26 December, 2023

Best Employee Recognition Awards to Motivate Your Team

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Employee Appreciation
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Celebrating every employee’s work achievements and caring for their morale shouldn’t need an ROI— get innovative to develop a lasting bond with them.

Suppose an employee is hitting a 5-year milestone at your company, and you're just sending them a work anniversary email. Do you think that's enough? Well, probably not.

An employee who has worked for hours and days in a company deserves more than a gratitude email. And that's when employee recognition awards come in.

These are part of the employee recognition programs that showcase the contributions of the budding talents. From gift cards and incentives to physical items, there are various ways to recognize and appreciate team members.

This blog will explore the best employee recognition awards. Additionally, you will learn about their types.

What are Employee Recognition Awards?

When an employee performs exceptionally well, they receive acknowledgement. As times have changed, the way of praising employees and team members has also evolved.

Previously, employees received verbal appreciation. But now, cutthroat competition drives employees to seek more. As a good company, you should develop an effective employee recognition award program. These awards can be in the form of monetary rewards, physical gift items, trophies, and certificates.

Receiving such items makes employees feel happy. Also, recognition awards allow employees to grow both personally and professionally.

Importance of Employee Recognition Award Program

As the name suggests, an employee recognition award program appreciates their contributions. Many employees work tirelessly without seeking recognition. But that doesn't mean their work will go unnoticed.

With effective employee recognition and awards, you will highlight these talents and motivate them to perform better.

Why are employee awards and recognition important? The reasons are as follows:

Awards and recognition encourage team engagement. When they receive a present for good work, such as a 7% increase in sales, they sense belongingness. That drives the need to collaborate better as a team.

Giving recognition awards to employees shapes the entire company culture. Employee recognition and appreciation reinforce shared company values. And that creates a positive culture for everyone to thrive together.

Craving recognition is human. With manpower in the company, it is essential to harness that power effectively. With unique employee recognition awards, you bring joy. As they become happy, their morale automatically boosts, leading to better work.

When employees receive heartfelt appreciation, it increases their chances of staying in the organization. As they continue to work there, the turnover rates decrease. And it increases your overall business productivity.

Types of Employee Recognition Awards

To recognize the contribution of deserving talents, companies have introduced employee recognition awards programs. There are various types of employee recognition awards you can give your employees to boost their morale:

• Monetary rewards: Depending on an employee's performance and or contribution, you can offer monetary rewards. These can be in the form of bonuses, incentives, or gift cards.

• Experimental rewards: These are the types of awards for employee recognition that offer unique opportunities and experiences. Perhaps you can encourage your employees to sign up for an adventurous activity? That will help them restart with more focus and energy.

• Structured rewards: These are rewards that a company provides formally to the employees. Structured rewards include physical trophies and plaques.

• Gift rewards: Among the different types of employee awards and recognition, gifts are top-tier. From personalized to practical, there are various gift items you can give your employees as a token of appreciation.

20 Creative Employee Recognition Awards

To ensure your business is doing great, it is an absolute necessity to keep the employees happy. A little bit of appreciation and recognition can take your employees a long way. And there's no better way to show recognition than awards.

So, here are 20 creative ideas for employee recognition awards.

Gift Cards As Employees Like

Gift cards could be the best awards for employee recognition. You can send them to even your remote workers. And employees can use them in any way they like. There are various kinds of gift cards to offer the team.

1. Food & dine gift cards: For the food lovers in your team, consider offering food or dining-based gift cards to boost motivation. A Baskin-Robbins gift card or a Bill's Bar & Burger US gift card can drive them to give their best performance.

2. Technology gift cards: Your employees will love to get an Apple Gift Card or a Google Play gift card. Why? Because they can use it to redeem a product of their own preference. With such options, recognition becomes seamless.

3. Subscription & streaming services: Looking for employee recognition awards? Well, instead of conventional plaques, a Netflix gift card can help. The new-generation employees appreciate useful items. And there's nothing more satisfactory than a subscription gift card.

4. Experience-based gift cards: As employee recognition awards, you can present an experience-based gift card to your employees. Encourage them to try out different activities besides work. Give your employees Spa Week's Spa and & Wellness gift cards for a self-pampering time.

Apparel and Accessories for Employees

Certificates and trophies are outstanding. But they are also conventional. Employees now prefer to receive items that are both useful and meaningful. As employee service recognition awards, you can give clothing and accessories.

5. Zip Jackets: Recognizing employees with awards shows that you care for them. With The North Face Women's Canyonlands Full Zip Jackets, your female team members will feel seen and appreciated. And that will drive them to perform well.

6. Tote Bags: Recognition awards go beyond certificates these days. You can think of creative ways to recognize employees' hard work. Giving employees tote bags is a great way to show them they matter. Consider the DaCosta Verde Lunch Tote Bag Le Beige as an employee recognition gift idea.

7. Hats: To recognize employees' hard work, consider offering them accessory presents, such as awards. A quirky "Blue Suede Porkpie" Fur Felt Hat from B.M. Franklin & Co. will seal the deal.

