10 Great (and Free) Employee Recognition Ideas

If it was not posted publicly, did it ever really happen? Public recognition of an employee online shows that you care about them and makes them feel extra special for their accomplishments. Go that extra mile with the post. Perhaps include BTS footage of their most recent project, publish a Q&A article on them or share one of their memorable photos. Is it your employee’s birthday? Hooray, post it (with their permission)! You can also celebrate their careers in your company by sharing work anniversary messages. Remember to engage your audience to join in on the praise and cheer them along with likes or by leaving a comment.

The good news? It’s also a great and very simple way to improve your employer branding and your organizational culture and will definitely help with your social media recruitment.

Did you know a weekly huddle can reinforce your company culture? The intention behind those team meetings is to highlight employee achievement. Have a round table discussion with your entire team where each team member takes a turn to provide positive feedback on one another. We promise you’ll see some sort of magic… The power of giving and receiving feedback! This is also a time and place where ideas can be shared and open discussions are held in a respectful and positive environment. Huddles ultimately bring the team together. They make the employee feel less like a number and more a part of a familia—a tribe they can always count on for appreciation, encouragement and support. Each member should leave a huddle feeling seen, heard, and above all valued.

Whenever possible, give your employees the autonomy to make their own decisions. Now how could this possibly be a reward? Great question. Trusting your employees to make their own choices gives them more of the control they crave—which is truly invaluable. Allow them to choose which project they would like to work on, or even offer them the choice of a flexible work schedule. Maybe have them take part in a decision making process by asking them for their opinion and honest feedback. Call them up and ask for their thoughts. Send them a message asking their preferences. Finding ways to hand over the reins to your employee whenever possible exudes feelings of empowerment and increases their motivation. The verdict? Empowered, motivated employees are confident and happy employees.

One of the best ways to understand your employees—and what they truly want—is to ask them! Employee satisfaction surveys are an excellent tool for dialogue between managers and their teams and we strongly recommend that you use them. Learn about engagement surveys best practices here!

Yes… thank you notes are still a thing(yes, even—more!—handwritten notes). Never underestimate the power of expressing gratitude by sliding a small note every so often. Everyone loves to receive an appreciation message in their inbox. It is gratifying, humbling and influences our approach to that work grind. It also boosts pride and gives a sense of fulfillment. Make it a weekly habit to send recognition messages to your employee. Communicate exactly what it is that you appreciated from their efforts and how it has positively contributed to the success of your team. Keep it short, impactful and sincere. Remember, these small thoughtful acts go a long way when it comes to keeping employee morale high. Acknowledgment and expressing gratitude is everything.

Remind your employees the importance of walking away from their desk and schedule regular breaks to just chill out. Suggest they go for a walk, an extended lunch break, smash a quick workout, play with their dog or even revel in meditation. Perhaps propose that they keep in touch with friends and family by phone, or rekindle with a long lost hobby or passion. Remind them to take care of themselves, and highlight how important it is that they respect their work life balance. Personal notes as such are not only appropriate, they are essential. Showing your employees that you care about them by encouraging them to practice self-care and prioritize their health is profound. Do not be surprised by how much joy and employee happiness it will bring!

Recognition should not only come from managers and bosses, but also from colleagues. You can create recognition channels dedicated to sending kudos for employee’s accomplishments and great work. Of course, you can send your own appreciation messages to break the ice and encourage others to participate.

Designating the Employee of the Month and setting up a wall of fame with pictures can be a great way to recognize achievements without stirring up unhealthy competition between coworkers. On top of outstanding performance, you can highlight daily contributions and values essential to your corporate culture, such as team work, collaborative skills, and creative thinking. Workers who are designated Employees of the Month in various categories will love receiving recognition, and their coworkers will be encouraged to see that everyone can be appreciated for their work and personalities.

You can organize team recognition meetings so that team members can celebrate their colleagues’ achievements. During this event, you should organize free team-building activities such as online games or collaboration games to make the most out of the meeting. Your teams will love getting a break from their work day and sharing recognition with their teammate!

Recognition is all about autonomy and trust: your employees will love obtaining new projects to work on. Try to give them tasks that they can handle from start to finish and that stimulates their creativity. You will make them feel appreciated while fostering their individual growth!

Your employees need to know that they can grow at your side. A free way to foster their professional growth is to organize brainstorming sessions and skill sharing workshops during which teams can share their knowledge on specific tools, or tips to increase productivity and save time.

These workshops are great opportunities to make your employees feel like their knowledge is appreciated and can bring added value to the company and their coworkers. Moreover, your teams will love learning new things on a regular basis.

See? Employee rewards can be THAT easy. What they really want is to know that their company values them and the work they do. We guarantee that these employee recognition efforts will boost employee retention and workers’ willingness to excel and perform well at work. It’s a win-win situation!