Make your employees feel extra-special with a creative rewards program.
Did you know that 50% of employees believe increased recognition would reduce voluntary turnover?
Companies with a solid recognition strategy see an increase in employee morale, higher productivity and lower turnover rates. Employee recognition is all about acknowledging the hard work and accomplishments of individuals & teams within your organization.
Rewards programs do not have to be complex or expensive. There are a wide variety of recognition ideas that range based on budget, company size and complexity. Here are a few of our favorite recognition ideas that are destined to be a hit at your company:
Rotating Trophy
As a company, decide upon a trophy or figurine to pass around the office. To begin, the team decides on someone to receive the trophy who went above & beyond or exemplified a company value. That individual then passes it along to one of their peers who has met the same criteria. This is a great way to facilitate peer-to-peer recognition.
Acts-of-Service Auction
At your next company party, give everyone play money to use at an “auction”. The auction items should be small, personal things the management team is willing to do the winning bidder: pay for a car wash, bake treats, cook a meal, do certain tasks of the employee’s job, babysit, etc.
Prize tokens
Whenever you see someone doing something great give them a token. Employees can then trade in the tokens for prizes: gift card, company apparel, etc. Or you could award points for things such as punctuality or getting projects completed early. The points can be redeemed for prizes or privileges such as leaving early one day or getting to dress down.
Thank You Notes
Expand your recognition outside of the office by sending thank you notes to employee’s home addresses. These handwritten notes can acknowledge any superior work that is noticed by management. What makes these special is that the employee’s family gets to be involved in the recognition process.
Out-of-Office Outing
Give your team a change of scenery by rewarding them with an out-of-office outing. Outings give everyone time to enjoy each other’s company in a different environment and content. This reward could be lunch with the team, bowling, volunteering, karaoke, outdoors adventures, or any group activity that your team would find enjoyable. The possibilities are endless!
Recognition Apps like Bonusly
Every month employees get a small electronic allowance to give out to their coworkers in small increments to recognize great work on a timeline feed. Giving a recognition “bonus” is quick and easy – all you do is include an amount, recipient, reason for awarding and a hashtag. With the bonus, employees can shop Bonusly’s built-in rewards from companies such as Amazon, Starbucks, Apple, Nike, Target and many others.
Other Recognition Ideas:
- Recognize employee’s personal accomplishments
- Lunch with a senior manager or CEO
- Treats on Friday after a particularly hard week
- Company apparel
- Lottery tickets
- Happy hour
- PTO on your birthday after one year of employment
- Monthly newsletter kudos section
- Order a catered lunch
- Support a cause that they are passionate about
- Recognize individuals committed to personal health and wellness
- VIP parking space
- Post a special shoutout on your company’s social media accounts
- Early release
- Late start
- Work from home day
- Bring your pet to work day
- Pick the music
What ways do you recognize your employees? Share your most popular reward programs in the comments below!
Sources: Tiny Pulse, You Earned It, Get Bambu, Insperity
By: Rebecca Clausen