Most employees appreciate a fun day of celebration, but many best feel appreciation through written communication. In relationships this has been called a love language, and it’s important to incorporate written expressions of appreciation and recognition into the workplace.
Here are 13 ways you can express appreciation and recognize employees for the important contributions they make.
1. Handwritten Thank You Note
In today’s world of fast-paced, electronic communication, a handwritten note or card always draws attention. It’s the personal touch that says you really cared enough to take the time to write a personalized note. It’s not duplicated, mass produced, or a generic gift.
A simple thank you card, personally addressed, is special enough to be opened and thoughtfully read. That’s one of the things that makes it so powerful. You can leave it propped up on your employees’ workspaces, or mail it to their homes.
Either way, it’s a simple, but classic way to get the message across that you recognize the contributions they make.
2. Write A Linked-In Review
LinkedIn provides a valuable resource for business professionals. Show appreciation to your employees in a way that will last beyond their current job and role by writing a LinkedIn review. A LinkedIn recommendation demonstrates that you truly value your employee and care about them as a person above the contributions they make to the organization. It’s a selfless way to promote and appreciate an employee because it shows them off to prospective future employers and other companies. That is the power of a LinkedIn recommendation. It makes them more valuable. It is done solely for the employee’s benefit.
3. Present A Certificate Of An Outstanding Job
Recognize your employees through official certificate that recognize their contribution. Certificates can be as simple as a “great job” or “employee of the month” award. But, you can have a lot of fun with employee recognition. Create a certificate for the “Newbie of the Month” or “New Kid on the Block” award for new employees that are excelling. Reward the employee that’s dependable with a “Consider-It-Done” or “Problem Solver” Certificate and gift. Other ideas include “Standing Ovation Award,” “Victory Club,” “Confidence Infuser,” “Harmony Hero,” or “Incredible Chef.”
Check out these other 150 Ideas for Employee Recognition Award Names for more ideas to put on the certificates. Be sure to include a little gift with the certificate for your employees!
4. Create a Booklet of Appreciation From Their Team
Gather notes of appreciation from the team about the employee you want to recognize. Gather comments and stories from colleagues. Then, print the comments onto different colored backgrounds or photo paper and staple them together for a nice booklet that can be given to the employee. Or, pass around pieces of cardstock for employees to write notes on, then bind them.
Present the booklet of appreciation to the employee being recognized. For some employees a written note of appreciation means more than any other type of recognition. Imagine how much a collection of notes from their team will be treasures for months to come!
See a demo of how Memories works as a digital record of Thanks!
5. Post a “Wanted” Ad in the Classifieds to Recognize a Specific Employee
If you’d like to recognize an employee that always reads the newspaper, and you want a unique idea, consider placing a “wanted ad” to recognize that employee. Something along the lines of “Wanted, a smart, caring engineer.” In the description remember to identify the employee being recognized. “We are looking for more engineers like Brad. He is hard working, solves the hardest problems, remains cheerful during difficult situations. Really, Brad is irreplaceable and we just wanted to say THANK YOU BRAD! The team at XYZ Company”
If you aren’t sure Brad will see the ad, then just circle it and place the newspaper on his desk. Another alternative to running a “wanted ad” is to pay for a feature article in the newspaper that outlines and recognizes one or a team of employees for an outstanding contribution.
6. Post-It-Note Blitz
PostIt notes are cheap, but come in many colors, sizes, and shapes. Consider posting little notes of appreciation all over an employee’s workspace. Identify and recognize the many different ways they make a difference, both large and small.
Encourage coworkers to add their own notes of thanks and it will make your employee’s day. There is nothing like walking in to start your job and finding dozens of notes of appreciation!
7. Recognition on the Company Website
Highlighting a start employee on the company website takes extra coordination and effort. That’s part of what makes it so valuable. Company web pages are usually reserved for official and important announcements. Taking the time to write, design, and publish a page recognizing an employee, or a specific team will really speak volumes in showing recognition. You can create a recognition page that creates a record of employee spotlights over time (much like a blog post would work), or create a special page for each employee.
8. Use Thanks To Send Notes of Appreciation
The employee recognition software Thanks provides many ways to recognize and award employees for well-done jobs. Through clear and effective recognition, managers can increase the employee engagement in their teams and improve performance and longevity.
Employees who are regularly recognized report feeling happier in their professional roles, and report more consistent moments of being in the “zone” of productivity. This is beneficial for not only the employee, but their colleagues, employer, and clients.
Find out the 20 ways to recognize employees through Thanks . Thanks allows you to incorporate peer recognition, executive recognition, and social recognition into your employee appreciation celebrations.
9. Write a Letter For Their HR File
Take the time to recognize an employee by writing a letter for your employee’s HR file. Outline the contributions they have made and how big of a difference that has made to their team and to other colleagues. Quote or refer to positive comments made about them to you. Writing a letter will take time and thoughtfulness, but will be worthwhile.
Give your employee a copy of the letter you provide to HR so that they have a copy and can read it as many times as they want. It will mean a lot to them and can serve as inspiration and encouragement during later, stressful times.
10. Shout Out On Social Media
Publically show appreciation for an employee by giving them a shout-out on social media. Tag your employee and point out specifics about how they made a difference. Encourage customers or partners to recognize specific employees on social media and to tag your company and the employee. Make it easy for colleagues to tag each other and express appreciation.
Make sure that before you publicly recognize an employee, that they are on social media. In the event that an employee rarely gets on social media, they may miss the recognition.
11. Press Release Recognition
Another public way to show appreciation for your team is to issue a press release. There are many free online platforms that allow businesses to issue press releases. In addition to providing a timeless record of an employee’s achievement, it also provides an unusual form or recognition that employees can remember.
12. Company-Wide Email
As a way to start off a day of celebrations on Employee Recognition Day, consider sending out a company-wide email thanking employees for their service, dedication, and hard work. Or, even better, throughout the year, encourage managers to send a company-wide email that outlines great achievements by individuals.
13. Spotlight in Company Newsletter or Magazine
Feature an employee or a team in the company newsletter and highlight them and the effect they had on those around them. This brings recognition on a wide-scale and provides a way for colleagues to verbally reinforce the recognition they read about the featured employee.
Conclusion
Expressing written appreciation to an employee becomes especially important because of the record, time, and unique way it communicates. One manager has advised; “Chastise verbally, but recognize and appreciate through the written word.”
About Thanks
Thanks is a leading provider of a recognition-based platform that increases communication, builds teamwork, and makes recognition a part of company culture. Fast, easy and simple Thanks makes it easy to bring data-driven employee recognition to your entire organization. O.C. Tanner purchased the Thanks platform in 2019 to fulfill the recognition needs of smaller businesses.
Thanks customers benefit from the same decades of research in employee motivation and company culture that O.C. Tanner enterprise clients enjoy, but in a product that is geared for fast, easy and simple deployment. Whether you’re starting a recognition program or improving and expanding on what you already have, Thanks has everything you need to engage your people with effective, scalable recognition