Are you seeking employee recognition examples that go beyond the basic strategies?
Today’s employment landscape is more competitive than ever—and employee recognition is an incredibly undervalued tool in keeping your strongest team members. Even so, it’s reported that just one in three employees across the US feels that they have received some kind of praise or recognition for great work in the past week. The data we collect in our employee surveys confirms this as scores for recognition are often lower than leaders expect.
No matter the company, it seems many employees truly don’t feel their strongest efforts are recognized the way they want them to be. But considering employees who don’t get this kind of acknowledgment are two times more likely to quit in the next calendar year, it’s clear that employee recognition needs to be an essential part of your staff retention strategy.
Here’s how to know what makes a great employee, as well as some employee recognition examples to show your team you care—and are eager to keep them as part of your team.
What Makes a Great Employee?
Having the right employees has a significant impact on the effectiveness of your entire company. It’s a huge factor in your long-term success. With the best people as part of your team, you’re far more likely to experience a positive company culture, high productivity, and higher profitability.
Having—and keeping—great employees on your roster is beneficial for a multitude of reasons, including:
- Establishing a positive environment and keeping workplace morale high
- Keeping customers and clients happy
- Increasing productivity organization-wide
- Limiting turnover with employees who are aligned with your vision, values, and mission
- Saving time on counseling, managing, and overseeing employees
Recognizing the work of these great employees starts with being able to spot them. So, what are the characteristics of a great employee? Here’s how to recognize the best and brightest on your team:
- A great employee is a top contributor and collaborator who functions well as part of a team but is also productive and a go-getter when it comes to searching for ways to improve the status quo.
- A great employee goes above and beyond, showing enthusiasm and taking proactive steps to make a difference, focusing on details and accuracy, taking on challenging projects, and learning new things.
- A great employee is not just autonomous but is also a team player who serves as a leader, mentoring other employees and leading by example.
- A great employee is professional, reliable, hard-working, and enthusiastic. They’re someone you know you can count on and trust.
- A great employee is dedicated, which means they are punctual, they have a passion for the work you do, and they are positive and flexible when it comes to their work.
- A great employee is independent and confident, which means they approach work with a sense of inner conviction, and they take constructive feedback in stride.
- A great employee cares about others on the team and your customers, and surpasses expectations to make sure they deliver on the company’s promises.
Employee Recognition Examples to Implement at Your Workplace
Taking the time to recognize and celebrate your employees is an incredible opportunity for leaders, supervisors, and managers—but one that’s often overlooked.
But here’s the thing about employee recognition: It motivates your team, provides staff members with a sense of accomplishment, and ensures your top employees feel valued. What’s more, employee recognition doesn’t just improve employee engagement for the team members who are honored, but it can also boost workplace productivity and morale and improve employee retention of all employees. Strong displays of employee recognition demonstrate the kind of work you value, reinforcing the workplace culture you hope to cultivate company-wide.
Personalized Recognition
In the same way that no two people are the same, no two employees are the same—even if they are equally deserving of praise. You should plan to recognize employees in ways that are personal and specific to them.
Recognition can be small—a high five on Teams, delivering the employee’s favorite beverage as a surprise, or giving a shout-out at a team meeting. No matter how you do it, it’s important to customize the recognition to each employee, and to ensure it comes from a meaningful source. One survey showed that when it comes to the most memorable source of employee recognition
- 28 percent of employees said it came from their manager
- 24 percent of employees said it came from a high-level leader or other C-suite executive
- 12 percent of employees said it came from their manager’s manager
- 10 percent of employees said it came from customers or clients
- 9 percent of employees said it came from peers
A Handwritten Note
We live in an increasingly digital—and therefore, paperless—world. As such, an email or Slack message can only do so much to express what you are feeling. Too often, these digital messages get lost in the shuffle. A handwritten thank-you note can really demonstrate how grateful you are to employees who go above and beyond, or who have done something that really stands out, or who have been consistent, reliable contributors. We’ve heard from many interviewees how much they treasure a note they received from a company leader.
A great, handwritten note:
- Is well-written, with authentic sentiments
- Is timely, reaching its intended recipient not long after a particularly memorable occasion
- Shares personal, professional details about why you are so thankful
Acknowledge Special Moments Like Birthdays and Work Anniversaries
Your employees want to know they are valued and appreciated not just for the work they do, but for who they are as people. That’s why it’s just as important to recognize momentous occasions in your team members’ lives, including birthdays, promotions, work anniversaries, weddings and new babies, as well as personal achievements like running marathons or publishing books, and community involvement like charity projects.
Again, it’s important to recognize these occasions based on who your employees are as individuals. After all, not everyone wants a huge party or a public callout. By acknowledging these events and milestones individually, your team will feel seen and valued.
Meet People Where They Are—Especially During Difficult Times
Employee recognition doesn’t only have to be regarding positive moments. If an employee handles a particularly challenging situation, such as a difficult customer service issue or an expedited project timeline, with grace, that also deserves recognition.
This is also true of recognizing your employees when they encounter trying challenges in their personal lives, like an illness or loss. These difficult times call on us to show up for each other as people, not just colleagues, and demonstrate the depth of our appreciation and care for your team.
Offer Awards and Incentives
There are all sorts of awards and incentive programs out there you can implement to extend gratitude to your team. Some may be structured and timed, but others can be given more spontaneously when your employees are most deserving:
- Years of service awards, based on total time with your company
- Customer service awards, based on benchmarks like sales goals, exceptional feedback from customers, or customer service interactions that exceed expectations
- Social recognition like special mentions during team meetings
- Employee recognition events like surprise celebratory events, employee appreciation outings, or holiday gatherings
- Employee recognition boards, like employee-of-the-month awards
- Weekly or scheduled employee shout-outs on social media
- Monetary recognition like holiday bonuses, extra paid time off, gift cards, free meals, or career development opportunities
Establish Time to Build Connection
All of these employee recognition examples have one thing in common—they encourage you to know who your team members are as individuals. If there’s one thing that’s true of all meaningful employee recognition strategies, it’s that to be effective, you need to get to know your people.
For stressful work projects, celebratory wins, and personal events alike, employee recognition is most effective when it’s tailored to the recipient.
Take a Deep Dive Into Meaningful Employee Recognition with CRS
At Combined Resource Solutions, we’re committed to helping our partners build employee retention and engagement through tested strategies like employee recognition. By discovering what your teams really think and feel, we put our finger on the pulse of what’s happening across your organization.
Want to discover ways to foster a positive company culture? Contact us to learn more!