Employees love to be appreciated for the work they do; they want to feel that they are important and that the company cares about their work. Organizations who 
adequately reward and recognize employees typically operate up to 30% better than those who don’t recognize/reward.
There are multiple benefits to rewarding and recognizing employees, which include:
- Better customer service (employees who feel appreciated typically pass this feeling on to customers)
- Employee competition to do a great job for the organization
- Enhanced teamwork
- Increased productivity
- Employees have a sense of pride in their work
- Improved morale and less stress
- Retention of key employees
- Employee satisfaction
- Raised revenue
Oftentimes, clients tell me “we just don’t have the money in our budget to have a rewards program.” Therefore, below I am providing 25 ways to recognize and reward employees while on a tight budget.
- Designate a reserved parking spot for a month to the recognized employee (make sure parking spot is desirable).
- Certificate of Appreciation in a frame (from the dollar store) placed in a prominent place for all to see.
- $5 gift certificate from Starbuck, Tim Hortons, McDonalds, or other, for coffee, specialty drink, snack, etc.
- 1 hour, 2 hours, ½ day, or full day off work with pay.
- Postcard, greeting card, or handwritten letter thanking the employee for his or her work, sent from the CEO of the organization to the employee’s home.
- Acknowledge employee in the company newsletter or on the company intranet.
- Allow employees to have a casual day in honor of the recognized employee.
- Decorate the employee’s work area/station and celebrate the employee for the day, i.e., “Great Job Joe Day.”
- Put employee’s picture on the wall, in a prominent place, thanking him or her for a great job.
- Provide a flexible shift, such as 10-hour shift, 12-hour shift, split shifts, etc.
- Celebrate the recognized employee by having a potluck.
- Implement Employee of the month, quarter and/or year program. Announce the award in a staff meeting and give the employee a bag of goodies. Suggestion for a bag of goodies: Certificate of Appreciation, reserved parking, t-shirt with company logo, pen and pencil set, mug with company logo, ½ day off, etc.
- Allow the recognized employee to extend his or her lunch period.
- Place a banner at the entrance of the organization thanking the employee, i.e. “Good Job Joe!” or “Joe Landed the Big Account!”
- End staff meetings with everyone saying something positive about employees who went above and beyond the call of duty.
- Provide the recognized employee with a certificate for dinner for 2 and/or movie tickets for 2.
- Give a pizza party for the team.
- Management serves ice cream to employees.
- Give the recognized employee a book or CD that he or she would enjoy.
- $10 or $20 gas card.
- Allow the recognized employee to work from home for a day, or a week, or a month, etc.
- Retitle employee’s job to a more prestigious name.
- Celebrate employees’ hire date, for example, give him or her a certificate for 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, 15 years.
- CEO to stop by the employee’s workstation to recognize and thank the employee for a job well done.
- Send a company-wide email recognizing the employee for a job well done.
Please note: It is a huge mistake to not take advantage of the many benefits derived from recognizing and rewarding employees.
