Maximizing productivity is the primary goal of all effective employers. This means hiring the best people and ensuring they have the tools to succeed. But if those basics are already taken care of, what’s next? At that point, it becomes about making the most of the teams you have. Keeping them happy and motivated to produce great work. Positive morale requires recognition from time to time. An award system is a great way to fill that gap, as giving workers personalized office awards is a great way to help them feel valued and acknowledged. So here are some tips to help you build a thriving workplace employee award program.
Use a Wide Variety of Award Types to Hit Every Segment
Impacting as many employees as possible requires offering a diverse set of categories. Employee of the Month, milestones, and team achievements are good to start with, but if you want to hit a broad audience, you’ll want to go beyond those basics. So, feel free to try out new awards, such as most organized or best desk. Having a broad set of goals to target means more opportunities for everyone to take part.
Need Ideas? Consider Asking Your Employees
When starting a reward system, the best people to talk to are the employees who will be most affected by it. Ask your team how they would like to be recognized, if they have any award ideas, and what categories they want to see represented. The feedback you get is a solid foundation on which to build. Use it to tailor your approach to the workers’ preferences.
Ensure Transparent and Consistent Requirements
Be careful when establishing the rules and criteria for all your award categories. The goal behind the program should be to encourage achievement in the workplace. Using ambiguous descriptions means employees don’t know how to work towards those achievements. A lack of clarity risks lessening the gifts’ effects on productivity. Also, beware of the trap of inconsistently giving awards. If two employees have similar successes, reward both.
Don’t Wait, Give Awards on Time
For gifts to be most effective, give them out soon after a significant milestone. That way, they have more chances to reinforce their drive for success. Waiting too long, for instance, until a year-end event, creates a disconnect between the action and the consequence, weakening the reward.
Proudly Showcase Your Team’s Achievements in a Public Form
Sharing employee achievements amplifies the positive effects of recognition. Make gift-giving part of regular meetings. Add the names and accomplishments of recent recipients to employee newsletters. Boasting about these successes inspires others to follow their example, encouraging them to work harder so they can reap the same recognition for themselves.
Create Awards that Align with your Company’s Values and Goals
Gifts can be an excellent tool for companies that incorporate specific values into their identity. For example, if your business values creativity, install an innovation award. If the goal is to connect with the local community, recognize workers who nurture that connection. Using unique company gifts in this way kills two birds with one stone: It celebrates workplace achievement while promoting your corporate agenda.
Continue to Iterate and Improve to Achieve the Best Results
It is a mistake to leave an awards system static and unchanging. All programs will need adjustments to fit changing workplace needs and circumstances. Measuring the impact your awards are having with metrics tracking is vital to this process. Look at productivity and retention rates to understand how practical gifts are in the long run. Combine this data with your collected employee feedback to make additions and improvements.
Successful award programs build more productive workplaces. Keeping certain factors in mind when creating your own ensures success in the future. Diversify your options, keep rewards timely, and gather feedback. When things don’t work, iterate, improve, and move on. Once it begins working, your small gifts will help workers feel appreciated and thus empowered to give you their best work.
