Employee Recognition

Employee Recognition

UW’s Employee Recognition Program

Employee recognition can be given in many ways—through saying thank you, giving praise, providing opportunity, or showing respect. Many studies on the work place have shown that being recognized for achievements, knowing that one's contributions matter to the organization, and the opportunity for growth and professional development have a considerable impact on employee satisfaction and commitment.

Recognition is most effective when it takes place on a regular basis and in a variety of different ways. It is also important that recognition activities be aligned with the culture of your unit or department. The Employee Recognition Program provides you different opportunities for acknowledging staff members, peers and colleagues.

Informal Recognition

Find ideas for informal, on the spot recognition activities for individuals, teams and work groups.

Formal Recognition

Develop a department- or college-wide formal recognition program that recognizes significant accomplishments.

University Honors and Awards

Each year the University of Washington recognizes and honors alumni, faculty, staff and students who contribute to the richness and diversity of the university community.

Service Recognition Program

The University of Washington funds the Service Recognition Program to show appreciation to permanent classified and professional staff for continuous years of dedicated University service

Employee Recognition
Informal Recognition

Informal recognition can be used every day to acknowledge contributions of individuals, teams and work groups. As with all recognition, it should be tied to a specific behavior or activity that you want to reinforce.

What does your unit/department value? The types of contributions that might be recognized are:

staying late to help someone prepare a presentation for the next day
volunteering to cover for a co-worker who is out sick
going out of your way to help boost morale or create a positive, inclusive work environment
exceeding expectations for a goal or milestone in a long-term collaborative project

Download and Print a UW Recognition of Appreciation Certificate

Recognition Ideas

There are many ways to say thanks for a job well done. Find ideas that work best for you and your team.

Recognition Guiding Principles

Find inspiration and ideas for creating a culture of recognition within your workgroup.

Employee Recognition Profile

Have your staff complete this profile of how they like to be recognized for their good work.

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Employee Recognition
Appreciation Award Ideas

Sincere thanks never grow old. Ongoing, meaningful rewards and recognition provide an effective, low cost way of raising morale and encouraging higher levels of performance. Here are 86 ideas to help you embed employee recognition into your everyday work. (Adapted from the University of Michigan)

Employee Recognition Ideas (no cost)

Post a thank you note on an employee’s door.
Take time to explain to new employees the norms and culture of your department.
Give special assignments to people who show initiative.
Arrange for a team to present the results of its efforts to upper management.
Encourage and recognize staff who pursue continuing education.
Create and post an “Employee Honor Roll” in reception area.
Acknowledge individual achievements by using employee’s name when preparing a status report
Make a thank-you card by hand.
Give employees an extra long lunch break.
Establish a place to display memos, posters, photos and so on, recognizing progress towards goals and thanking individual employees for their help.
Swap a task with an employee for a day – his/her choice.
Establish a “Behind the Scenes” award specifically for those whose actions are not usually in the limelight.
Nominate the employee for a University formal award program.
Keep in mind that managers should serve as coaches to indirectly influence rather than demand desired behavior.
Present “State of the Department” reports periodically to your employees acknowledging the work and contributions of individuals and teams.
At a monthly staff meeting, award an Employee of the Month and invite co-workers at the meeting to say why that person is deserving of the award.
Recognize employees who actively serve the community.
Have staff vote for top manager, supervisor, employee and rookie of the year.
Name a continuing recognition award after an outstanding employee.
Include an employee in a “special” meeting.
Allow employees to attend meetings in your place when you are not available.
Create an Above and Beyond the Call of Duty (ABCD) Award.
Ask your boss to attend a meeting with your employees during which you thank individuals and groups for their specific contributions.
Pop in at the first meeting of a special project team and express your appreciation for their involvement.
Send a letter to all team members at the conclusion of a project, thanking them for their participation.
Start an employee recognition program. Give points for attendance, punctuality, teamwork, etc. Provide gift certificates to employees who reach certain point goals.
Find ways to reward department-specific performance.
Plan a surprise achievement celebration for an employee or group of employees.
Start a suggestion program.
Privately recognize employee’s personal needs and challenges.
Write a letter of praise recognizing specific contributions and accomplishments. Send a copy to senior management and the employee’s personnel file.
When you hear a positive remark about someone, repeat it to that person as soon as possible (Face-to-face is best, e-mail or voice mail are good in a pinch).
Call an employee to your office to thank them (don’t discuss any other issue).
If you have a department newsletter, publish a “kudos” column and ask for nominations throughout the department.
Publicly recognize the positive impact on operations of the solutions employees devise for problems.
Acknowledge individual achievements by using employee names in status reports.
Express an interest in employee’s career development goals.
Post a large “celebration calendar” in your work area. Tack on notes of recognition to specific dates.
Create and string a banner across the work area.
Greet employees by name.
Practice positive nonverbal behaviors that demonstrate appreciation, such as smiles, or a handshake.
Support “flex-friendly” schedules.
Encourage employees to identify specific areas of interest in job-related skills. Then arrange for them to spend a day with an in-house “expert” to learn more about the topic.
Encourage employees to participate in community volunteer efforts.
Share verbal accolades – forward positive voice mail messages.
Actively listen to co-workers, especially when discussing their accomplishments and contributions.
Use 3x5 cards to write “You’re special because…” statements. People can collect the cards and refer to them when things aren’t going perfectly.
Have a recognition event created by a peer group that decides what they will give and why they will give it.
Keep a supply of appropriately funny notes that can be given as immediate rewards. Keep the supply visible – in a basket or box in your office.
Widely publicize suggestions used and their positive impact on your department.
When someone has spent long hours at work, send a letter of thanks to his/her home.
Acknowledge and celebrate birthdays.
Arrange for an outstanding employee to have lunch with a dean or director.
Allow an employee to choose his/her next assignment.
Recognize a team accomplishment by designating that team as consultants to other teams.
Recognize those committed to personal health and wellness.
Smile. It’s contagious.

