Employee Recognition: 5 Ways to Recognize Employees
Rewarding your employees for following company policy or going above and beyond can improve moral. You may notice that your departments and employees work better, and an enjoyable place of employment typically sees lower turnover rates. Plus, special rewards are one way to encourage promotions that help your company’s bottom line. Here are 5 ways to recognize employees:
1. Thank You Card
If an employee has been working hard to reach a deadline or complete an unexpected project, a thank-you card can go a long way. It may be easy to forget that employees are stressed just as much as you are. It’s nice to add a reward for employees that go the extra mile, this will be a welcome surprise to any employee.
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2. Promo Gifts
Your company might be investing in new swag, and who’s a better recipient than your hard-working employees? Whether it’s a magnet, a backpack or a flashlight, a functional gift reminds a person of your company every time that they use it. While it might seem like a small motion on your part, it may be able to make someone’s day. When your business already has promo gifts made with the company name and logo, it won’t require any extra effort.
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3. Verbal Praise
Sometimes all it takes to make someone feel good is to tell them they are doing a good job. Perhaps an employee has really improved or a customer complimented one of your staff members. Pass on the compliment. To make a greater impression, give the praise at a staff meeting in front of other people. However, if you know an employee doesn’t like that sort of attention, one-on-one situations might be better, and a simple email thanking your employee is always appreciated.
4. Employee of the Month
Develop a program to award an employee every month. If you have a particularly large company, you might award it to several employees, one per specific department. You can produce certificates or add a name or a wall plaque to commemorate the honor. This honor works well into group situations, so it combines verbal praise as well. If it’s in the budget, add a small gift card to a local business as a way of saying “Thank you.” Monetary rewards don’t work for every business plan, but they really encourage employees to follow protocol and put in 100% effort.
5. Order Out
When you’ve got an entire team of people who works hard every day, you’ll want to reward all of them. Ordering a catered lunch or dinner is one way to do that, and it’s especially thoughtful if it’s a surprise. People can skip out on boring sandwiches for something a little grander. Working on an empty stomach is never productive, so order food on long nights when your employees have to stay after hours. Plus, you can allow employees to make suggestions about the type of food or company that they’d prefer to make it an even greater incentive.