8. Jewelry: Wondering how you would show employee recognition? Well, jewelry could be a way. Give your hardworking employees Kobelli Monogram Initial Necklaces and bring a smile to their faces.

Gadgets for Tech-Savvy Employees

The new-generation employees appreciate gifts more than trophies. To prioritize their happiness, consider recognizing their contributions with gadget gifts. These are as follows:

9. Power Banks: Employees become happy when companies properly recognize their work. To show gratitude, consider giving them an OtterBox Power Bank for MagSafe 3,000 mAh. It will ensure their device doesn't run out of charge even when they are on the move.

10. Earphones: A great tech gift indeed. These items not only show gratitude towards employees but are also valuable items. As Employee Appreciation Day gift ideas, consider giving Beats by Dr. Dre - Beats Flex Wireless Earphones.

11. Bluetooth Speakers: Consider giving Bluetooth speakers to your employees as a recognition award. On a formal employee recognition event, surprise your employees with JBL Go 4 Ultra-Portable Bluetooth Speakers.

12. Smart watches: Your employees will be thrilled if you give them smart watches at an Employee Recognition event. Consider sharing the Tinymoose Tempo Smartwatch with Bluetooth Calling - Midnight Black. These are versatile gadgets just like your employees.

Daily Essentials to Ease the Hustle

As a caring employer, you can go for custom employee recognition awards to meet each employee's needs. Perhaps gift items that would help them manage their day-to-day lives are great. These items are as follows:

13. Insulated lunch boxes: They boost an employee's morale when a company recognizes and appreciates their work. Instead of verbal acknowledgement, you can give them a valuable gift. A Hydro Flask 8 L Insulated Lunch Bag – Cascade is a game-changer when it comes to employee appreciation presents.

14. Tumblers: To help your employees power through the hustle, give them a meaningful and practical gift. The YETI Rambler 20 oz. Tumbler is a great way to show employee appreciation and recognition.

15. Journals: Even in the digital age, journals are core corporate essentials. Employees can use these items to create to-do lists or take notes from a meeting. When you incorporate an employee rewards program, consider giving the WAFF Journal (Medium) to the team.

16. Rollerball pens: When it comes to daily essentials- corporate edition, rollerball pens will be on the list. Although mobile devices handle most tasks, employees continue to use pens to jot down key points or important details. Offer your employees the Embrace Your Magic: Rollerball Pen from Effie's Paper, and they will be motivated to deliver their best work.

Gift Boxes to Truly Appreciate Your Employees

Looking for creative employee recognition awards? How about creating personalized gift boxes for them? When your employees open the box, they will find their favorite items all packed with love. And that will ensure employee satisfaction. The following are the gift boxes to consider:

17. Assorted Cookies Gift Boxes: Employees with a sweet tooth would love to receive a gift box full of desserts. The Branded Two Dozen Cookie Assortment from Cravory Cookies is a great gift box, consisting of delicious, sweet treats that would surely make employees cheerful.

18. Comfort Gift Boxes: As a creative employee recognition award, you can offer a comfort gift box. Giften Market Comfort & Care Gift Box comprises a wax candle, herbal tea, and a throw blanket that exudes coziness and care.

19. Engraved Gift Boxes: Your employees would love to receive a gift box with their name on it. Love & box Personalized Engraved Keepsake Gift Box Set: Be Well comes with eye masks, a dipper, a ceramic cup, and more. These little things make the employees feel that you care for them. And that drives them to deliver better performance.

20. Skincare Gift Boxes: Skincare can seem like a daunting task after a long, tiring workday. To truly recognize employees' work, consider giving them a gift box featuring skincare products. The Cardon Limited Edition Gift Set will seal the deal as a recognition gift for employees.

Best Practices for Implementing Recognition Awards

To acknowledge the hard labor of employees, you can implement recognition awards in your organization. There are various practices you can enforce to create employee awards and recognition ideas.

Be clear about your goals and what you want to achieve from employee rewards.

Understand your employees' preferences and interests to create unique rewards and recognition ideas.

Be consistent with the employee recognition programs. If you've introduced such a plan, make sure you stick to it.

Manage your budget while offering recognition awards. Don't go overboard with different awards.

Recognize Your Employees' Hard Labor with Gifted

Still wondering about employee recognition awards? Now it's time to consider including gift cards and physical gifts in that category.

Of course, trophies and certificates are essential, but sometimes gifts express gratitude better than those things. Be it a personalized gift box or a gift card, employees would appreciate things that are heartfelt.

At Gifted, we create gift ideas for every occasion. Since employees are a significant force of a company, our focus is to provide gifts that will increase their happiness. After all, a happy employee brings productivity like no other.

Choose from our wide range of gift items and see what suits your employees. We offer customizable company swags, physical gifts, and gift cards, all in one convenient place.

Explore our myriad gift options and recognize the hard labor of employees!

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