Thoughtful Ways to Recognize Employees 

Employees are more likely to be motivated to come into work each day and perform their best if they feel like they’re properly recognized. When employers fail to give recognition for hard work performed, employees can end up feeling discouraged, stressed out, and feel like nothing they do is appreciated. As an employer, you want to focus on the happiness of the people who work for you to ensure they know their hard work does not go unnoticed.

Paid Day Off or Extra Breaks

Days off are an important way for employees to recharge, focus on their friends and family, and just escape any stress that may come with their job. It can be a good idea to run contests from time to time to keep everyone’s morale up. Some incentives you might consider offering is a paid day off or an extra break. Make sure to set realistic goals that your employees will be able to achieve. You don’t want to stress your employees out by setting unrealistic standards to win the contest. A paid day off is just a simple way of letting your employees know that you do see their hard work and believe they deserve an extra day off for the effort they put into their job.

Company Merchandise

If your employees are happy, they’re going to want to represent the company they work for any chance they get. Reward your employees for a job well-done with some company merchandise. You can search for wholesale clothing & apparel categories to find different attire you can customize. You’ll be able to find something that just about anyone can enjoy such as t-shirts, bags, hats, and hoodies. Take advantage of ordering in bulk to help save money.

Throw a Party

Instead of just celebrating one or two employees that work hard, celebrate everyone for their contributions to the company. You can recognize everyone all at once by throwing a party in their honor. You can choose to have it catered, treating everyone to a free lunch, or you can host a potluck where everyone can bring in their favorite dish. When serving food to your employees, make sure to practice food safety tips, and make sure food doesn’t sit out for more than two hours.

Bonus or Gift Cards

Everyone likes free money and gift cards, especially when it comes because they are getting recognition for working extra-hard. Your employees want to know that you see how hard they are working, and they want to feel appreciated. You can easily show appreciation by giving them a bonus or a gift card to their favorite restaurant. You can use all types of gift cards, just make sure they’re fitting for the employee you’re giving it too. If you want to give your employee a bonus, it could be a good idea to do this quietly. Pull them aside and let them know they’re going to receive a bonus and the reason for it.

Public Recognition

You can quietly recognize an employee for the work they do, or you can make a point to let everyone know how much this employee is appreciated. You can do this in many ways. You can give them a certificate or plaque in front of everyone that works for you, publicly telling everyone why this person is being recognized. You can also send out an email giving that employee kudos.

Little acts of recognition can go a very long way in the workplace. You want your employees to be happy and stay that way. You don’t want them to feel like they are not valued and that their hard work goes unnoticed. Failing to recognize a hardworking employee puts you at risk of losing that employee to another company. You want to keep good employees because they are not easy to replace.