9 Better Ways to Recognize Your Employees’ Achievements
Recognizing your employees’ achievements is a great way to boost morale at your workplace. Employees enjoy getting praised for their hard work and are more comfortable knowing you notice what they do. You’ll want to learn all the best ways to recognize your employees’ achievements. Make sure to keep reading!
Offer Consistent, Positive Feedback
Did you know that employees who receive recognition perform better at work? You can encourage them by offering positive feedback whenever they achieve something good.
This type of feedback should be an “in-the-moment” reaction. For instance, you compliment and praise them when you see them working hard. It doesn’t need to be an event but part of your daily communication with your employees. Your workplace will change into a better environment for everyone when management offers a lot of positive feedback.
Add Positive Shouts Outs to Your Meetings
You can always shout out your employees’ achievements if you have frequent team meetings. It’s the perfect time for you and the rest of your team to acknowledge when someone’s putting in the extra effort. Plus, doing so can build a stronger sense of community in your group.
Positive shout-outs also increase work performance since your employees receive instant recognition. After shouting out a few achievements at meetings, you might also notice that the rest of your team starts doing it independently. Many groups become excited to bring up each other’s accomplishments, helping to build a friendly working environment for everyone.
Employee Recognition Programs
Employee recognition programs are another excellent way to encourage your team. These programs consist of positive recognition and even rewards for specific achievements. You’ll need to work out the program ahead of time so it remains consistent for everyone.
These programs can also increase retention, productivity, and employee satisfaction, making them worth looking into. Here are a few examples of common employee recognition programs:
- Create a wall of fame or other fun bulletin boards;
- Celebrate birthdays;
- Gift cards and other bonuses;
- Celebrate employees’ anniversaries of joining your business;
- Lunch trips;
- Offering gym or other wellness memberships.
There are many different programs, and you can always come up with your own! Your team might respond better to specific types of rewards.
Offer Nominated Rewards
Nominated rewards allow other employees to vote and choose who they want to recognize. This option is great for encouraging others and bringing those who put in exceptional work to light. Other employees often see what managers don’t, allowing more of your team to receive the recognition they deserve.
You can hold a vote every so often— most employers choose to hold them monthly. You can have your team vote on an “Employee of the Month” and reward the winner. It could be anything that you feel is appropriate. Recognizing the winner in your newsletters or on an easy-to-see bulletin board is also essential.
Winners of nominated rewards also feel much more seen when it comes to their achievements. Recognizing your employees’ accomplishments will boost their performance and confidence.
Post About Achievements on Your Brand Pages
It would be best if you also tried to make fun posts on your business’s social media pages. You can tag your employees and share the post to help it get more traction. Your employees are sure to enjoy seeing their work recognized online. It can also be more comfortable for some than receiving praise directly.
Give Them More Freedom
When you see an employee making outstanding achievements, you can always show them you respect them by giving them more control over their work. Doing so also lets them know that you trust them to make good choices for the business.
You can also offer employees more freedom by giving them more work-from-home time or lowering dress code restrictions at the office. You’ll often notice employees making more and more achievements when they have more freedom. Most people feel more inspired when there’s less pressure on them to behave or perform in a specific way.
Throw a Party
For especially great achievements, you can always throw a work party! It’s a great way to encourage workers and give everyone a break from the standard routine, helping them feel refreshed and more productive.
You can bring snacks, desserts, and decorations and encourage others to do the same. It’s much more fun when you get more of your team involved in the celebrations. Depending on the achievement, gifts might be in order too.
Overall, everyone loves a party. Work parties are something to look forward to and can help break up long days. Your employees will also feel inspired to try to get their party.
Offer a Certificate of Achievement
Another great way to show your employees that you recognize their work is to offer them a certificate of achievement. You can even frame it for them and encourage them to hang it up so everyone can see it. Doing so would also encourage the rest of your employees to try their hand at earning their certificate. These certificates can be simple or elaborately designed— whatever makes the most sense for your work environment and budget.
Give Them Some Time Off
The employee’s achievement might’ve been very stressful for them to complete. You’d want to give them a few days off work if it were. Employees are sure to appreciate having a day or two to recuperate their energy before returning to their tasks.
It’s been shown many times that time off is great for an employee’s mental and physical health, which also greatly benefits your business. You’ll want to ensure that all your staff has enough time to recharge.
Ways to Recognize Employees’ Achievements: Never Ignore Achievements
No matter what you decide, it would help if you didn’t accidentally ignore your employees’ achievements. They will likely move to another job offering positive feedback if they don’t feel recognized. There are many ways to recognize achievements, so you’re sure to find one that works the best for you and your team.
