10 Exciting Ideas for Employee Awards and How to Implement Them

Implementing an employee recognition program can have many excellent benefits for your company or organization. Employees who are regularly recognized for their efforts are more loyal, more productive, have better morale, and are more likely to be excellent team players. Encouraging supervisors to recognize employees and vice versa encourages both groups to perform at a higher level.
Many employees enjoy having a tangible reminder of their success that they can display on their desks or in pride of place. For these employees, crystal awards may be appropriate. These beautiful awards from companies like EDCO can help employees feel more valued in their jobs.
When creating an employee recognition program, it may be difficult to come up with ideas for awards. This article will suggest 10 ideas for awarding employees along with some suggestions for companies that want to implement an employee recognition program.

1. Tenure Awards

Tenure awards are probably the most established type of award in the workplace, offered by nearly all conscientious employers. Employers frequently write certificates as well as providing crystal awards, plaques, and trophies to their longest-tenured employees.
A tenure award means a lot to an employee, and they can encourage others to stay in their jobs as long as possible. These awards can have a direct effect on employee loyalty and turnover. When employees are not offered some kind of recognition at their first, fifth, and tenth anniversaries, and so on, they notice that they have not been recognized and may build bad feelings toward their companies.

2. Special Project Awards

Frequently, employees must fulfill difficult tasks in a short period of time. The type of employee who often undertakes this type of work is overlooked under many rewards systems, leading to higher turnover numbers.
If an employee has been active in an ongoing project that has made a big difference in the company’s fortunes, they should of course be rewarded.
Here are some examples of project awards that could be beneficial:

• Above and Beyond Award
• Excellent Teamwork Award
• Quick Turnaround Award

3. Performance Awards

Many awards fall under the performance category. These awards show the top performers in each department and should be given out based on concrete data like sales numbers rather than as a popularity contest. Of course, awarding a prize simply based on the numbers does not consider an employee’s full contribution, so employees who are not directly involved with generating leads or sales should be honored in other ways.

4. Peer-to-Peer Awards

Employees should be encouraged to nominate one another for awards. Coworkers often know each other’s job responsibilities better than anyone else, and they know whether an employee is performing at a high level or slightly lower than expected.

5. Community Service Awards

Employees need to be recognized for their work for community organizations outside the office. Many forward-thinking companies provide matching funds for donations or provide paid time to employees who want to volunteer for different community initiatives. It is a good idea to create performance awards for employees who are dedicated to charitable causes like working for the homeless or supporting the mentally ill.

6. Team Awards

A whole team can receive an award together. Good teamwork needs to be encouraged throughout an organization. There are too many employees in many industries who are concerned with constant one-upmanship, and these employees need to be shown that teamwork is the most important part of their jobs.

7. Attendance Awards

The type of employee who has perfect attendance is becoming less common as the years go by. These employees need to be rewarded for their special dedication to their jobs.

8. Safety Awards

Workplace safety should be part of every company’s culture. An understanding of how best to foster safety in the workplace should be rewarded.
Even in office settings, accidents happen and people are injured, sometimes losing precious workdays as a result. Safety awards can go to the people who make sure the workplace is free of hazards that could cause illness or injury.

9. Retirement Awards

Retirement awards should be given more time and thought than other types of awards. When an employee is ready to retire, it is likely that they have spent an extended period of time working for your company and that they have devoted a large portion of their career to your efforts. These people need to receive tasteful, meaningful gifts.

Deciding What Types of Awards to Give

When you use this article as a guide, you will have an easier time discovering ideas about how to implement your employee recognition program. Having a working understanding of how every employee fits into the whole is the first step in recognizing their work.
Companies like EDCO provide beautiful and durable awards that employees can be proud to display. Making sure that tangible awards are tasteful and well-made is one of the most important considerations governing workplace awards.