When employees feel appreciated, they are motivated to perform their best and contribute positively to organizational growth. Here are ten innovative, easy-to-implement ideas for employee recognition that organizations may consider.
1. Plan a Surprise
2. Set up a Wall of Fame
3. Unplanned Treats
4. Citations and Sticky Notes
5. Provide Paid Time–off
6. Introduce Prize Tokens
7. Announce it on Social Media
8. Freedom to Pick a Project of Choice
9. Special Privilege for a Limited Period
10. Present a Hand-made Gift
Planning a surprise recognition event or party is a unique way to appreciate the contributions and achievements of employees.
Receiving appreciation for their work unexpectedly from peers and superiors can help boost employee morale.
Organizations can make the employees feel a little unappreciated during the run-up to the surprise to make it more impactful!
Dedicate a wall within the workplace for detailing the achievements of employees along with their candid images, engrossed in work.
These can be accompanied by relevant employee recognition quotes to inspire the other workforce members further.
Announce a spontaneous team lunch to acknowledge the efforts or achievements of a specific employee.
Managers can also treat their teams to their favorite food without prior announcements as a mark of appreciation.
Hence, such initiatives can help assure employees that they are valued by the organization and enhance their team spirit.
Another innovative way of appreciating employees is to leave sticky notes with a few words of praise at their workstations.
Along with these notes, flowers can be placed at employees’ desks before they arrive.
This will make them pleasantly surprised and keep them happy and motivated for many days to come.
One great way to appreciate employees’ efforts and hard work is to offer paid time off.
Additionally, the organization can sponsor a day-long outing for these employees with their family or friends at their preferred place.
This method of recognition proves extremely effective. It helps employees relax while they feel appreciated for their contributions.
Prize tokens are one of the most innovative employee recognition examples that organizations can implement.
Every time an employee does something worthy of appreciation and recognition, they can be given a prize token.
These tokens can then be exchanged for specific gifts based on employee expectations and budgets.
Social media has come to play an essential role in the everyday lives of most individuals.
Hence announcing the achievements of employees on social media is one of the best recognition ideas for today’s workforce.
Given social media’s reach, sharing recognition can help enhance the value of the appreciation received.
Giving employees the freedom to choose their next project is a creative and effective employee recognition idea.
Apart from the opportunity to showcase their undisclosed competencies, it shows that the management trusts them to shoulder more significant responsibilities.
Providing some special privileges to the employees for a limited period is another innovative employee recognition idea.
These could include free meals, transportation, or even the opportunity to work with senior executives in the organization.
Hence, such recognition can help enhance the employees’ self-confidence and self-worth.
An innovative low-budget recognition idea is to present the employees with something that they might have been craving for a long.
These gifts should be meaningful, and the employees should know exactly why they receive them.
Hence, it would help enhance the employees’ sense of self-worth and happiness.
Adopting such innovative easy-to-implement ideas for employee recognition adds greater meaning to employee rewards and recognition programs and helps in creating a highly motivated workforce, committed to enhancing organizational growth and success.
Lead author: Sagar Chaudhuri, the Co-Founder and CEO of HiFives. He is an HR Tech Evangelist with over 25 years of corporate and entrepreneurship experience. In the past, Sagar has worked in leadership roles with companies such as Genpact, Infosys, and ICICI Bank. He has an engineering degree from IIT Kharagpur and an MBA from IIM Lucknow. Connect on LinkedIn
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