Recognition efforts allow organizations to keep their employees engaged with the organization.

Good employee recognition programs need to align with the employees’ preferences and organizational values. Here we will discuss some ideas for employee recognition programs.

Organizations need to generate recognition programs according to the organization’s culture that is preferred by the employees. Here are 6 ideas for employee recognition that organizations can implement:

• The employee of the month/ year
• Celebrating birthday/ anniversary
• Distributing creative rewards
• Distributing employee perks
• Flexible work schedule
• Distributing better equipment

Let’s discuss them in detail.

The Employee of the Month/ Year Award

It is one of the most common recognition programs in many organizations. Here the best performers of a month or year are rewarded for their good work.

Different organizations have different metrics to measure the employees’ performances. These metrics are highly dependent upon the goals like improving employee retention, improving productivity, making customer service better, increasing sales numbers, etc., that organizations are trying to achieve.

Companies compare the performance data of their employees after the set period and reward the best performer according to those metrics.

This reward program can create a huge buzz around the workplace and inspire employees to achieve better results in their work. In some cases, organizations may offer multiple rewards for different teams of the organization.

However, this reward program can generate unhealthy competition and jealousy among co-workers. Therefore, organizations will need to be careful while setting metrics and rewarding employees.

Celebrating Birthdays and Anniversary

Another common recognition practice in most organizations is to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. This recognition practice gives employees a sense of belonging and allows them to relax.

In most cases, organizations decorate employees’ workspaces, bring cakes, and cheer for the employee. This practice makes the employees feel valued and connects them with their workplace exceptionally.

Distributing Creative Rewards

Being creative while rewarding employees for their efforts can be very impactful. With these rewards, organizations allow employees to create good memories. Therefore, employees become more engaged and feel connected to the organization. And who doesn’t love a fun recognition gift?

Organizations can take the following creative measures to recognize employees:

• Bring a food truck to celebrate company-wide achievements
• Arrange an outdoor picnic to celebrate with the employees and their close ones
• Distribute company merchandise to acknowledge their values in the workplace
• Distribute cards, decoration items, small tokens, medals, or plaques to make their achievements memorable
• Hang a picture or name things after the employee
• Declare a costume day or sports day after each quarter

These reward ideas can be customized according to the organizational culture and employee preferences.

Distributing Employee Perks

This is another way organizations can help employees create memories associated with the organizations. However, whenever the company offers such perks, it is needed to customize it according to the employees’ preferences.

Here are some ideas to distribute perks to the employees:

• Upgrading hotel accommodation when employees are on tour for the organization
• Offer onsite massage or give gift cards for having a massage
• Offer employees tickets to their holiday destination
• Distribute gift cards to satisfy employees’ creative outlet
• Offer fun projects or courses to develop their professional career, etc.
• Offer the corner office for a week
• Offer a good parking spot for a specific time

With these perks, employees will feel that the organization leaders acknowledge and appreciate their work. Therefore, they will be more forthcoming about their duties and loyalties.

Flexible Work Schedule

A good work-life balance can be rewarding for most employees. So, organizations can offer employees flexible work schedules as a reward for their exceptional work and effort.

For example, organizations can make a flexible entry time for employees considering they give a specific amount of time for their work. This can be very helpful for people who have to take their kids to school in the morning.

Additionally, new parents can be offered work-from-home facilities. This will allow them to take care of their offspring while conducting their work without worrying.

Distribute Better Equipment

Better office equipment can increase productivity significantly. Organization leaders can distribute them as appreciation for their exceptional works.

Companies can offer employees better workspace, comfortable chairs, better software, electronic devices to increase employee productivity. With such a rewarding system, companies can keep their employees satisfied; increase productivity and employee retention rate at the same time.

Bottom Line

Employees are the most important unit of an organization. Therefore, it is crucial to take proper measures to keep employees happy and satisfied. Employee recognition programs are one of the significant methods that can achieve those results.

Make sure to tailor the recognition program according to the organization’s culture and employee preferences. Otherwise, the whole effort will go in vain.