Many people don't necessarily look forward to things like award ceremonies. The list of names and accomplishments can seem frustrating to employees who don't fit the traditional criteria for an award for most sales or other often-honored accomplishments. Instead of relying only on traditional awards for employees, consider giving out corporate plaque awards for more creative and typically overlooked accomplishments. The following ideas for awards may inspire all your employees.
Give Awards for Creatively Solving a Problem
Problem-solving can be one of the most important aspects of any position in the company. Sometimes solving a small problem can ricochet and leave a big impact on the culture of the company. Look for employees who are good at problem-solving. Next, offer them an award for their creativity and ingenuity in solving the dilemma.
Create Surprise Awards for Employees Who Do Good Deeds for Co-Workers
When you notice that an employee is doing something selfless and kind for a co-worker without any apparent expectation of reward, praise them for their actions. Then take it one step further. Have an award created for their "company citizenship" or "altruistic endeavors." Use any fun phrasing you'd like.
The point is to heap praise on those who are being kind and helpful to their co-workers. When delivering the award, you may point out how the individual person, the team and the company all benefit. Speak about how everyone wins when co-workers behave with kindness towards each other while working together.
Offer Aspirational Awards to Employees
Announce to employees that you will be giving out different awards at the end of the quarter for certain accomplishments. Be as specific as possible and let employees know what they need to achieve in order to win the awards. While the awards should be challenging to win, they should also be within reach of hard-working employees.
Also, be sure to budget for the possibility that all employees may win one or more of the awards. So, you should be prepared to hand out multiple awards for the same thing if several employees reach the minimum requirements for winning that award. Awards that are attainable if employees complete specific steps can be more motivating to high achievers than other types of awards that are handed out in a more subjective manner.
Finally, the whole point of giving out awards is likely to give back to your employees. You may want to simply say "thank you" for a job well done while encouraging other workers to strive for the same sort of excellence. By giving out a variety of different award plaques, you may soon find that all employees feel more like a team. In doing so, they may be better motivated to accomplish great things.
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