Show your appreciation to your employees with these employee recognition ideas, from daily practices to special occasions. It’s almost a given that almost every person who has worked in an organization has received a generic thank-you gift. Despite showing general appreciation, these gifts do nothing to help the recipient feel truly special — like they are an individual whose skills contribute significantly to the company.

Taking care of your employees shouldn’t feel like an afterthought, and even the best employee rewards and recognition programs can benefit from some new appreciation flavors. 

Demonstration of employee appreciation 

A simple form of appreciation is acknowledging your employees’ contributions to your business and the culture at work. There is an entire day devoted to celebrating this: the first Friday in March is designated as Employee Appreciation Day, but we encourage you to continue to do this throughout the year. 

Take a look at some innovative employee appreciation ideas that turn generic gifts into thoughtful, unexpected, and unique rewards. 

Use a corporate gamification system

The process of gamification involves bringing gameplay elements to the workplace. It involves assigning points to different activities, which can be earned if completed, encouraging good competition between colleagues, defining the game’s rules (or, in this case, the job’s goals), and rewarding the winners or employees who achieve these objectives. You can utilize the natural desire of employees to do better than their peers through gamification, which embeds appreciation in the work structure.

Let employees give and receive “props.”

It is important to know how to appreciate someone’s work. Showing appreciation and recognizing employees for their work regularly is essential. You should schedule some time to give props at the end of a day once a week to accomplish this. Team members can give each other ‘props,’ which promotes a sense of appreciation, respect, and cooperation. It is a time in the workplace to recognize your co-workers for their accomplishments and contributions and show your respect for the work that they have done that week.

Feed them

If you want to know what your people like, ask about their favorite snacks or treats-everything from candy bars to carrot sticks. Then, make them feel special by mailing them home or bringing treats to work. 

Express your gratitude on social media

An employee’s career page is the perfect place to highlight their achievements. There are two benefits to this. It is a sharable asset that employees can share with their friends and families. Furthermore, it is an additional attraction for job seekers, making them inclined to apply.

Connect rewards to your company

A flexible work schedule is something that most workers would appreciate. Flexibility can be provided in many ways, and rewarding hard work with a bit of extra is likely to be appreciated. There might be a reward for an early departure or late arrival, a day off from work, an extra lunch break, or a day to work from home. Taking on one of the employee’s less pleasant tasks is a nice reward as well – the boss can take some of the work off their plates.

Delegate a team award

It would be good to have some awards for team members who go above and beyond during the busy season to push recognition down from higher-ranking staff. Every employee who is honored receives an email that explains why they are being recognized and an award that can be exchanged for a gift card at any time during the busy season. During the firm’s weekly staff meeting, these ‘awards’ are shared to acknowledge team accomplishments during the busy season publicly and promote positive team morale.

In Summary

Job satisfaction, workplace happiness, and employee morale are directly related how you appreciate someone’s work. When you show them that you care, your employees will also be motivated, engaged, loyal, and more productive. Your business will also benefit from all of these factors. 

One of the best ways to demonstrate your appreciation for your employees’ hard work is that it requires minimal effort, costs very little, and doesn’t consume much of your time. Appreciating your employees will improve your workplace tremendously, so why wouldn’t you prioritize it?

You may define clear goals and conduct bespoke reviews using our Beehive HR performance management system. You can get the most out of the software we’ve given you by combining succession planning and talent management. We are here to provide our clients with a complete human resource management solution, and our performance appraisal software ensures that you have the most significant possible relationship with your staff.