Employee Recognition Gifts and Awards

Find the best corporate recognition awards and employee gift ideas

By LaRita Heet, Freelance Writer, Journalist, IBT Designer LMH Communications

Employee recognition awards are powerful motivators in the workplace – both for those who receive these employee awards, and for other employees, who see the concrete proof that hard work does truly pay off, but also promote employee loyalty, and professional and personal satisfaction levels.

The top three things to know about employee recognition awards:

1) Corporate recognition awards inspire all of your employees (not only the gift recipients).
2) Employee gifts promote employee loyalty.
3) Employee awards increase workers’ professional and personal satisfaction and fulfillment.

Food and drink employee gifts

Don't forget to reward all of your employees when they all deserve it - say, after the whole group has done an all-night inventory, or after a holiday rush. If you have the gifts delivered to the workplace, leave the wine/other alcohol out of the mix, so you don't have drunk employees on the job. In general, some good group employee gift ideas include a variety of food, coffee, tea, and dessert rewards.
Try: Business.com outlines choices ranging from Coffee and Tea Baskets to Wine and Cheese Gift Baskets. Rewarding several employees? Then check out ArtPromos's Food and Candy "candy take-out" promotional gifts. Nothing says “Thank you” like a sweet treat in the form of Candy Bouquets, Cookies by Design's Cookie Bouquets, and the sinfully superb offerings from Godiva. Looking for something healthy? Then check out Harry and David’s many fruit baskets.

Individualized employee recognition awards

Take the time to listen and remember the individual likes and tastes of your employees. Sending chocolates to your diabetic secretary, or wine to the recovering alcoholic, will actually do more harm than good. On the other hand, if you know your evening manager is a movie maven, or your first shift leader is a sports fan, then you have a good grasp of the types of rewards (movie/sporting event tickets, in these cases) that would mean the most to them.
Try: Check out Business.com’s Corporate Gifts to purchase business gifts tailored to your business. Visit Gifts for Professionals to view their many employee recognition awards, including office accessories, executive games, and more personalized gifts. Send an individualized gift basket from All Gift Baskets And More, or Adorable Gift Baskets, where you can choose from employee gift ideas ranging from books or sports to relaxation or garden baskets.

Prepaid credit card employee gift ideas

Not sure which employee awards are the best? Then give them the freedom of choice in the form of credit cards (with the limit of your choice), which can be used at specific retailers, restaurants, movie theaters, or shopping malls.
Try: American Express offers many options for corporate recognition gifts, beginning with the American Express Specialty Gift Cards. American Express’s Incentive Services now has two prepaid cards: The Persona Options Card, an “everyday” shopping card accepted at more than 60 popular retailers, which is ideal for employee recognition awards; and the Celebrate Card, designed to celebrate employee achievement through special anniversary and safety programs, which is accepted at more than 110 retailers and specialty merchandise retailers. Check out Mastercard’s employee recognition gift offering: the Incentive Card. Visit the Corporate Gift Showplace’s Selective Gift and Incentive Program, which offers gift booklets, corporate recognition awards, and more.

Employee recognition awards for display

Don't forget that the point of employee recognition gifts is the employee recognition aspect to it. Praise your employee, shout it from the rooftops, and find a great workplace display or trophy so others - employees and customers - will notice and offer their own congratulations.
Try: Business.com gives you many choices of Employee Reward Vendors to turn to for employee recognition gifts. Baudville encourages you to “recognize your stars” with stylish corporate recognition awards designed for every employee. Visit Mcaeiro.com for quality employee awards.

Go for employee gifts or gift certificates, not cash, when it comes to recognition awards

Gift certificates and gift cards are a great way to give employees a like-cash reward, while still personalizing it (by store) to their tastes.
Try: Visit Starbucks, Target, Giftcertificates.com, or MovieGift.com to find gift certificates to appeal to each of your employees.

Think outside the gift box: Many of these employee gift ideas are also perfect for rewarding your loyal customers.
Employee gifts and recognition awards are a great way to not just reward behavior, but also to change unwanted employee behaviors.
Use corporate recognition awards to acknowledge big and small jobs well done.
Personalized, thoughtful employee gifts that cost you only $20.00 each are worth more than the same amount in cash that's just handed to the employee with a mumbled, "Thanks." The employee awards show that cared enough to put forth the effort to find something special for them.