15 Awesome Employee Recognition Ideas Your Staff Will Love!

Employee recognition increases employees' performance and spurs them to work harder. Check out these 15 excellent ideas

July 25, 2022
Press the button to generate random icebreaker questions.
There are 300 more icebreaker questions at the bottom of the article
How would you describe your job to a five year old?
What season would you be?
What is a weird food you have tried? Would you eat it again?
What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Would you go in the mother-ship with aliens if they landed on Earth tomorrow?
What is your favorite season?
Do prefer working from home or the office?
What is your earliest memory of this job?
What is the best thing you have bought so far this year?
What is the earliest book you remember?
If you had to move to another country, which one would you choose?
You are the best criminal mastermind in the world. What crime would you commit if you knew you would get away with it?
What is your favorite movie genre to watch?
What was the last thing you ate?
What person from history would you add to Mount Rushmore?
What is a weird fact you know?
What is your favorite part of working from home?
Were the Spice Girls a good team?
Imagine you can instantly learn any language. Which would you choose?
If you could live in any state, which state would you pick?
Which fictional team is the best team of all time?
What did you want to be when you grew up?
What do you usually eat for a quick lunch?
What simple food will you never eat?
Show us the weirdest thing you have in the room with you right now.
Would you rather stay at a hotel or an AirBNB?
What is your favorite movie genre to watch?
Are you more productive in the morning or at night?
Who is someone in your community that makes a difference?
Who was your most unique pet?
Choose one famous person from history you want on your team during a zombie apocalypse.
What is a good way to give back to the community?
Which song could you listen to over and over again?
Is Hugh Grant funny?
What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?
Would you want to have an imaginary friend today? Did you have one as a child?
What actor or actress would you want to play you in the movie about your life?
What is the best super power?
What is your New Years resolution?
You can only eat one food again for the rest of your life. What is it?
What is the best work holiday?
What is the first gift you remember receiving?
Would you rather join Metallica or Backstreet Boys?
What is the best example of a community you have seen?
What is an easy way to do something nice for someone?
Show us your phone background and tell the story behind why you picked this image.
What was your first job?
Pick any band to play at your funeral.
If you could have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life, what would you pick?
Which superpower would you give to your arch enemy?
What is the most obscure superpower you would want?
What emoji best describes how you are feeling right now?
If you could live in any country, which country would you pick?
Would you rather live in a city or a town?
What is your favorite holiday?
What is something you accomplished as part of a team?
What is your standard office lunch?
What is your most used phone app?
What is your favorite season?
Have you ever won something as a team?
Imagine you are a professional baseball player. What is your introduction song?
Beach holiday or ski trip?
Have you ever been to a funny comedy show?
Would you rather live at the North Pole or the South Pole?
What is your favorite song to sing?
If you could live in any state, which state would you pick?
Imagine you could teleport anywhere. Where would you go right now?
What is the most unusual job you have heard of?
What was the last thing you ate?
You can visit any fictional time or place. Which would you pick?
What do your family and friends think you do all day?
What movie do you wish you could watch again for the first time?
Show us your most-used emoji.
What was the most unique style or fashion trend you ever embraced?
What movie defined your generation?
You are stranded on a remote desert island. Are you alone or with your worst enemy?
What is your favorite knock-knock joke?
Have you ever told someone Santa is not real?
Do you know how to speak more than one language?
On a scale of 1 – 10, how much of a team player are you?
What is your #1 recommendation in this city?
What is your favorite holiday?
What bucket list item do you most want to check off in the next six months?
What is your favorite mythical creature?
What was the first way you made money?
If you could be great at any Olympic sport, which would it be?
Which song could you listen to over and over again?
When did you start liking/hating mushrooms?
Where is your favorite vacation spot?
Do you take your PTO all at one time, or another way?
Which show do you remember most from your childhood?
Which beverage goes best with pizza?
Would you want to have a personal assistant follow you around everywhere and do what you asked of them?
Have you ever met your idol?
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Would you rather live 100 years in the past or 100 years in the future?
What is your hobby?
When you are alone in the car, what volume is the music at?
Imagine you no longer have to work. How would you spend a Tuesday?
What is your favorite type of sandwich?