Employee Recognition Ideas (minor to moderate cost)

Plan a surprise picnic.
Create a Hall of Fame wall with photos of outstanding employees.
Make a photo collage about a successful project that shows the people that worked on it, its stage of development and its completion and presentation.
Find out the person’s hobby and buy an appropriate gift.
Make and deliver a fruit basket.
Inscribe a favorite book as a gift.
Give the person a membership or subscription to a journal that relates to their work
Design a “Stress Support Kit” that included aspirin, a comedy cassette, wind up toys and a stress ball – or design your own.
Serve ice cream sundaes to all of your employees at the end of a project.
Once a year, have a “Staff Appreciation Day” where the managers supply, cook and serve food.
Serve a team a hero party sandwich at the end of an assignment, for a job well done.
Give flowers to an employee at their home or office as a thank you.
Purchase a unique pin to serve as a memento for a task well done.
Hold informal retreats to foster communication and set goals.
Provide a lunch for project teams once they have made interim findings. Express your appreciation.
Give a personalized coffee cup.
Give an employee a blue ribbon for achievement.
Design and give magnets with appropriate messages.
Give a deserving employee a mug filled with treats.
Give a framed poem (poster or card) as a thank you.
Throw a pizza lunch party for your unit.
Give a note reading, “Thank you. You are a ______!" Attach a roll of Lifesavers.
Serve popcorn and lemonade on Friday (especially after a particularly hard week).
Give a puzzle as an award to a problem solver.
Have weekly breakfasts with groups of employees.
Treat an employee to lunch.
Give out gold coins for a job well done.
Bake/bring a gift (cookies, bread, etc.) for an outstanding employee or team.
Send birthday cards to employees’ homes, signed by dean or director.

Employee Recognition
Guiding Principles

A Simple ‘Thank You’

It only takes a moment (less than 60 seconds) to recognize the efforts of a co-worker. You could call it "fly-by appreciation". Example: "Thanks for getting that study out to the staff so quickly. Now they will have time to read it before the meeting..."(15 sec.)

Pay Attention

Noticing when people are doing the right thing increases the probability they will repeat it. Example: "I saw how smoothly you let that student know what they could do to avoid a delay. Thanks for doing that level of customer service..."

Inspire Effort

People who feel appreciated give more to the job than what is merely required. They are ready to give the "discretionary effort" necessary to a healthy organization.

Reward the right things

You get what you pay attention to. If you positively comment on how an effort helps maintain our core values, or facilitates customer service, or helps new staff orient, or cross-trains staff, or builds teamwork, etc. staff will know what is important around here.

Personalized Approach

One size does not fit all. Staff are individuals and respond differently to the same strategy. Ask staff how they want to be recognized.

Equal Opportunity

There should be opportunity for all staff to receive recognition--whether for improving performance, for extra effort, for creativity, or for reliably doing their job each day.

Keep it Positive

To have the greatest impact, the recognition message needs to be completely positive (coach later!), specific, sincere, and given soon after the effort.

Enjoy!

"Fun, joy and sharing go hand-in glove with world class quality."- Tom Peters. Celebrate individual and unit accomplishments- planned or spontaneously!

