Having an employee recognition programme is important for every organisation and it pays dividends in the long term. Happy employees deliver better results for your company. Rewarding your staff, honouring their achievements and recognising hard work is becoming increasingly important for staff retention in an increasingly competitive recruitment market.
So what’s the best way to celebrate your employees, rewarding both big and small wins? We’ve prepared a list for you that may help. These are our Top 20 cost-effective ways of recognising your employees’ successes.
- Say Thank you
Sounds too easy? Simply saying thank you to your employees goes a long way and letting them know their efforts have been noticed, making them feel appreciated and recognised for their work. When was the last time you said thank you?
- Celebrate those Happy Birthdays
Never forget a birthday, it’s a great way to make staff feel special and a key part of the team. A birthday card and a cake is the perfect way to celebrate with your employees putting them in the spotlight and let’s be honest, who doesn’t love cake?
- Reward your staff members for their interests outside of work
For instance, you can send employees a subscription to a magazine that they are interested in to show your appreciation of their hard work and dedication in the past year.
- Celebrate your employees’ achievements at work
Whether you will create a special award that goes to the top salespeople, designers, marketing gurus, or simply rising stars, celebrating your employees’ achievements is important. If someone has gone above and beyond to deliver results, give them a shout-out and make it public. Let everyone know that hard work is recognised in your workplace. A trophy is a perfect reward as it’s a daily reminder of how much your employer values your efforts.
- Offer extended lunch breaks or an extra day off to employees who have stayed to work late.
We all know that finishing off projects on time is quite important and often employees will stay late to complete their work. If this happens on a regular basis say thank you by offering them extended lunch breaks, a chance to go home early or maybe even an extra day off for all the additional work they have put in. Don’t let it go unnoticed and appreciate their efforts.
- Establish an Employee of the Month Award
Having an Employee of the Month award will definitely boost competition and motivate your staff to work smarter to win the award. Nothing beats the feeling of winning an award.
- Always share good testimonials with your team
We love when clients leave testimonials for our services, however how often do you remember to share those with your team? Sharing clients’ feedback will go a long way to make your staff feel appreciated and proud of their work.
- Nominate your employees for rising star awards in your industry.
Whether you are working in marketing, sales, recruitment or real estate, there are industry award ceremonies for almost every sector. Nominating your staff members for different awards will show your faith in them and how proud you are of their achievements.
- Send your employees to courses that will help them develop and progress.
There are different qualifications your employees might want to obtain to improve their skills. Help them do that by sending them to courses or assist them with certifications that will advance their capabilities and motivate them to achieve more.
- Track their wins and go public with their achievements and your appreciation.
Showing your appreciation for someone’s achievements and celebrating their success publicly signifies respect and recognition.
- Give your employees real choice and a real voice
Trust your employees on how to improve internal processes and improve communication. You hired them for a reason.
- Treats, just because
Bring cakes into work just because it’s Friday or you have closed a new deal that will bring new opportunities for your employees and for the company. Or simply because it has been a busy week with a lot of late nights.
- Do not miss the anniversaries and acknowledge long-serving staff members.
Recognising long-serving members of staff is important. It shows that as a manager, you appreciate loyalty and all their hard work and contributions throughout the years. A great way to show your appreciation is with a Long Service Award. It reminds your employees of their value to the company and a bespoke crystal award that is personalised with their name puts your employee truly in the spotlight.
- Encourage mentoring
Emails and phones are fine but occasionally in-person meetings are crucial to a healthy work environment. Encourage mentoring and motivate employees to help each other and give guidance where they can.
- Recognise non-work achievements.
You probably have staff members on your team that are doing incredible things outside of work. Some people volunteer, others excel at sports and take part in marathons because they enjoy the thrill or because they want to support a particular cause. Show them your support and acknowledge their hard work.
- Got any dogs?
Yes, you heard us right. Have you noticed the increase of office dogs in recent years? Not to mention the number of likes and shares they get on social media. Allow your employees to bring their dogs for some days and watch the euphoria at the office.
- Learn about your employees
Spend time with your staff members and find out what motivates them, what drives them and what’s important to them. This will be the key to realising their potential and keeping them as an employee.
- Try random acts of fun and organise team building activities
Pizza for everyone on a Friday, bowling challenge or rock climbing at the weekend? Find something people can enjoy and organise it.
- Gaming goes a long way
Google often comes to mind when people are talking about company perks. Sleeping pods, ping pong tables, gaming stations, they have it all. How about starting with a staff room where people can have their lunch and play a game or two?
- Create a column in your newsletter that celebrates your employees’ achievements.
Brag about your employees’ successes. This will make them feel special and appreciated and give them the confidence to achieve even more.