By Arina Smith
Nothing makes your team more productive than employee recognition. It’s easy to forget about how hard they work, and it can lead to hurt feelings and other negative responses.
Keeping everyone happy can be easy and it is nice to point out individuals who have really contributed, as well as the whole team. Plus, knowing there are prizes available can stir up a little friendly competition, which keeps people engaged and productive.
There are so many great employee recognition ideas for you to use that is very effective and will come back to you tenfold. We will look at seven ways you can show your employees you care and appreciate them.
Here are 7 Employee Recognition Ideas Your Team Will Love:
1. Fun Day:
This doesn’t have to be a big thing, but it will give everyone something to look forward to. You could plan a fun day once a month, or once a week. This could be Pizza Friday and depending on the type of work you do, including some adult beverages.
It could be a free afternoon where you all go out for a long lunch, and not come back. You could let all the employees just leave for lunch and not come back, as well.
There could be video game contests or afternoons, catered lunch or breakfast, with extra time to enjoy it or just a few hours set aside each week for some social time to just let people talk about their lives, their vacations or show off pictures of their kids, their dogs or their dinner last night.
2. Money Talks:
No one says no to more money. Cash incentives are an effective way to increase productivity and engage employees. It doesn’t have to be a lot. it doesn’t even have to be cash, but a monetary bonus that doesn’t get taxed is nice.
There are other ways you can keep people productive with cash incentives. It’s nice to spread it around, so maybe have hidden prizes throughout the month for people or certain tasks that get completed, that are kept secret until found.
Some other fun ideas are:
- Free gas or subway tokens
- Theatre or movie tickets
- Tickets to sporting events
- Vouchers for restaurants
- Paid day off
There are many ways you can incorporate things that are tailored to your particular business.
3. Awards:
Framed pictures on the wall of fame, for employees of the month. A trophy or plaque that has the name or accomplishment for the winner. It can be a commemorative coin or voucher, or even a tee shirt or hat for them to keep. You can get more ideas for that on this website.
Tangible prizes are always nice, and it could be a trophy that gets to live on the winner’s desk for a month and all the bragging rights. it could be some sort of figurine or a model of the company mascot.
4. Thank You:
Say it loud and say it often. Small words of encouragement and gratitude are far-reaching. Say thank you in front of the other employees and it will encourage them to say it to each other.
It is two small words but they mean a lot. It’s easy for employees to feel left out or invisible, so shout out to them often. You can post it all over your social media platforms, as well, so your customers know.
It shows not only your employees but your customers that you care and are making an effort. People like to do business where they know people care and where people are treated well.
5. Treats:
Small treats, whether expected or a surprise are always welcome. Chocolate Wednesday, ice cream Monday, get creative. Maybe just a nice box of donuts in the morning or an assortment of pastries or cookies for an afternoon coffee break.
Even just having a supply of different snack food available every day for people to choose from, like potato chips, peanuts, or some types of hard candy or other sweets. People can take them to their workstation to enjoy while they work.
6. Birthday Bash:
A special treat on someone’s birthday is a special occasion and everyone gets one. It’s a great way to have a social event without a lot of fuss or distraction. You can order a cake or treats, go out for lunch for the birthday or have lunch or meal catered or delivered.
It makes people feel remembered and that is a nice treat for employees without it really being work-related. It still makes people feel special and a few cards, some cake and a bit of downtime to have cake and coffee is a nice way to connect to employees and for employees to connect to each other.
7. Work Off-Site:
If you have a small enough team you can plana workday away from the office. This can be at a cafe or restaurant, or anywhere you can all sit together to work and access the internet if you need to.
You can also offer a day to work from home to people, which is always appreciated and can make for a nice, long weekend away from the office while still keeping them productive and engaged.
Applause, Please!
Rewarding your employees, even just a thank you and pat on the back has proven to increase productivity and staff morale. people need to feel appreciated and it really takes very little to do so.
A happy employee also means less sick days, better team players, and overall employee loyalty to the company and their supervisors. it keeps people happy and it leaves open the door for further communications.
A positive workplace is just a healthier workplace and it keeps people there longer and keeps productivity up. It isn’t always easy to find a perfect balance, in particular when there are going to be people there that you just don’t like.
But it’s up to you to keep the balance, keep the peace and try to keep all the moving parts, moving. Here is more information that you may find useful.
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