Recognition is the most important motivator for 37% of employees. What is one unique way your company recognizes its employees for a job well done?
To help you improve your employee recognition and company culture, we asked business professionals and leaders this question for their insights. From sponsoring conference attendance to providing company lunches, there are several employee appreciation ideas to help boost employee morale and show that hard work doesn’t go unnoticed.
Here are nine unique employee recognition ideas:
1. Support Charities of Their Choosing
One unique way our company recognizes employees for a job well done is by offering charity donations to an organization of the employee's choice. Whenever our creative team designs a new event, we typically allow the creator to choose an adjacent organization and make a generous contribution on behalf of the team member in the company.
For example, for Women's History Month, we donate to a woman's charity, and so on. We find this to be a powerful gesture that makes team members feel a sense of doing good both for the company and the wider world.
Michael Alexis, TeamBuilding
2. Give Out Gift Packages
After great work on successful campaigns, we like to give out Etsy gift packages to all of our team members. We let our employees pick out the type of gift they want after sending a few options. It is so fun to see the excitement each team member has when completing a goal and continuing their success.
Olivia Young, Conscious Items
3. Sponsor Conference Attendance
Every team member looks for an opportunity to travel and head off on work trips. Recognize your employees on a job well done by sending them to a conference they may have been wanting to attend related to work or professional development. This benefits your company and your team members.
Michael Jankie, Natural Patch
4. Engage In ‘Employee Of The Month’
One great way to recognize employees and improve employee engagement is to implement an Employee Of The Month award. Some ideas for the employee of the month can be a shoutout on social media, free company swag, or a gift card of their choosing. This recognition idea also allows for customization as upper management can revamp the employee engagement platform by switching up the recognition rewards Celebrating your employees on this monthly basis ensures that people feel noticed and rewarded for their efforts.
Adrian James, Markitors
5. Provide Company Lunches
One unique way our company recognizes its employees for a job well done is by taking them out to an office lunch of their choice. It can be either one-on-one, by department, or company-wide. They are able to celebrate their work wins while having a fun meal with co-workers. We provide drinks of choice as well, making it a little more light-hearted and fun.
Katie Keirnan, NUE.life
6. Offer Unlimited PTO
We provide unlimited PTO as long as our employees get their work done. We believe that our employees deserve to live their lives fully for the hard work they put into helping our company thrive. In turn, our employees feel dedicated to our company because of their appreciation for our unlimited PTO policy.
Joaquín Roca, Minerva
7. Create Shoutout Videos
Each week, our CEO does a video where he makes any major announcements or provides updates on upcoming events. Prior to these videos, employees can submit shoutouts for their coworkers who have gone above and beyond on a project or just in their general work.
The CEO then picks a few of these to read during his video, and the person who was recognized also gets a small bonus on their next paycheck. This employee recognition program is a feel-good way for us to celebrate our peers, and allow new employees to see what’s expected of them.
Jenn Fulmer, TechnologyAdvice
8. Give Back Extra Time
One great idea to show your employees recognition is by allowing them to have 30 extra minutes on their lunch breaks or letting them come in an hour later than they normally would. Time is the one resource we can't get back. Therefore, giving the gift of time will have a positive impact on your business and your employees.
Evan Zhao, Revela Health
9. Increase Monthly Rewards
What about more formal rewards that can be displayed for years into the future? These may come in the form of some type of official recognition. Certificates can be issued as physical gifts, digital documents, or both. They often reflect specific industry-related accomplishments and they can be worded in such a way as to highlight the talents of a specific individual. Finally, certificates may also be used as evidence of professional acumen; illustrating expertise to co-workers and clients alike.
David Wachs, Handwrytten
Author Bio: This article is written by our marketing team at HR Cloud. HR Cloud is a leading provider of HR solutions, including recruiting, onboarding, employee engagement, and intranet software. Our aim is to help your company improve employee engagement, employee productivity, and to save you valuable time!
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