Employee recognition is a crucial component to keep employees motivated and engaged with the organization. Here, we will discuss some creative ways to recognize employees for their accurate attitude and accomplishments.
Here are 4 recognition methods that can fit any organization easily:
- Surprise Treat
- Peer-to-peer recognition
- Offer a token of appreciation
- Dedicate a whole day to recognize
Let’s discuss them in detail.
Surprise Treat
One of the greatest ways to recognize employees is to treat them. This method is effective and can make employees feel appreciated without much complications.
If the leaders recognize a few selected employees or a team, they can invite them to a nice restaurant or cafe. This food place can be one of the prominent ones in the area or preferable by the employees getting recognized.
Leaders can take this opportunity to discuss further organizational goals and how employees fit in with the organization. This will also allow leaders and employees to discuss new strategies and know more about one another.
On the other hand, if the organization wants to treat all employees in the workplace, it can bring out a nearby food truck or ask for a desert place to cater for employees. Ordering burgers and pizzas can work as well in this manner.
In this recognition effort, the company can bring all its employees to a certain area of the workplace at the same time. Therefore, employees get to know each other and have conversations. This allows the company to generate new collaboration ideas and enhance engagement.
We think this idea is creative because companies can easily customize this recognition to fit their culture. Also, it can be utilized to program differently to meet organizational needs.
Peer-to-Peer Recognition
Organizations utilizing peer-to-peer recognition can create a great workplace environment for employees. It encourages the employees to get recognition to replicate their good work while inspiring others to lead by example.
Organizations can dedicate a 10 minute time during the morning briefing to recognize employees for their excellent works and efforts. Thus, all employees in the organization can get to know the appropriate behaviors and metrics while congratulating the recognized employees.
In this recognition method, employees can show gratitude to each other and show support.
Other than manually announcing the recognition, companies can dedicate a break room board, social media platform, or online recognition platform to make the recognition meaningful and immediate.
With this recognition idea, the company can bring out the creativity of all employees in the organization in recognizing others. Therefore, the whole workplace will be familiar with every employee and have a lively work environment.
Offer Token of Appreciation
Offering employees tokens to commemorate their recognition can go a long way in keeping employees motivated and satisfied. It may not cost organizations much but will be meaningful and satisfactory for the employee.
Cards, small decorative pieces, company merchandise, etc., are some of the common ideas to implement. If the organization is willing to offer a budget for this recognition program, managers can distribute trophies, plaques, or certificates as well.
Additionally, if an employee or a team has accomplished something extraordinary, the organization can decorate their workspace to make the event commemorative and announce it all over the organization.
However, in this kind of recognition, the organization should consider the preference of the employee beforehand before distributing the prizes. If the approach or prize doesn’t align with the employee’s taste, it can backfire.
In this recognition method, the organization gives employees something to remember their excellent work. The prize can be used as an example for future reference and inspire to replicate the exact or better results.
Pro Tip: Funny award names can be a great token of appreciation.
Dedicate a Whole Day to Recognize
In addition to daily recognition, organizations can dedicate a day to recognizing employees for their excellent work. This can be a random slow day when there is not too much pressure. Also, the organization can declare a weekday as a holiday and go for outings.
On that day, the company can arrange indoor games and sports where both managers and employees can participate. The winners in those games and sports will be awarded badges or medals to commemorate.
This program can be very fruitful in introducing healthy competition and can work as a good team-building exercise. The employees will get to relax a bit after their big project and can demonstrate their expertise on other things outside of work. Also, it may not cost much for the organization.
If the company can find a budget, it can take its employees outdoors for a picnic or museum visit. It will freshen up their minds and allow them to pick up new interests.
This recognition method is excellent as it gives employees a day to relax from their work and engage all of them together.
Bottom Line
Recognizing employees’ efforts is an important way to show your appreciation for their contributions. While using tried-and-true methods might have yielded results in the past, employing new strategies could result in more productive workers.
The programs listed above can bring outstanding results to any company or organization. Tailor them to fit your company’s culture and the employees’ needs.
Consider implementing an online recognition platform in order to create more innovative employee recognition programs for the organization.
