tasks per month. As an example, perhaps you create an editorial calendar on the first Monday of every month, reconcile freelance invoices every other Tuesday, that kind of thing. The purpose of this task is to create a work flow document so when the day comes that you leave your job and your mind is frazzled, you won’t have to do it then.

2. Get organized! For most of us, this means organizing that overflowing in box with countless emails. While you’re at it, create new folders or start deleting old ones which are no longer relevant. Just don’t get too caught up in a delete key frenzy — be sure to save anything involving HR or employee issues, thank you messages from colleagues, and detailed process issues so you won’t have to recreate the wheel the next time you need to send out a lengthy message.

3.  Read. After all, it’s fundamental! Even though you may already be online 24/7 as you create new stories and headlines, why not take some time to read articles about leadership, careers or trend pieces about the media. When all is said and done, chances are you’ll enjoy the much needed downtime that is technically productive at its very own pace — your own.