Reward good work and achievement

One way to make employees feel valued and appreciated is to have company award ceremonies several times during the year. Reward good work and achievement with trophies and awards of different kinds. Some people prefer awards that are more usable, such as beverage cups or tumblers, clocks, or gift certificates accompanied by plaques. Consider making the traditional company achievement awards mean more with surprises added to them.

Making Corporate Awards More Exciting

What if the normal company achievement awards such as plaques, cups, or tumblers had gift certificates attached to them for a free meal at a great restaurant, a country club or health club membership, or a shopping spree online or at a favorite store? Another way to improve company awards is to have more meaningful messages printed on them along with the recipient’s name and other information. Giving corporate awards can be fun and more supportive to valued employees at a time when employee retention is a problem many companies face.

If an employer takes the time to know what employees value, it will be easier to give better awards when the time comes. Everyone likes a few plaques to hang on their wall and show the world their achievements but, over time, they need a little more and a few different awards to feel special. What if the company made raises coincide with an award ceremony so those receiving awards for achievement found a notice of a generous raise attached to them?

Putting an Awards Program in Place

If a company does not have an employee awards program in place, it is time to set one up. This ceremony can be a time for employees and management to have a good meal and quality interaction. Rewards can be given on a monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or yearly basis. An awards program must mean something so that employees winning awards will value them.

An awards program should be planned carefully and put in place with a little fanfare telling employees the rules and basis for awards that can be earned. Awards should be something that will stick in employees’ consciousness and be valued. Awards can be given for successful project completion, saving the company money, top performance, being a good team player, work anniversaries, innovative ideas, and more.

The Benefits of Corporate Reward Programs

A company that has award ceremonies for its employees can reap a few benefits that make those awards worth the investment. A company that pays its employees generously and adds an awards program will see benefits. Employee recognition programs and awards bring a company these benefits:

For awards to have the most benefit for both the company and its employees, it is important to follow a few guidelines. More frequent awards programs are better than yearly ones. Recognizing employees for their hard work several times a year keeps employee morale higher throughout the year.

Make sure the awards program is aligned with the company values, the company brand, and the type of employee experience the company wants to create. What are the employee behaviors that should be encouraged?

Incorporate public recognition into the awards program so employees feel more important. Publishing company awards in a newsletter, the local paper, or on the company website elevates the awards to a new level.

Consider having an awards point system in place so employees earn points for achievements during the time leading up to the awards ceremony such as successful completion of team projects, meeting sales goals, contributing in various ways to the company’s success, etc. The points can be a deciding factor in the type of award they are given.