Do you remember how you felt the last time you received a commendation for doing a great job at a particular task?  Employee recognition is too important to leave to chance. It is crucial to recognize employees who do great work frequently. If not, you risk losing them.

Every time you recognize an employee for a job, you tell them their contributions are integral to the company's success. And that’s often motivation enough for employees to do more. There are various forms of employee recognition. So, you need to think outside the box to achieve an effective employee recognition program.

In this article, we'll share 15 awesome employee recognition ideas to show your employees how much they mean to your company.

Why is employee recognition important?

Is employee recognition at work actually worth it? The short answer is yes!

Employee recognition increases staff performance and spurs them to work harder at their jobs. They are motivated to go an extra step because they know that the management will acknowledge their efforts. 

Employee recognition programs also help attract new talent by communicating the company's values to potential employees. It increases retention rates because they see their value to the company. In a survey, over 91% of HR professionals believe that recognition and rewards make employees more likely to stay.

The bottom line for you as an employer is that you'll have successfully created a work environment filled with happy staff. This leads to;

  • A better work culture
  • Greater employee retention
  • Increased productivity and more KPIs being met
  • An increased profit margin for the company

When should you give employees recognition?

Give recognition immediately after it is due. With an employee recognition template, you can create scheduled times when the company recognizes people who have done exceptionally well.

When an employee goes out of their way to complete a task, it’s essential to recognize them as soon as possible.

Examples of when to give recognition include;

  • When an employee takes on an extra workload to complete a project
  • When an employee comes up with a terrific idea that contributes to the growth of the company
  • Reaching a personal development milestone. E.g., Passing a professional exam
  • When an employee or a team does an impressive job with a project
  • A promotion
  • When an employee takes the initiative to perform a task that yields remarkable results
  • An employee's birthday or work anniversary

Assembly focuses on creating a space for recognition to be explored. Check out how to begin below:

What is the difference between appreciation and recognition?

Employee appreciation and recognition are often used interchangeably, but there’s a slight difference. 

Employee recognition is about the work done specifically, while appreciation is about the person, not necessarily a task they accomplished. Both of them express gratitude to the employee, but about different things.

An employer says, "Good job on this task!" with employee recognition. For example: If your design team comes up with a brand design. And your client loves it and approves immediately. When you show gratitude for a job well done, that's recognition.

On the other hand, employee appreciation shows gratitude to the person behind the task. Using the same example above, saying, "I'm grateful for the time, commitment, and creativity you put into designing this." shows appreciation.It's easy to confuse them, but they are different and equally important. 

Some examples of employee appreciation gifts include: Buying employees lunch or coffee, sending them appreciation cards, giving them gift cards, etc.

15 Employee Recognition Ideas 

Recognition is more than giving a pat on the back. It's about acknowledging and celebrating your team members' dedication and success.The best way to ensure your employees feel valued? Make sure they know the company is noticing what they're doing right!

Here are 15 unique employee recognition ideas that your staff will love:

1. Give positive feedback

 Something as simple as saying, "That was a job well done!" can go a long way in making your employee feel seen. To make it more effective, let them know what part of the job you're pleased with the most and what you liked about it. 

2. Acknowledge them publicly

Sending an email or acknowledging their work in your office is good, but doing it publicly is better. Sending a shoutout to a team member in the presence of their colleagues is a great way to build a culture where good work doesn't go unnoticed. Assembly is dedicated to building a culture of employee recognition. With its impressive flows and templates, there’s something for every moment.

Book a demo to get started!

