Thoughtful Employee Recognition & Appreciation Ideas for 2019 Part - 5

1. Recognize their other talents

You probably imagine that your team has talents beyond what they bring to the workplace. OpenDNS provides internet security solutions, but they recognize their employees by showcasing their inner creativity through an employee recognition program called the “OpenDNS Art Experience.”

Through the program, the company shows their employees they value their talents in music, art, and dance in addition to their company contributions.

2. Get together and cheer each other on

Ashley Pelliccione, Director of People at Namely, an HR software company, believes in the goodwill that comes from group recognition. She says,

“I’d say shout-outs at the all-company meeting. High performers don’t only work for recognition, of course. But to have your name mentioned in front of the whole company—followed by cheers from the crowd—that’s a reward bigger than a gift card, bigger than a thank-you lunch. It’s true appreciation, and that’s powerful.

We have monthly all-hands meetings at Namely. We bring everyone together at a fun spot, like a rooftop restaurant or fun theater space, and present on the big projects everyone is working on. Employee recognition plays a big part.”

3. Recognize the value of helping others

Limeade’s office award idea advises recognizing employees who help others. Their “Make Others Great” monthly awardrecognizes an employee who exemplifies the kind of collaboration and teamwork it takes to help make others great.

The chosen employee gets recognized through a Q&A post on the blog and gets the honor of keeping the coveted, lime-colored shoe for a month.

4. A little gaming goes a long way

Games. We’ve all played them, well all love them…even if we try to hide it. Games suck us in through immediate rewards. We kill a bad guy and walk off toting a sack full of magic coins. What if workplace rewards and recognition could be just as immediate and visible? Thanks to new tools, it can be.

New gamification tools aim to make workplaces more game-like, offering points and badges for doing good work. Target uses gamification to recognize its cashiers. After they’ve helped a customer, they get a score that instantly recognizes their performance, no management necessary.

5. Know your staff

Intrepid Travel offers unique adventure travel itineraries to their customers. They prefer taking a unique approach to employee recognition as well. Their Marketing Director for North America, Leigh Barnes told us:

“Make recognition fun and personable. Go out of your way to find out what their interests are and recognize with a personalized message.

A note, a craft beer….know your staff personally and you will know the little things that truly will motivate them.”