Being able to offer recognition to one's peers is incredibly important, and can go a long way. There are so many benefits to peer recognition, so it's necessary to have effective ways of expressing that recognition. In this post, we'll be sharing eight different types of peer recognition awards that you can use today to express appreciation for your fellow peers.
1. Deliver peer recognition via paper or note
There's nothing more heartwarming than receiving a handwritten note or letter. It feels personal, and it shows that you've taken the time to sit down and write out your feelings to a fellow employee who has helped you grow in some way. If you're not already in the habit of writing letters, start today by offering thanks to your supervisor for the great work that they've put in recently.
2. Peer recognition in person
Delivering peer recognition to someone face-to-face is one of the best recognition awards that you can offer, as it's very personal. This recognition award involves sitting down in person with a peer and expressing what exactly it is that you admire about their work ethic, character, etc. Delivering a recognition award this way is great as it involves recognizing employees in person, illustrates to the peer that they offer the company value, and can have a positive impact on employee happiness.
3. Public kudos as peer recognition
Of course, there's nothing like public peer recognition awards when done correctly! If you'd like peer recognition to be more of a work-related aspect rather than peer-to-peer, this is the way to do it. Consider using Matter to send public Kudos to your coworkers via Slack. Public recognition can be an excellent way of sharing your gratitude and is a smart way of engagement with a peer. If you want peer recognition to be more personal but still function as a public honor, give out these peer awards during potlucks or meetings.
4. Leave them a surprise on their desk as peer recognition
This sounds like something out of an episode of The Office, but leaving an unexpected recognition award can truly brighten someone's day! This can include leaving a treat like a candy bar, a cup of coffee, or even printing off a peer recognition certificate and leaving it on your peer's desk with a bright, colorful ribbon. You can make it look extra fancy by hand-delivering the peer recognition awards in a bright envelope with your peer's name written in calligraphy.
5. Make them a peer recognition card
This one's perfect for crafty folks! If you're the creative type and enjoy writing notes or letters, then you might want to try making a card as part of employee recognition. This is perfect if you're not very good at writing thank you letters or don't have the envelopes for handwritten notes on hand! Cards are easy, quick, and super personal too.
6. Buy them lunch as peer recognition
Who doesn't love peer recognition awards that involve food? If your peer is somebody who's really into their career or work ethic, they might appreciate peer recognition awards in the form of peer-to-peer lunches.
Peer-to-peer lunches are a great way to get some quality face time with someone you usually only see around the office! Be sure to keep it light and friendly; peer-to-peer lunch doesn't have to be something formal. Make it fun by just having a casual conversation over a nice meal out together.
7. Daily affirmations as peer recognition
We've all heard of meditation before but what about daily affirmations? Simply put, daily affirmations are compliments that you can give coworkers throughout the day. Daily affirmations are straightforward, but go a long way with employee appreciation and can be truly meaningful recognition.
8. Offering support on a future project as peer recognition
When all else fails, you can express peer recognition in the form of offering to help out a fellow worker in a future project. Employees like the idea of being recognized for something even when they might not see their peers every single day (or week). If a peer is working hard on something new, a great recognition solution is to offer your support in a future project.
If you're not sure about peer recognition, peer awards, peer work events, or peer appreciation, then this might be your first time receiving peer employee recognition! There's nothing better than sending appreciation to someone you think deserves it.
We love seeing our peers get what they deserve so don't worry if you've never done peer awards before because we have a lot of great examples regarding peer recognition, the many benefits to peer recognition, and more in our comprehensive guide to peer recognition.
If you found value in this post, then consider trying out Matter, a Slack app that allows for peers to offer Kudos and constructive feedback. Matter is entirely free and is perfect for businesses with remote workers looking to start a peer recognition program.
