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Check out these 30 unique employee of the month ideas to recognize top-performing employees and boost morale.
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Employee recognition and rewards are essential for a company's success. Recognizing and rewarding employees' efforts, hard work, and achievements can motivate employees to perform better, increase employee engagement and loyalty, and boost morale. One way to recognize top-performing employees is through an employee of the month award or recognition program. In this blog post, we will share 41 unique employee of the month ideas that incorporate company values, boost employee morale, recognize employee contributions, and motivate employees.
Hold a monthly awards ceremony to recognize and reward star employees. This can include employee of the month awards, problem solver awards, customer service awards, and more. Involve the entire team, including remote employees, in the ceremony through video conferencing.
Organize a company culture day in honor of the employee of the month. This can include a potluck lunch, games, and other activities that showcase your company's core values and culture.
Write a personalized thank-you note to your employee of the month. Show your appreciation for their hard work and recognize their contributions.
Offer your employee of the month a flexible work schedule for the month. This can include working from home, starting or ending work at different times, or taking a longer lunch break. This can be a great way to show your appreciation and help them maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Create a personalized desk plaque for the employee of the month. This is a great way to showcase their achievement and show your appreciation for their hard work.
Give your employee of the month a pair of movie tickets to a new release. This is a fun way to treat them to a night out and show your appreciation for their hard work.
Hire a professional photographer to take a headshot of the employee of the month. This is a great way to showcase their achievement and give them a professional image to use on social media or their professional profile.
Give your employee of the month an experience day. This can include a hot air balloon ride, a spa day, or a cooking class. This is a unique way to show your appreciation and help them create a lasting memory.
Create a personalized award for the employee of the month. This can include a trophy, plaque, or certificate that highlights their achievement and hard work.
Give your employee of the month the opportunity to have dinner with the boss or another executive in the company. This can be a great way to provide mentorship and foster a strong company culture.
Create personalized stationery for the employee of the month. This can include a notepad, pen, or other office supplies with their name and a message of appreciation.
Clothing Give your employee of the month a piece of clothing with the company logo. This is a simple way to show your appreciation and also promote your company's brand.
Create a personalized Spotify playlist for the employee of the month. This is a fun way to show your appreciation and give them something to listen to while they work.
Offer your employee of the month free parking for a month. This is a small gesture that can go a long way in making their daily routine a little easier.
Implement an employee recognition program that awards points or badges for various achievements and milestones. This can include reaching goals, solving problems, and demonstrating company values. Employees can redeem their points for rewards, such as gift cards, experiences, or extra time off.
Implement a peer recognition program where employees can recognize and reward their peers' efforts and achievements. This can create a positive work environment, foster teamwork, and improve employee morale.
Pair the employee of the month with a mentor in the company. This can be a great way to provide guidance and support, and help them develop their skills and career.
Make a monthly charity donation in honor of the employee of the month. This is a great way to give back to the community and show your appreciation for your employee's hard work.
Organize an employee appreciation day for the employee of the month. This can include breakfast or lunch, games, and other activities that celebrate their achievement and hard work.
Give the employee of the month a designated parking spot for the month. This is a simple way to show your appreciation and make their daily routine a little easier.
Give the employee of the month a social media shout-out on the company's social media pages. This is a great way to showcase their achievement and recognize their hard work in front of a larger audience.
Start a book club with the employee of the month as the leader. This can be a great way to build camaraderie, foster learning, and demonstrate your company's values.
Give the employee of the month the opportunity to have lunch with the CEO or another high-level executive in the company. This can be a great way to provide mentorship and foster a strong company culture.
Give the employee of the month a paid day off to spend time with family or pursue their hobbies. This is a great way to show your appreciation and help them maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Create a wall of fame in the office where the employee of the month is featured. This is a great way to showcase their achievement and recognize their hard work in a public and visible way.
Feature the employee of the month in the company's monthly newsletter. This is a great way to showcase their achievement and recognize their hard work in front of the entire company.
Create a personalized tumbler or mug for the employee of the month. This is a practical and thoughtful gift that they can use every day.
Use the employee of the month award as an opportunity to gather feedback and insights from the employees. Ask them to nominate their peers and share their thoughts on what makes a deserving employee.
Create a team member spotlight program where each month, one employee from a different team is recognized and celebrated for their contributions. This is a great way to create a sense of camaraderie and appreciation between different teams.
Set up a public recognition board in the office where employees can leave notes and messages of appreciation for their peers. This can be a great way to encourage teamwork and recognize the efforts of those who may not typically receive awards.
Implement a peer-nominated award program where employees nominate their peers for recognition. This can be a great way to ensure that deserving employees are recognized and to demonstrate the importance of teamwork and collaboration.
Create a reward catalog with a variety of rewards that employees can choose from. This can include things like gift cards, experiences, or even extra time off. This can be a great way to ensure that employees are rewarded in a way that is meaningful to them.
Host an employee recognition awards ceremony where employees are recognized for their contributions and achievements. This is a great way to make a big deal out of recognizing top-performing employees and making them feel appreciated.
