Looking for a new way to motivate your employees? Want to reward them for a job well done but don’t have the cash to give them a bonus? Look to the winners of the Top Small Workplaces 2008 contest (sponsored by the Wall Street Journal) for innovative ideas on creating the perfect workplace. From the predictable (institute a recognition program) to the wacky (soccer break, anyone?), the 15 companies on this list have figured out how to find and keep qualified employees.

The best part: Most of their ideas don’t require spending gobs of money. So there’s no excuse not to put a few of them to the test in your business today.