Engaged employees are appreciated employees
A few months ago, Indeed introduced the Work Happiness score. This new system aims to measure employee happiness under various employers.
Working with Oxford University and the University of California, Indeed reported 14 key drivers of happiness. Third on this list is appreciation. Showing your employees you’re appreciation through rewards or recognition, no matter big or small, can help boost morale and increase employee engagement.
11 Ideas for Rewarding and Recognizing Employees
- Team lunch
- Thank you meeting
- Public recognition
- Impromptu time off
- Give them a shoutout on LinkedIn
- Moving trophy
- Peer-to-peer appreciation
- Out-of-office meetings
- Make a donation in their name
- Handwritten notes
- Gift cards
- Team lunch
Chances are you don’t see your employees much outside of the office setting. Taking your team out for lunch or having it catered to the office can boost morale. Who doesn’t like free food?
With a hybrid work style, getting all employees in one room can be challenging. To avoid feelings of isolation, consider sending vouchers or having food delivered to remote employees and bring on-site and remote employees together on video chat. Try to keep shop talk to a minimum and use this time to get to know your team as people, not just your employees.
- Thank you meeting
Calling an employee into your office doesn’t always have to be for something negative. Whenever it warrants, call an employee to let them know you see their hard work.
Recognizing employees doesn’t always have to be elaborate; a simple face-to-face “good job” can go a long way.
- Public recognition
Public recognition can be as formal or as casual as you want.
If you have a more formal rewards and recognition program, end your year with a banquet to celebrate everyones’ successes and award those employees who’ve outdone themselves. Give weekly shoutouts or send a mass email whenever an employee hits a milestone for a more casual vibe.
Publicly recognizing employees allows other staff to see what an outstanding employee looks like. Ideally, more and more of your team will model this behaviour, and soon enough, you’ll have a team of superstars.
- Impromptu time off
A spontaneous afternoon off or late start is a great motivator can be a great motivator.
Receiving an email saying “take a half-day and enjoy the afternoon off” is always a pleasant surprise. This type of reward is beneficial for those employees who don’t have an off button.
- Give them a shoutout on LinkedIn
For many professionals, career development is of the utmost importance. But to advance your career, you need to prove your worth. When you want to shout out an employee, do it on their LinkedIn. A strong public recommendation will give them more credibility and strengthen their employee value proposition.
- Moving trophy
A moving or travelling trophy can be a creative way to get employees engaged and reward them for the fantastic work their doing. Whenever an employee goes above and beyond, they can have the trophy for a set amount of time until it’s passed on to the next exceptional employee. The trophy can be any object like a silly hat, a bedazzled stapler or a figurine. All we ask is that you have fun with it!
- Peer-to-peer appreciation
In addition to their own efforts, leaders should encourage employees to recognize one another. Dedicating a physical or digital bulletin board for employees to give on-the-spot praise and recognize their colleagues. Another option is a monthly or quarterly award given to an employee voted by their co-workers. Not only is this a great way to show employee appreciation, but it will build relationships and strengthen your team.
- Out-of-office meetings
Sometimes all it takes is a little change of scenery. When you want to switch things up
Hold meetings outside of the office. When the weather warms up, you can schedule meetings outside and even do walking meetings. And on those not-so-nice days, move your meeting to a local coffee shop! Getting out of the familiar environment can be a nice reset and give employees something to look forward to.
- Make a donation in their name
If you have an exceptionally charitable employee, reward them by donating in their name to a favourite organization of theirs.
- Handwritten notes
Handwritten notes are a classic, easy and inexpensive way to put a smile on your employee’s faces. They’re personal, thoughtful and sincere, making them a staple for a reason. Rather than sending an email and adding to what feels like a never-ending inbox, a handwritten note can stand out.
- Gift cards
Give a token of your appreciation through a gift card. Whether it’s $10 or $100, you can never go wrong with monetary rewards. The beauty of gift cards is that it allows for guilt-free spending. Unlike cash, your employees won’t feel motivated to spend it on necessities and can only be used at its designated location.
Recognition and rewards don’t have to be complicated. No matter your budget, any employer is capable of implementing an impactful reward and recognition program.
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