A little recognition can go a long way towards improving company culture and employee morale. So if you’re looking for some creative employee recognition ideas, you’re on the right track.
An employee who’s received recognition is 63% more likely to stay for the next three to six months, while a lack of recognition and engagement contributes to 44% of employees quiet quitting and/or changing jobs.
Recognition is a great way to reinforce positive attitudes, behaviors, and habits—far more effective than punishing someone for doing something wrong or making a mistake.
92% of employees are more likely to repeat an action if they receive recognition for it.
And, to top it off, 40% of US employees would put more effort into their work if they received more recognition. That’s a lot of employees who feel undervalued and underappreciated. And therefore aren’t working as hard as they would with the right culture.
If you’re seeing this in your business, implementing some creative employee recognition ideas can help you turn the tide.
Do you have a culture of recognition?
Whether someone has landed a new client, built a product really quickly, worked especially hard on a new project, or something else, celebrating them should be a no-brainer. It makes them feel like a valued member of the team and like they belong at your organization.
At most of my previous roles, no one ever said thank you like they meant it. It was always a quick “thanks” at the end of the day/week, when someone was going home. It felt more like an add-on or a courtesy rather than something someone actually meant.
Those places simply didn’t have cultures where employees’ hard work was recognized. Or at the very least, vocalized well. In fact, some people in positions of leadership genuinely admitted to feeling uncomfortable giving praise. Not a great example to set, I’m sure you’ll agree.
There was never a high-five (virtual or in person) around a job well done. When someone said “thank you” it felt like an off-hand, mandatory comment. Asking someone if they were making a pot of coffee was often said with more enthusiasm.
On the other hand, I can tell that people at Workrowd genuinely mean “thanks” when they say it.
How?
It’s in how they say it. The language usage; the timing; the detail; the fact it’s not the same words every time.
Even employees who don’t read into language as much as a writer like me will pick up on subtle cues.
And that will affect how they feel about work and how much you get out of them in the short- and long-term. So let’s get into some creative employee recognition ideas to help you delight your team.
9 creative employee recognition ideas
If you want to establish or reinforce a positive culture, how do you show your employees you appreciate them?
Here are 9 creative employee recognition ideas:
Shoutout channel
This is a simple one that anyone can do: create a channel on Slack or Teams, or dedicate a krowd on Workrowd to celebrating people’s hard work. And use it!
If the space is quiet, people may feel uncomfortable reviving it. If it’s used regularly, employees will be more likely to want to give their colleagues a shoutout. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.
It starts with managers leading by example: if they create a culture of virtual high-fives, employees will follow suit. This might start with employees reacting to the posts, then it can escalate to them posting their own shoutouts too.
As creative employee recognition ideas go, this one costs nothing and can pay real dividends.
Meeting shoutouts
If someone has done something particularly well for the team, why not give them a shoutout in a meeting?
Sure, they might get a bit bashful, but they’ve worked hard. Don’t they deserve for the rest of the team to know how great they are?
When it comes to creative employee recognition ideas, something as simple as verbal acknowledgement can go a long way.
A day off for their birthday
Giving employees a day off for their birthday shows that you value their time. Make it clear you don’t expect them to work on a day that should be spent how they want, not how their employer chooses.
Decorate their desk for their birthday
If you give employees a day off for their birthday, you can do this the day before or after.
Balloons, streamers, a sash or a hat are all fun ways to show employees you appreciate them. And of course, it makes for some fun social media content.
You could also get them their favorite treat for everyone to munch on and celebrate as another creative employee recognition ideas option.
Celebrate them on social media
If an employee uses social media, why not give them a shoutout?
You could put together a montage of some of their achievements (if you already take lots of photos/videos) or write something heartfelt about the difference they make to the team.
Don’t just do this when someone is leaving! By then it’s too late.
Instead, use it to celebrate milestone achievements, special occasions, or even have an “employee of the week” feature where you celebrate someone different each week. These types of creative employee recognition ideas can make team members feel truly special.
Offer sabbaticals
Even if employees love their roles, that doesn’t mean they don’t still need a break sometimes. But it can be scary to go on a long-term break if you don’t know that you’ll have a job when you get back.
Allowing employees the chance to take a sabbatical shows them that you understand how hard they work, that they deserve a break, and that you value them enough to want them to come back after they’ve recharged.
It’s one of the creative employee recognition ideas that will truly set you apart from the competition.
Give extra PTO to long-term employees
Why not reward your long-term employees with extra days off based on how long they’ve worked with you?
This could help with retention too, as employees will want to stay to get the extra paid time off. Plus, those who’ve got it won’t want to give it up.
Offer training opportunities
Employees understand better than ever that learning is a lifelong pursuit if they want to be at the forefront of their industry.
More than half want to develop skills that will put them in a better position for new opportunities in their current role, but only 32% are satisfied with their employer’s L&D perks.
39% will likely leave within a year for a role with better learning opportunities. So if you’re not implementing creative employee recognition ideas that support your team’s future development, you’re risking high turnover and expensive hiring costs.
Connect employees with their colleagues
Work can be isolating, especially for underrepresented talent or people working at home.
Connecting employees with their colleagues using a platform like Workrowd helps them network, learn new skills, and discover new opportunities. It’s a powerful tool in your employee recognition and retention arsenal.
Get in touch to book your free demo and find out more.
Conclusion
Employee appreciation doesn’t have to involve grand gestures. But implementing some creative employee recognition ideas to show your team that you value them giving you their time and energy each day helps keep them motivated to serve you and your customers.
Ready to put some of these creative employee recognition ideas into action? Workrowd has the tools you need to make it a breeze. From setting up a dedicated space for recognition to monitoring employee feedback with automated surveys, you can do more in less time.
Which frees you to come up with even more creative employee recognition ideas. Drop us a note to schedule some time to talk at hello@workrowd.com today.
