Employee Awards That Don’t Cost a Lot of Money
It shouldn’t cost you a bunch of money to thank your team for a job well done. Some of the best awards I’ve received have cost the person giving it to me absolutely nothing, and I love those awards far more than any of the costly rewards I’ve gotten. As I’ve examined the rewards that have meant the most to me, I’ve come up with 4 things that all of the most meaningful awards had in common.
Meaningful and full of meaning – One of the organizations I belong to and that holds a very special place in my heart is HDI (formerly Help Desk Institute). Each year, the leader of our local chapters gives out awards that cost her next to nothing, but they always make people cry and hold them near to their heart and on their desk. One such award is called “The Rock of Our Foundation” and it’s nothing but a big rock with a nameplate attached…except for the special story Sophie shares about each winner. If you know why you’re giving someone an award, share the WHY behind it with everyone and put the meaning into the award!
Unique to the individual – Before you even think about starting a rewards and recognition program, ask your team how they like to be recognized. Do they like it in public or in private? Do they want a plaque, a lunch, or a gift certificate? Is a high five and a handshake good enough? ASK your folks what the best way to recognize them is, and then do it!
Specific to the action(s) demonstrated – Make sure you say specifically why you are rewarding your associate. A “You increased productivity by 10% because of the new method of tracking orders” is far more impactful than “You did a great job this day/week/month/year.” Work this specificity into the award some way.
Timely – Instead of waiting for the end of the year to do ALL your recognition, how about some just in time recognition, like right after something great happens. If I get a specific, positive e-mail from a customer about something someone on my team did, I share it with the WHOLE TEAM right away so the behavior is fresh in my team’s mind. I send it to the whole team because I want to reinforce the positive behavior and encourage the rest of the team to do likewise.
If you can remember MUST, you can create employee awards that don’t cost a lot of money.
- Meaningful
- Unique
- Specific
- Timely
What would you add to create even better employee awards that don’t cost a lot of money?
Flickr photo credit to Unhindered by Talent
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POSTED IN: Phil Gerbyshak, Rewards
6 opinions for Employee Awards That Don’t Cost a Lot of Money
James
Jul 28, 2008 at 4:07 am
The tricky thing about the group I manage is that it is largely made up of contract workers and they are not eligible for normal R&R.
What I’ve come up with recently is an Employee of the Week Award. The cool part is that one of my team leads had his brother-in-law machine us a pretty sizable trophy that the winner gets to hold onto for the week.
I’ve even had to come up with a monthly award for the people that support my team as a few were unhappy that they weren’t eligible for the Employee of the Week award as they aren’t on my team!
Wally Bock
Jul 30, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Congratulations! This post was selected as one of the five best business blog posts of the week in my Three Star Leadership Midweek Review of the Business Blogs.
http://blog.threestarleadership.com/2008/07/30/73008-a-midweek-look-at-the-business-blogs.aspx
Wally Bock
Phil Gerbyshak
Jul 31, 2008 at 6:18 pm
James - That’s a great suggestion. Thanks for sharing it. Always wonderful to get another viewpoint on this challenging topic.
Phil Gerbyshak
Jul 31, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Wally - Thanks for sharing this article with your readers. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Larry Weaver
Aug 4, 2008 at 4:46 am
I’m going to add “funny”. Humor is a great motivator, and studies show that laughter in the workplace does increase productivity. See this site for dozens of low-cost funny award ideas:
http://www.funnyemployeeawards.com
Phil Gerbyshak
Aug 4, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Larry - Humor may be a great motivator, but I think it’s best if you get the humor your awards talk about from a peer, not from your manager. I wouldn’t feel great about getting the “Internet Surfer” award on your site from my manager. Heck, now that I think about it, I don’t think I would even want that from a peer.
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