Carrot-and-stick treatment is a popular idiom that refers to the use of a combination of rewards and punishment to motivate someone. In business, it is often used to describe the use of incentives and consequences to encourage employees to perform well. Other synonyms for this phrase include the following: reward and punishment approach, incentive-based management, positive and negative reinforcement, balance of incentives and sanctions, and the combination of carrot and stick. These alternative phrases highlight the same principle of using both encouragement and consequences to motivate individuals to perform to the best of their abilities, whether in the workplace or other aspects of life.