Recognize Leadership

Give recognition to staff that support a “recognition culture" with their actions and words by publicly noting their contribution, including it in their performance appraisal, inviting them to recognition celebrations, etc.

Recognize Teamwork

When the relationship among co-workers is good, recognition enhances work performance. When the relationship is troubled, it usually doesn't matter how you reward or recognize people.

Source: Adapted from University of Iowa

Employee Recognition
Develop a Formal Recognition Program

CONTENTS

Understand
Act
Step 1: Establish Purpose
Step 2: Form Committee
Step 3: Determine Eligibility & Frequency

Step 4: Determine Budget & Awards
Step 5: Establish & Monitor Program
Explore
Departmental Recognition

UNDERSTAND

Formal recognition supports the objectives and strategic goals of individual department or units. Check with your department’s administrator to learn if your department already has a recognition program or use the "Five Steps to Developing an Employee Recognition Program" to start one.

ACT - Five Steps to Develop a Recognition Program

STEP 1: Establish the purpose and criteria of the Recognition Program

For a recognition program to be meaningful to both the awardees and the others in the department, it should be tied to the department’s goals, mission, or values. As a leader, you can determine the goals and purpose of the program on your own, or you can ask that a team of employees provide you with suggestions. Another idea is to conduct an employee opinion survey. It can assist a recognition committee in identifying preferred types of awards, establishing nomination and selection procedures, and determining the frequency and method(s) of award presentation preferred by employees.

Most importantly, the recognition program must be fair. All employees must know and understand the criteria used for formal recognition.

Some suggestions for recognition programs and criteria:

Tie the program to a departmental initiative. For example, your department may be engaged in process improvement efforts. Providing awards for suggesting or implementing process improvements can help to communicate how serious you take the process improvement effort and how everyone can be involved.
Tie the program to your department’s or the University’s core values. Many organizations have values, but frequently these values are just words and never get translated to behaviors. Recognizing employees for exhibiting behavior consistent with the values help the values come alive and build understanding and buy-in of the values. If you don’t have core values in your own department, use the University’s values: Innovation, Excellence, Teamwork, Diversity, Respect, Integrity.
Tie the program to your department’s core purpose. Does your department exist to serve students? Does it exist to provide technical expertise? Recognizing outstanding customer service or new technical skills gained or technical proficiency makes sense to be recognized in this situation.
Tie the program to other circumstances that your department may be facing. For example, your department may be facing a difficult challenge that might get everyone stressed or down. What better time to establish an award for positive attitude?

Some suggestions for types of awards include:

Teamwork
Going the Extra Mile
Customer Service
Professional Development
Award for Excellence
Creativity and Innovation
Performance Excellence
Leadership
Commitment
Flexibility

Once you’ve established the purpose and criteria for the award make sure everyone on staff knows the purpose and the criteria. Doing this greatly increases that employees will exhibit the behaviors you want them to and you are not accused of favoritism.

It is important to note that a formal recognition program does not take the place of informally appreciating or recognizing employees on a daily basis. A formal recognition program serves to supplement informal, day-to-day recognition of employees.

Step 2: Form a Recognition Committee

Getting employees involved in the recognition program can help to ensure that the program is viewed as fair and it helps create shared ownership of the program. You may even delegate the development of purpose and criteria to the committee. Many departments have an employee representative from each functional work unit serve on the committee to ensure equal representation. The recognition committee might determine the components of the recognition program and ensure compliance with the University's recognition program policies, as well as helping to determine criteria, soliciting nominations and selecting awardees.

If you decide to form a standing recognition committee, keep the following ideas in mind:

Establish term lengths for members on the committee. At least one member should stay on the committee across any two terms to ensure continuity and cross-training (ie, begin a "rolling" membership cycle to ensure a partial carryover of members each year).
Set committee membership through election, appointment, or volunteerism.
Appoint a chair or co-chairs.
Determine the “sponsor” of the committee (this might be you, or someone else on your management team)
Include employees from each work group/area to ensure diverse representation.
Define an appointment period for membership -- for how many award cycles may an individual serve consecutively on the selection committee? It is often helpful to have at least one committee member serve on two consecutive award cycles to ensure some continuity of process.
Set the final decision-making body for the award -- does the Selection Committee make the selection or does it forward a recommendation to management?
Address the participation of past recipients -- some programs establish that the one or two most recent recipients of the award then serve on the selection committee for the next award cycle.
Define voting procedures -- this may include the processes by which the nominations will be reviewed. Some committees may establish a numeric ranking system for evaluating nominations.
Ensure consistency in the voting/selection process.

STEP 3: Determine Award Eligibility & Award Frequency