3. Employee Appreciation Day

Did you know that every first Friday in March is Employee Appreciation Day? This is a great day to plan fun activities for your employees. Some fun activities to include are;

  • Office picnic. More points if they are allowed to bring family or loved ones.
  • Organize a field trip filled with fun activities. This can also double as a team-building outing.
  • Host an employee recognition awards ceremony (like Micheal Scott's Dundies, but with better categories!) and give out plaques or medals. 
  • When in doubt, ask them what they want.
4. Make a shoutout on social media

If you have a younger audience that is social media savvy, they'll appreciate this. Put up a picture of them and a message recognizing something they've done. You can take things up a notch by writing them a fine recommendation on LinkedIn. It will help their career, and they'll feel appreciated by the company.

5. Employee recognition programs

Employee recognition events where you give deserved awards are a professional and fun way of letting your staff know you appreciate their contributions. 

Asides from the usual awards like employee of the year, most improved employee, etc., you can give out quirky awards. Some examples of funny awards for employees include;

  • Earlybird award.
  • Office busy bee.
  • Office Picasso
  • Mission Impossible of the Office
  • Office DJ
  • Funniest in the office
  • Mr/Mrs. Fix anything etc.
6. Start an office wall of fame

After recognition events like employee of the month, you can put up a picture of the recipient on a designated wall. It boosts their morale to work harder to 'go up on the wall.' 

7. Birthday parties

Celebrating your employees' birthdays is a great way to show that you value them. 

A little office party with cake, drinks and some fun activities will give everyone something to look forward to. Colleagues can say nice things about them and why they like working with them. 

8. Provide training opportunities

Working in a company that offers opportunities for both career and personal growth increases satisfaction on that job. The organization can pay for staff to take courses or certifications. It could also be a training session by external professionals.

For personal development, someone can teach staff how to mix drinks, do pottery, dance salsa, make a special meal, etc.

All these little things make employees feel more satisfied as individuals, which will reflect how they show up at work.

9. Set up an employee rewards system

Word of mouth is excellent, but it boosts morale even better when a gift is attached. Employees will be more motivated to work when they know that the employee of the month stands to win something. 

Some examples of gifts attached to the reward system include;

  • Extra Gym or Spa benefits
  • Gift cards to somewhere they shop
  • Dinner, with the option of going with a partner
10. Special bonuses and incentives

Asides from the bonuses stipulated in their contract, giving special bonuses to employees is a great way to show recognition. For example, if a team hits their monthly or quarterly targets and even exceeds them, you could give them a bonus to acknowledge their work.

Setting up bonuses at the end of every significant milestone attained works at pushing employees to do better.

11. Food treats

Surprise your employees by ordering pizza, burgers or bringing a food truck to the office. After a particularly productive meeting, food treats can go a long way to show appreciation. It might seem negligible, but don't underestimate the power of food!

12. Office wellness events

Investing in your employees' physical and mental well-being shows that you value them as individuals, not just staff. Organize wellness events by taking workers out for a massage, spa, etc. Or you could bring in a yoga expert, someone to teach dance workouts, or someone to check their blood pressure and other essential vitals, etc. 

If it’s affordable, the company can make an event out of it and bring experts in. 

13. Gift company swag

You can give company-branded gifts that your employee will be proud to use. However, it’s important to buy durable items. There are exciting options to explore, such as: 

Phone cases, tote bags, laptop bags, thermal flasks, personalized mugs, earbuds, etc. 

14. Donate to a charity of choice in their name

This activity is another way of investing in something that matters to them. When an employee has done something that warrants recognition, you can ask them to pick a charity they'll like to donate to. And the company can donate on their behalf.

15. Celebrate work anniversaries

Don't let the years go unrecognized. A little gift and a note from the employer will go a long way. What better way to acknowledge the number of years workers have given to the company than by celebrating their work anniversary? 

Build better work culture by integrating employee recognition into the day-to-day of your company.

Contact us to book a demo today.

Final thoughts

Employee recognition shouldn’t be an afterthought in your company culture. There are ways to make employee recognition programs fun and straightforward. No matter how little, employee rewards will boost workplace morale and motivate staff to work smarter. If you take care of your staff, they'll take care of your business.

Browse our Free Employee Recognition Guide

Get the foundational knowledge on creating an employee recognition program that boosts employee engagement and helps them feel valued.

Explore Guide
Employee recognition guide