Rewards and recognition are necessary to show gratitude for the services rendered by an employee towards the organization. It builds a good relationship between an employee and an employer.
Every employee expects their work should be recognized and valued. It motivates and encourages them to do much more worth full services. It helps to forget all the stress they have faced to deliver successful results for the organization’s growth.
Employers can make them more exciting with funny and creative ways to thank them. So, Employee Recognition and Appreciation Awards holds great importance. Here are a few ways:
Best Ways to Say Thank You to Employees:
1. Thank you cards:
Distribute thank you cards to all the employees who have shown excellence. Write a wonderful message in the card and recognize the employees for their dedication towards work.
One can distribute in monthly meetings or department meetings, or on spot one can be rewarded by their managers. This will be actually surprised to the employees.
Make sure the employees get praised before co-employees, this spreads positive energy between them and they try to compete with their colleagues. More than money, recognition creates a good impression in their minds.
2. Display on Bulletin boards:
On bulletin boards display the employee’s picture and his key results that are delivered. Drive through slides where one can find achievements and milestones of the recognized employee.
Collect the best pictures of the employees who participated in all organization events and add it to the slides. Take through the journey associated with the management team and with the company.
3. Gift Cards:
Reward them with gift cards, recognize the employees on a monthly basis or quarterly or half-yearly. A gift card may be a coupon or discount for shopping or movie tickets. Provide random coupons, not every time the same coupon.
It may be an event ticket or tickets to watch some outdoor games or food coupons. Ideas like these will really interest the employees. They can take their family on the weekend for these events or shopping.
4. Plan a Dinner:
One can plan for a team dinner. Invite all the employees of a team and arrange for the dinner. Management can thank the employees on that occasion and enjoy the moment as success meet.
Give a platform to express the employee views about the success and their experiences while performing their responsibilities. It will not only build a relationship between employee and employer but also inspires the other employee.
They feel great for recognizing their capabilities. People start enjoying their work without feeling as stress. It is also one if the best way to convey their gratitude message to their peers.
5. Identify them with grades:
Employers can reward employees with stars or badges. It can be categorized with Gold star, silver star and bronze star. The outstanding performer can be awarded gold star, the best performer can be rewarded with silver star and good performer can be given a silver star. Along with these grades can be given some fixed amount for the winner.
The awards it can be in the form of a certificate or in the form of a badge or can be as a title. As per the company policies, management can award the employees on a timely basis. This is also one of the forms to thank the employees for their loyalty.
6. Gift Hampers for Employee family:
Family support is much needed to become a successful professional. So it is also necessary to thank the employee family for supporting them to excel in a professional career. It makes the family continue their support and encouragement for the employee future assignments. It also gives a platform to understand how their family member is working hard and it gives them immense pleasure to be part of the organization.
Many of them spend extra time for official work and miss their family time, it is the responsibility of the organization to thank such families who allowing their family members to spend extra time for official time.
7. Provide discount offer on brands:
Surprise the employee with a discount offer on favorite brands. Whenever there is a new launch of mobiles or electronic appliances, get the discount coupons or offer for the employee.
They enjoy buying a gadget after its launch immediate Employer can show their gratitude in this way. Based on the seasonal shows and the upcoming events the employers can mail out the employees with the offer codes. They can also provide to their family.
8. Surprise Events:
Plan a surprise arrange the events to have some fun and enjoy the success. Arrange collage painting, provide with some paints, brushes, and cardboards, engage the team in painting the picture. It brings them joy and fun to paint some images altogether.
Display the collage in meeting rooms or canteen. It gives a platform to do with this fun activity management team and peers. One can thank the employees by just saying them thank you and allowing them to plant trees as a symbol of success and a memory.
9. Acknowledge it in different ways:
Name the assets of the company with a team name or individual name. Name the meeting rooms with employee names. Paint the walls with employee pictures and engrave on the walls with a description of the great achievements of the employee.
Play games with the employees and click some pictures with props, it creates refreshment for the employees also provides the employer to serve their employees with loads of fun. They can post all their pictures on their intranet website home page. In this way can acknowledge their gratitude to their peers.
10. Conduct the vibrant living programs:
This program shows that management takes care of their employees and their family. In this campaign, they can provide healthy food every day in their meal. Also, can conduct health campaigns like check up, also provide an offer infamous gyms, so that one can join the gym and do work out to stay fit.
This shows that the employees are a valuable asset to the company. Also, they can provide dancing and music classes for the interested candidates, it will not only work as a stress buster, also it encourages the workers to continue their efforts to bring success.
11. Handprint:
The whole organization can plan to have a handprint on the wallboard. It is a board on which the handprint of every employee. This shows the unity of the organization. They can just dip their hand in paint and paste on the wallboard.
It can be used in any one of the meetings or assembly rooms or in the admin office. It can be part of the interior design of the company. Also, they can write up some comments or wishes on that board. They can also make individual handprints and make it as a collage.
12. Family event:
Arrange an event like a family day. Invite the family members of the employee. Conduct some fun activities like having photographs, some rock band to entertain people, arrange for a meal. Talk about employees and interact with employee family, award the best employees. Also appreciate the family members excelled at their personal life.
Arrange some paid stalls like balloon shooting, games, some rides, funny costumes, bull hire etc. Can also conduct activities like tug a war, bowling etc. This motivates the employees also the employers can show a token of gratitude.
13. Gifts on special events:
Distribute gifts to the employees on special occasions like Christmas and other important special days. They can also gift them mugs with the company logo on it, and distribute them on successful completion of projects.
Also, send out a short thank you message on greeting cards on weekends or an annual day. Distribute sweets and chocolates on the occasion of joy. Buy some drinks for employees to thank for their support to the organization. Add special items in the canteen menu for the day.
