With the New Year just around the corner, now is the time to start thinking about what kinds of rewards and recognition ideas you want to implement in your business. There are a lot of different options out there, so it can be tough to decide what will work best for your company. However, by keeping a few key factors in mind, you can narrow down the choices and choose a program that will be successful and engaging for your employees.
Here are some things to keep in mind as you plan your employee recognition program:
- What are your goals? What do you hope to achieve with your employee recognition program? Whether you're looking to improve employee morale or increase productivity, setting clear goals will help you choose the right program for your needs.
- Be unique! The sky's the limit when it comes to employee appreciation programs. Think outside the box and come up with something unique that will really capture your employees' attention. Innovation is key when it comes to creating a successful employee reward program.
- Offer a variety of rewards. Recognizing employees for their hard work is important, but so is offering a variety of rewards that they can enjoy. By offering different types of rewards, you'll be able to appeal to a wider range of employees and keep everyone engaged in the program.
These are just a few things to keep in mind as you plan your employee engagement programs. With careful planning and execution, you can create a program that will be beneficial for both your employees and your business. If you need help getting started, contact us today – we'd be happy to assist!
How to come up with rewards and recognition ideas
Coming up with a really great employee recognition idea can help keep morale high for your employees. Don't just guess what you think they would like. The human resource department needs to do research!
Start by researching what popular companies in your field are doing for their rewards program. You should also get input from team members themselves - they likely have great ideas on what would make them feel appreciated or motivated! You could begin by distributing a report of popular rewards in your industry and asking your employees for their opinions.
There are several methods you can use to collect ideas about employee rewards from your staff. Create an email address called rewardideas@yourcompany.com, and encourage all of your employees to send their reward ideas and suggestions. You can also create a poll or survey to find out what types of employee recognition ideas are most meaningful for each team member.
If you have a large company, it may be helpful to segment this data by location or department. Spend the time to collect input, analyze the data, and engage in a few feedback rounds before announcing your finalized program. Employees will be excited about being included in the process, and that is a great way to kick off the new year!
5 most popular rewards and recognition ideas
When it comes to giving rewards and recognition, it is essential to use creative employee recognition ideas. There are so many ideas out there that the options can feel overwhelming. Out of all of them, five stand out as being the most popular. These include:
- Recognize employees by offering praise in public forums
- Reward employees by giving a small award or certificate
- Give formal recognition by issuing an additional vacation day
- Providing an extra hour for breaks during a work day to recognize employee achievement
- Giving gift cards for employee recognition awards
All five of these appreciation ideas will get employees motivated and remind them that their hard work is appreciated. When companies provide positive feedback to their employees for hard work, not only do their attitudes improve, but their productivity increases too. Rewarding employees produces higher profits!
Tips for identifying great rewards and recognition ideas
When it comes to identifying a great employee recognition program, it is important to have a thorough understanding of the needs and wants of your employees. Surveys, focus groups, market research, and feedback sessions are all great ways to capture employee sentiment. Additionally, having conversations with employees one-on-one can be beneficial in understanding their individual needs.
One great strategy for providing personalized rewards to deserving employees is to issue them points that they can redeem in an awards catalog. Many employees like to choose gift cards for their favorite stores or restaurant. This strategy allows each employee to pick their own perfect reward. Using a reward catalog gives employers the ability to please everyone without complications.
Social recognition from co-workers is a powerful tool for employers to use in boosting morale and employee productivity. It is an effective way of recognizing employees who have done good work by going above and beyond their job duties, as it allows colleagues to acknowledge one another’s accomplishments and hard work. Peer recognition also gives employees the opportunity to feel appreciated by those they work with every day, which can help foster positive relationships between co-workers and reduce employee turnover.
Make sure that you are utilizing peer-to-peer recognition as well as manager recognition in your program. Both recognition & rewards types are very important to employees. Public recognition is much more valuable than private recognition, so don't save your manager recognition for private meetings! It's also important to make sure that everyone is receiving a recognition award on a regular basis. Sometimes the wallflowers bloom when they get a bit of positive attention.
Rewards and recognition ideas for remote teams
Working remotely can be a wonderful opportunity for some people, but it also comes with its own unique set of challenges. One challenge that remote teams often face is figuring out the best recognition platform for their team members. Matter is designed to integrate with Slack and Microsoft Teams, so its the perfect solution for your remote workforce.
Keeping morale up when working from home may seem like a difficult task, but there are plenty of creative ways to show appreciation for team members.
Some great employee recognition program ideas for remote teams include:
- Sending out virtual 'high fives' or shout-outs in meetings to show employee appreciation
- Sending virtual gifts for team member birthdays and holidays
- Giving extra days off to reward employees for great performance
- Providing a rewards catalog that allows employees to choose their rewards online
Many remote companies say they don't feel connected to their company culture, and also say they don't feel that their work is recognized. These types of feelings create dissatisfaction and often lead to high turnover rates in remote teams. You can reverse the tide with frequent high-quality rewards and recognition for your remote employees. You can even use Gen AI agents, which with the help of LLM agents can suggest personalized rewards — gift cards, experiences, or learning opportunities, making the rewards more relevant and appreciated.
Rewards and recognition ideas for small businesses
Small businesses often have tight budgets, and as a result, they don't think they can afford to offer rewards and recognition. But when you look at the improved morale, loyalty, and productivity these programs provide, it becomes obvious that they pay for themselves. If the employee is happy, these programs can significantly impact the customer experience as well, making it a vital investment. There are many innovative rewards and recognition ideas that small businesses can implement without breaking the bank, such as:
- Offering flexible hours
- Providing extra time off
- Hosting an employee lunch or dinner
- Giving movie tickets
- Offering gift cards
Peer-nominated awards are especially important in small businesses. This creates a sense of camaraderie and teamwork in your company. The boss should not be the only person doling out recognition and praise, and rewards should be an integral part of work life for small business employees. It's important to recognize that these rewards and recognition can be a powerful tool in building employee morale and motivating your team towards success.
Rewards and recognition ideas for large businesses
Large businesses have numerous options when it comes to rewarding their staff members, such as performance bonuses or a custom recognition ceremony. Recognition should be tailored to each person’s individual strengths. Making sure that every employee feels appreciated for their efforts goes a long way in creating a positive work environment. No matter which rewards system is put into place, regular feedback and celebration will help foster an atmosphere of both achievement and growth.
Matter is an excellent reward and recognition program for large companies. The software allows you to implement a program through Microsoft teams or Slack, which makes it simple to integrate into your daily operations. If you're running a large company, you need a program that works for everyone and practically runs itself. This will save you time, money, and headaches. Matter can help you track and improve your employee KPIs and adherence to company values.
If you want to increase motivation in the workplace, it's important to come up with thoughtful rewards and recognition ideas that will resonate with your team. The most popular rewards and recognition ideas tend to be physical items, experiences, or time-off related. However, there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to employee motivation - what works for one team may not work for another. It's important to take into account the size of your company, whether your team is co-located or remote, and what types of things would be most meaningful to them. With a little bit of thoughtfulness and planning, you can come up with great rewards and recognition ideas that will help improve morale and productivity in your workplace.
Interested in employee recognition and rewards? Make team recognition, celebrations, and rewards fun with Matter — all inside Slack or Microsoft Teams. Get started for free by adding Matter to your workspace.
