Employee Kudos: 9 Superb Ways to Recognize Employee Performance

Nearly 40% of employed Americans say they’d put more energy into their work if they were recognized more often. 

When you recognize employee performance then they’ll stay at your company for longer, work better with the team, and become more productive. Perhaps you’re eager to show your employees that you appreciate them but you’re not sure how.

Sounds like you? Luckily, you’ve come to the right place. Here are 10 suggestions to help you.

1. Create an Employee Wall-of-Fame

Show employee appreciation by creating a wall-of-fame to showcase an individual’s or a team’s accomplishments. Take photos of the employee and encourage the rest of the office to leave notes of appreciation around the photo. A bonus is it shows that employee recognition is part of your company culture which creates a good first impression for visitors.   

You can also show your appreciation by finding a trophy or stuffed animal that you can pass around the workplace. Award an employee when they’ve done a great job or exemplified your company’s value and let them keep it for a week.

2. Cover a Major Expense 

One of the best employee appreciation gifts is to cover a major expense. For instance, show your appreciation by paying for their mortgage or automobile payment.

Note that this gesture of appreciation should be because the employee saved you a large amount of money or brought more in more funds. You should also tell the team how this type of behavior benefits the organization so that they can follow suit.  

Further, offer the team professional development opportunities so they can expand their knowledge and grow their skill set. For instance, identify an employee’s strength and let them choose a special project to oversee as it shows that you trust them with the responsibility.

3. Create a Secret Santa-Style Appreciation Session

Show your employee kudos using the Secret Santa-style concept. To do this, throw your team’s names into a bowl and ask each member to pull one out. Then ask each employee, anonymously, to write down what that person has accomplished and why they’re a great team member.

4. Celebrate Small Successes 

Like you would correct a small error, you should celebrate a small win. Celebrating every employee’s win is the key to building confidence and nurturing a positive environment. Thank them for handling a difficult client, appreciate their quick response, and congratulate them on hosting a great meeting. 

You should also encourage employees to celebrate each other as it’ll strengthen relationships and boost productivity.

5. Host an Awards Ceremony Evening

Devote an evening to honoring your employees and throw a red carpet awards night. You can hand out certificates of recognition and shine a spotlight on the team members who have performed well.

You could also create different t-shirt designs to match with each award and ask recipients to wear them every Friday. Or create a t-shirt to represent one of your organization’s values and whenever an employee displays it, gift them the shirt. 

If you don’t have the time or resources then treat the team to lunch, host a game night, or after-work dinner.

6. Celebrate Employee Appreciation Day 

Instead of having an employee appreciation event, create an “employee appreciation day” once a month. When you’re organizing it, make sure you recognize team members for their time at your organization or any of their major accomplishments.

Fill the day with team-building activities, contests, and great food so your employees know you appreciate them. You could also create a monthly raffle by giving team members a ticket so they can enter a draw for great prizes like a gift card, spa day, or movie tickets.

7. Award Hard Work With an Off-Site Day

Show employees that you appreciate their hard work by rewarding them with an off-day site so they can work from home or a cafe. It’s best to offer an off-site day to celebrate their half-way mark during a project or once they’ve completed an assignment. 

You should also be mindful of significant events in your employee’s lives. For instance, if a team member has a child starting kindergarten then let them work from home on that day so they can focus on their little one.

8. Thank Your Employees on Social Media

Use your company’s social media pages to publicly thank employees. Make sure you highlight who the employee is, their job role, what they’ve done to deserve recognition, and how it’s helped your company.

Social recognition is important because it shows your audience that you’re proud of the individual while showcasing your brand’s values. Plus, recognized employees will share these posts with their followers so they become brand ambassadors for your organization.

9. Show Appreciation With a Card

A handwritten letter or card is a special way to show an employee that you appreciate them. You can do this for a work anniversary, after a completed project, or simply because they’ve provided great work consistently. You could also create a card station so employees can write notes to one another and leave them on the desk.

That’s How to Recognize Employee Performance

Hopefully, this post has given you ways to celebrate employee performance.

You can do this by creating an employee wall-of-fame, sending out a handwritten card, or thanking employees on social media. It’s important to make the effort to celebrate employees, whether it’s a big or small win, as they’ll want to stay in the organization, work well with the team, and become more productive.

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