People might work for a paycheck, but they also want to be recognized and appreciated for the work they do. A little bit of acknowledgment for people’s contributions goes a long way toward building strong, trusting teams and relationships. In the eighth episode of the Employee Life Cycle blog series, here are ten things you can do to recognize and reward your employees:
Verbal recognition
Verbally recognizing people’s contributions is a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many leaders neglect to do this for their employees. The sad part is that this is the simplest, lowest-cost way to thank your people for their work. It costs nothing, but it means so much. Ask any employee who has recently left a company – I would bet that a lack of recognition is near the top of the list of reasons for quitting. Don’t take your employees for granted! Give credit where credit is due – your employee will know that they are valued and be more likely to stick around.
Celebrations of success
If you achieve something great together, don’t just close the project and break up the team. When you successfully deliver, you deserve to celebrate! How you celebrate is totally up to you. Gather your team together at a local eating or drinking establishment and treat them to dinner and drinks. If COVID is still happening, try doing a virtual happy hour. I once had an executive hand deliver a 6-pack of craft beer to each of my team members as a surprise before a scheduled happy hour. The beer brand was chosen specifically for each person. Can you imagine what a great time we had?!
Kudos Board
A Kudos Board might be a bit more complicated than it used to be. When most people still worked onsite at an office, a bulletin board was put up in a central location. Anyone could pick up a card, write a note of appreciation or recognition, and post it on the board for everyone to see. You’ll have to be a bit more creative with virtual teams. One idea is to add a recognition section to your intranet site. Or, use your corporate social channels to post notes of thanks. No matter how you choose to do it, make sure people know when they’re recognized – they deserve it.
Rewards system with points
If you want to put your money where your mouth is as a company, then invest in a rewards and recognition system (or build your own). My company has a great platform that allows you to acknowledge people living our principles. An individual can thank someone else and award them with points. The points can be accumulated and used to buy prizes. I have used this to say thanks to some of my teammates, and I’ve received recognition, too! I got some thanks just this morning:
Thank you, Maiclein Howard!
Hand-written thank you notes
Recognition via electronic channels is excellent, but if you want to take it a step further, write an actual hand-written note and mail it to the employee’s home address (or, if possible, deliver it in person). It’s such a rarity in our digital world to have an actual piece of paper you can touch and feel. If you take the time to put this personal touch on your recognition, it’s that much more valuable. This kind of action speaks louder than words.
Gift cards
With a gift card, you can choose how you spend the money. While gift cards may seem impersonal, I honestly can’t think of a gift I would rather receive. I have received plenty of “gifts” over the years that were next to useless. I promise that I will never, ever eat the rocky mountain oysters that came in a gift box along with a bunch of other stuff (a few years back). But if I get a gift card, you can bet that I will be very intentional about how I choose to spend it. I generally make sure that I’m buying something that will last and help me remember the experience that earned me the reward.
Company-wide recognition
My company has monthly town hall meetings where the leaders share what is going on in our organization. They highlight the important “business” stuff (accomplishments, landed work, future forecasting, etc.), but they also take the time to recognize people for their unique contributions. New employees get highlighted, along with people having work anniversaries. There is also recognition of associates who have exemplified our culture by demonstrating living our values. There’s nothing better than giving and getting this sort of company-wide recognition in front of all your peers.
Awards
My last company had an annual meeting during which people won awards in different categories. I won a few over the years, such as “Rookie of the Year,” “Win as a Team,” “Million-dollar Baby,” and “Gumby,” to name a few. A gift is usually associated with earning a reward – usually some company-branded gear such as clothing, duffel bags, backpacks, laptop cases, chairs, coolers, etc. I’m all about showing off my company’s branded items (plus, it provides free advertising).
Company Parties
I know it’s been difficult to hold parties since COVID, but when we can get back together in person, I do not doubt that company parties will happen again. In previous years, we had company parties for major holidays like Christmas. My former company also had an annual retreat to a resort up north. It was a grand time; we spent time socializing, drinking, playing games, making music, and getting to know new colleagues. Instead of an in-person gathering in 2021, my company had a virtual day-long celebration with tons of activities and fun. My favorite part was the virtual escape room!
Goodie baskets and other gifts
It’s always fun to open gifts, and having your work be rewarded feels fantastic! Many companies I have worked for provide regular gift boxes or baskets filled with all sorts and varieties of goodies. Even though I’m a consultant, one of my former clients gave me the same thing that all their employees received, and it was beyond generous! When I started my new job with Valorem Reply, I got a welcome package that included snacks, a branded beverage container, several other items, and a hand-written welcome note from my new leader. For Christmas last year, we got to choose from a few gift options, and I received an Italian-sourced set of edibles – other people chose chocolate (but I’m not too fond of chocolate – I know, I’m weird).
Final Thoughts
Recognizing and rewarding your employees doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Use whatever means you can to ensure people feel appreciated, and you’ll be rewarded yourself, with loyal and happy employees.
In case you missed the previous blogs in the Employee Life Cycle series, check them out:
- How to Understand the Employee Life Cycle
- 10 Ways to Attract Potential New Employees
- 10 Ways to Recruit Potential New Employees
- Top 10 Tips for Interviewing Potential New Employees
- Top 10 Tips for Hiring New Employees
- 10 Tips for Successfully Onboarding New Employees
- 10 Ways to Boost New Employee Performance
- What drives New Employees to Grow and Develop?
Now, it’s your turn! What do you do to recognize and reward your employees? Are there any things you do that I didn’t cover in this blog? If so, I would love to know about them, so please leave a note in the comments below!