Create a contribution mapping system where employees can visually see the impact they are making on the company. This can be a great way to recognize employee contributions and show them how their work is making a difference.
Host an employee awards banquet where top-performing employees are recognized and celebrated. This is a great way to show your appreciation for deserving employees and make them feel like they are an important part of the company.
Create contribution-based awards that are tailored to specific departments or roles. This can be a great way to recognize employees who may not typically receive awards, and demonstrate the importance of their contributions.
Create awards for top-performing employees in different categories, such as sales, customer service, or innovation. This can be a great way to recognize the specific talents and strengths of different employees.
Create an award for deserving employees who have not been recognized in the past. This can be a great way to ensure that everyone is recognized for their hard work and contributions.
Create multiple employee of the month awards to recognize several deserving employees. This can be a great way to make sure that everyone who deserves recognition is recognized.
Create a customer service award for employees who go above and beyond to provide excellent customer service. This is a great way to recognize employees who may not typically receive awards and demonstrate the importance of customer service.
Create a team member award to recognize employees who excel in teamwork and collaboration. This can be a great way to foster a strong team culture and recognize the importance of working together.
Recognizing employees is an important part of creating a positive work environment, boosting morale, and fostering a strong company culture. Incorporating these 30 unique employee of the month ideas can help recognize top-performing employees, understand their contributions, and motivate them to perform better. Remember to consider peer recognition, public recognition, and the contributions of all employees, not just top performers, when creating recognition programs. Additionally, understanding employee contributions, creating awards for multiple employees, and creating awards tailored to specific departments or roles are great ways to ensure that everyone who deserves recognition is recognized.
Get the foundational knowledge on creating an employee recognition program that boosts employee engagement and helps them feel valued.
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There is study after study showing that employee recognition leads to increased engagement. This in return creates an environment where employees are happier and more motivated which increase productivity and reduces voluntary turnover significantly. In order to filled critical roles, companies tend to spend nearly twice the value of an annual salary. Assembly is an investment in your employees that supports your bottom line.
Yes, we will offer contracts for companies with longer-term agreements to help larger customers have more certainty around future costs.
The minimum agreement term is a 12-month subscription.
We do and for FREE! Any new customer needing further support to get started with Assembly to ensure you're set up for success can request custom onboarding support. Improving your employee experience is about much more than just using our amazing software; it’s about transforming your business to create a workplace that people love. That’s much easier to do with the personal support and advice from our passionate people experts.
Yes. We offer a completely free plan for up to 50 team members. This plan is intended for teams or organizations that are looking to get started with an employee engagement tool. Keep in mind, this plan is limited in features.
All customers can open an Assembly account for free and get started without a credit card. Then you can change plans as necessary.
At the time of redemption (when your employees exchange their points for a paid reward) you'll pay face value. If a reward is a $10 Amazon gift card, your cost will be $10. All paid rewards are billed for on a monthly basis.
The good news is that you don't have to pay for rewards upfront because we only charge you when points are redeemed, not when they're earned.
We offer discounts or educational or charitable organizations. In order to secure a discount, you'll first need to book a demo with a customer support specialist.
For all other organizations, we are willing to consider longer-term agreements in exchange for discounts. To set up annual plans or longer, you will need to book a demo with a customer support specialist.
If you're on a month to month plan, you can go here and cancel anytime. If you're having concerns or need help setting up your account for success, you can always book a demo with a customer support specialist.
If you're on a longer-term custom plan, you'll need to reach out to your customer support specialist to cancel your account or email us at support@joinassembly.com.
Great question! You can customize your core values to match your organization's to boost and track alignment. You can change your currency from the 🏆 emoji (our default) to any emoji of your choice. You can swap our logo for your own. You can also set up company culture rewards such as, "Lunch with the CEO," "Buy a book on us," and so much more!
While we recommend a peer to peer set up where anyone in your organization can give or receive recognition, you can set up Assembly however you want. If you need to limit the people who can give or receive recognition, that's perfectly fine and can be done from your Admin, here.
Assembly connects to the tools your employees use every day to offer an easy, seamless experience with minimal change management.
Assembly has integrations with HCM/HRIS systems like ADP, Google, Office 365, and Slack. We also integrate with communication tools like Slack and Teams so you and your employees can access Assembly wherever they work now.
That depends on the company's permissions set up. That said, over 90% of the employees on Assembly's platform are recognized on a monthly basis. That means nearly every employee across all of our customers are receiving regular recognition from their peers, managers, or leadership. We're extremely proud of this.
They are not required. You can use Assembly without having rewards set up. However, we don't recommend it if you intend to have a high adoption and usage rate. You can always keep the costs down by offering internal culture rewards that are fulfilled by you internally.
No, you can remove allowances from anyone or everyone. It's up to you but we do recommend using points whether they're worth a real dollar value or not. Companies that use points have a much higher engagement rate even if those points don't exchange for real dollars.
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