What drives employees to do great work? Recognition!

How To Utilize Promotional Products To Recognize Employees

Employees are a company’s most valuable asset. Retain your top talent by recognizing their hard work, dedication and years of service with a reward recognition program.

Decide What You Want To Recognize

Nearly half of all organizations have a written plan for their recognition programs that is aligned with management strategies, like quality improvement, key customer retention, no lost time accidents or revenue growth. Whatever you choose to recognize makes your organization doubly effective. Employees push themselves to earn the recognition award while helping your organization hit annual or long-term goals.

Set A Budget

Some organizations allocate a specific dollar amount for each employee, generally from $50 to $250 per person. Or they budget a percentage of payroll – 0.3% is the norm. This doesn’t mean each employee will receive a recognition award during the year, but it reserves funds for program implementation.

How To Build A Work Anniversary Recognition Program

Length of service is the occasion most commonly recognized by organizations. Here is a sample program to get you started.

• Start With New Hires

  Tell them you’re excited to have them as part of your team. This can be something as simple as a pack of sticky notes that say “Welcome” along with your company’s logo, or if you promote a culture of reduce and reuse, a stainless steel water bottle with the company logo. Just make sure these new hire gifts are reserved only for new hires. If these start showing up on everyone’s desk, it reduces their impact.

• One-Year Anniversary

  You’re proud to have them, and they are proud to be here. Show the world how valuable your employees are with a zip-up sweatshirt that has “A Year of Great Work” on it, or keep it fresh and make it annual for all employment anniversaries with “A(nother) Year of Great Work” T-shirt. Award a different color each year and fellow employees will start to recognize how long team members have been with your organization.

• Five-Year Anniversary

  Your employee has already demonstrated they are a valuable asset to your organization. Now it’s time to start recognizing their individual motives toward success. Are they a fitness buff? How about a new gym bag, or an activity tracker wristband? Are they a foodie? How about a marble cheese board and knife set? You want these recognition gifts to be something that bears your company’s logo, but that your employee will proudly use. A company store is also a great option and a way to let employees choose their perfect gift. This can be done using company store credit or just letting them pick from a certain group of items.

• 10-Year Anniversary

  This is a huge milestone, especially in current work environments. This award should hold prestige for the employee while reflecting quality for the company. The gold watch might be a bit cliché, or it might be exactly what your employee wants!

Everyday Recognition

Recognition shouldn’t only be tied to big events. A handwritten note is an easy way to boost people’s morale. Does your corporate mission or vision talk about valuing people? Custom print thank you notes to reinforce this organizational value. Make sure the notecards are accessible to everyone — so your employees can thank co-workers, customers and maybe even their boss. Small office items are also a great way to show appreciation with things employees would use anyway. Just make sure you can point to a specific contribution you are recognizing. Overuse decreases the value of these types of awards.

Contact us today for creative ideas to get you started! We can help you find the perfect ways to retain, recognize and engage employees using promotional products.