14. Appreciation email:
One can encourage the employees by sending an appreciation mail. They can send to whole organization group or just send it out personally. This impresses the employee and feels great to be part of the organization where their efforts are recognized and rewarded.
This can also help the employee future projects, they can have a list of appreciations they had for their achievements and might be useful for future assignments. An appreciation from the manager will let them ignore the pressure and strive for progress.
15. Celebrate special moments:
An employee may be busy in office work and may not have time for their personal events like birthdays and other special occasions. Celebrate the occasion with a surprise gathering and wish them and provide a treat.
It is also way to show that they care employees and do they remember their special occasions of life. This is also a way to thank the employees. They can decorate the employee cubicle with a short note wishing birthday with flowers and chocolates on the table.
16. Ask to vote the best employee:
The management can actually ask the employees to nominate employees of their choice. There may be who actually missed in the list of best employees. So give a chance to vote for the person who contributed all the hard work to bring the milestone.
It creates an impression among the employees that their decision being valued and considered also they can thank the employees who have been working hard but left out without recognition. They can also choose the type of reward they wanted to give the particular employee and convey their best wishes.
17. Publish it in newsletters or booklets:
Companies who publish calendar booklet every year. Can add some of the greatest moments for the employees in the organization and their opinion, views and success story of the particular project. Add some fun event pictures and off-site memorable pictures in the calendars.
Give fun titles in the newsletters, randomly publish different department employee pictures and their cheerful moments. Or distribute diaries with company logo and few diversity pictures and can thank the employees.
Take opinions on how did they feel when they were into organization and journey all the years serving the company and write an article in the newsletter or company annual booklet.
18. Share the thank you video on social media:
Use social media to thank the peers with the inclusion of the fun time, integrity and diverse culture of the organization. People are prone to the internet they feel it amazing to see them and recognized on social media. It also motivates the new employees of an organization to enjoy their workplace.
The fruitful efforts of the employees can be widespread in this way say and appreciate their employees for being part of their success story. It creates a warm environment in their workplace for getting appreciated their work.
19. Off-site:
Employers can plan for an off-site. It gives a time out and can enjoy the fun time with co-workers. They can have entertainment programs, it provides an opportunity to show their personal talents and create a friendly atmosphere.
There is no boss to urge to work for him that day. They can relax and go for a movie of their choice or play games. They can also gift the winners in the talent show or games. They can also discuss their future assignments or roles and responsibilities and build goals and targets for it. Employees enjoy both fun and professional time.
Smart Ways to Say Thank You to Your employees:
As per Renee West, “You can have the best strategy and the best building in the world, but if you don’t have the hearts and minds of the people who work with you, none of it comes to life.”
Employees who work hard for the organization and help in achieving the business goals and vision truly deserve a THANK YOU from the employer. It is minimum courtesy that employers need to show to their workforce.
Some of the best ways to say Thank you to your work force are segmented in to categories and they are as follows
Common yet classic:
- Saying Thank you
- Extra day off
- Employee of the month award
- Thank you email
- Flowers
- Hard cash
- Casual fridays
- Leaving office early on fridays
- Placing a thank you note on desk
- A valet
- Providing the best parking spot
- Birthday off
Unique :
- Karaoke
- Nap break
- Fundraising event
- Games tournament
- Sports tournament
- Quizzes
- A tea party
- Group class
- Bringing in fortune teller/ or tarot reader to office
Little gifts:
- Desktop mirror
- A bright and colorful tie
- Desk plant
- Do not disturb sign
- Phone charger
- Fancy stationary
- Shopping Voucher
- Book
- Desk organizer
- Coffee mug
Special days:
- (Employee name) Day
- Pyjama day
- Duvet day
- Sun leave
- Voluntary day
- Fancy dress day
- Boss for the day
- Bringing pet at work for a day
- Film day
Food and drink:
- Birthday cake
- Anniversary cake
- Good coffee
- Pizza time
- Breakfast club
- Friday boozing
- Champagne
- Fruit treat
- Pot luck
- Cake club
- Ice cream or desert treat
Great Ways to Say Thank You to Your Workforce:
“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” – G.K. Chesterton
Gratitude or appreciation should be done in front of others as it doubles the morale of the employee and make them feel important. Undervalued employees are the most unhappy employees and it effects their work too in a negative way.
A small thank you gesture not only makes your employees happy but also motivates them to work even better and smarter. Here we have listed few smart ways to thank your employees
- A causal dress week
- Gift something related to their interest or hobbies
- Appreciation jar
- Vouchers
- Providing time off
- Manicure /pedicure
- Thank you video
- Posting about employee on company website
- Appreciation certificate
- Get to know more about employees
- Write a thank you note
- Movie time
- Pizza party
- Organize a picnic
- Plan a concert
- Boss for a day
- Birthday celebration
- Milestone appreciation
- Thank you email
- Training and conferences
- Subscription of magazines
- Handwritten appreciation note in your employee file
- Fruit or cookies treat
- Acknowledge them in public
- Employee of the month
- Fill up pantry with enough stock
- Random gifts
- Champagne party
- Trophy or shield
- Comfort their workspace
- Free lunch
- Pasting sticky notes saying thank you
- Appreciate good work
- Plan some fun activity
- Gym membership
- Lottery tickets
- Praise very often
- Wall of fame
- Best parking space
- Saying a plain THANK YOU.
Conclusion:
The one word thank you will reinforce the employees to continue their positive attitude in their workplace. This will not create any politics or disturb the work culture. Mainly this will not allow the employees to oppose their managers. The relationship between employee and employer will be more strong.
The employees will try to accept the additional responsibilities to work for their organization. Mainly the employees who undergo heavy workload they need recognition to boost up their confidence levels. It does not cost much for the management, so they can follow the above ways to thank their employees and respect their loyalty.
