Most workplaces manage two kinds of employee recognition: informal and formal. Informal recognition involves the handshakes and thank-yous given by bosses and coworkers on a daily basis; this type of recognition is undeniably important for helping employees feel seen, heard and appreciated in their work environment, as it forms the bulk of recognition that employees receive.
In contrast, formal recognition is less frequent and tends to be associated with ceremony — like an annual employee awards celebration.
If your workplace is interested in introducing annual employee awards as a means of recognizing the efforts and achievements of staff, you could find this type of formal recognition exceedingly effective at keeping workers engaged and enthusiastic.
However, you need to be sure to chose award categories that are fun while remaining appropriate for the workplace. Here are a few good options you might consider for your next employee awards ceremony.
Most Recognized
A recognition tool like Workhuman can keep track of all the different types of recognition offered an employee from business leadership, providing business leaders insight into which employees are earning the most recognition in the organization.
The worker who most often and most regularly is recognized for their contributions can receive an annual prize showcasing them as an incredibly valuable member of the team.
Recognition Master
Receiving recognition is important, and so is offering recognition. In workplaces with a strong culture of recognition, employees will recognize one another for their efforts and achievements.
The worker who is first to offer a “Congratulations!” or a “Thank you!” to their team members might be eligible for this annual award, which will encourage them to keep up the good work.
Best Feedback
Providing good feedback is an art form, and not everyone excels at it. The employees who are consistently able to offer constructive feedback — to their coworkers, their bosses or the organization at large — should be applauded for their talent and tact. The Best Feedback award should come with some feedback of its own: keep it up.
Brainiac
This award is not meant to identify the smartest member of the team but rather the worker who pitches some of the most innovative ideas.
Employees who offer lateral, outside-the-box thinking can give organizations an incredible competitive edge, perhaps even disrupting processes in a progressive and powerful way. Thus, even if leaders don’t use every innovative solution from the brainiac, they deserve recognition for their contributions.
Trendsetter
In the workplace as in general culture, trends come and go. However, the people who drive those trends are often innovative and exciting, creating engagement with their peers in ways that can be exceedingly beneficial for business.
Leaders should work to identify the team member who sets the best trends in the workplace and honor them with their very own award.
Hidden Gem
Not every high-performing employee is especially visible within an organization. Plenty of workers prefer to keep a low profile; they might be introverts, who feel drained by too much social attention, or else they might be shy, feeling anxiety around certain groups. The Hidden Gem celebrates those workers who accomplish goals and achieve success without drawing attention to themselves.
Iron Pillar
Most employees will remain in the same position for no more than about four years, but there are some workers who are stalwart in their commitment to their current employer.
The worker who has stayed with the organization through thick and thin deserves an award, especially as the number of years they are celebrating every anniversary climbs into the double digits.
Always Growing
Curiosity is a personality trait that is exceedingly valuable in business, so leaders should strive to cultivate and congratulate it whenever it appears.
The worker who is consistently engaged with skill-building and education should be the recipient of this award, which might come with additional career development opportunities like mentorship or shadowing.
Safest Office
An award that might be offered to low-level managers and team leads, the Safest Office belongs to the worker who does the most to help their colleagues feel safe and supported.
These leaders might keep their doors open and be remarkably receptive to feedback of all varieties, and they should be welcoming of all workers, regardless of background.
Your recognition ceremony is next to meaningless if you can’t keep your workers engaged and excited about the awards.
By changing up the awards you offer every year — and working to make the awards interesting and innovative — you can use formal recognition to your organization’s advantage.
