A primary contributor to employee engagement is an employee recognition program with rewards. Programs like this help your employees feel valued and like there they contribute significantly towards the organization. By recognizing employees for their hard work they are engaged enough to feel a sense of purpose, like they are part of a larger vision and it gives them enough motivation to remain committed to achieving the overall objective. In other words, employee engagement is directly related to employee welfare. Recognition alone is not enough to keep employees engaged, rewarding them ensures that engagement is effective and long-lasting.
While employee recognition is designed based on working conditions, the amount of effort being put into the job, the department, the location, and a lot of other factors; employee rewards should be designed based purely on your employees’ psyche, likes, and dislikes. Every person is unique and different from one another and that could make it seem like creating a list of rewards can be tricky. However, people have more things in common than you know. It’s also based on what everyone is exposed to, consumerism, and their daily needs. The key to creating an impactful and successful employee recognition program is to make sure your rewards are creative and thoughtful.
There are several kinds of employee rewards that you could potentially give but we have collated a list based on our years of experience and daily conversations with all of our customers. The primary thing you must remember when choosing the rewards is that it should be within the realm of what is feasible for your organisation to supply on a daily, monthly, and annual basis as well as what your employees will respond to most. So without further ado here’s a list of rewards with examples that you could have as part of your employee recognition program:
1. Branded Swag
One of the first few things a company should invest in is getting branded swag. Branded T-shirts, water bottles, stationery, diaries, etc. Items like these help with brand recall and your employees act as brand advocates simply by using this swag outside of work. Try to come up with cooler things like branded luggage trackers, yeti mugs, or funky socks. The cooler and more functional the swag is the more it will be used.
2. E-Gift Cards
Digital gift cards or E-gift cards are a great way to take the hassle out of employee rewards. Companies like Tango Card have completely automated the entire process of rewarding employees. They have partnered with hundreds of major brands and e-commerce websites to create gift cards. When it comes to automation, all you have to do is connect your credit card, set a budget for the month, and the rest is taken care of by them. Add points to each of your recognitions which your employees can then exchange for one of these gift cards. The gift card is automatically emailed to them, no manual intervention is required.
3. Plan An Adventure
There is nothing more memorable than an adventure filled with discovery. Find fun adventure-type activities to do in your areas such as zip-lining, hiking, escape rooms, Bungee jumping, theme parks, water sports, waterparks, or even a two-day camping getaway in the countryside. For many employees that live in an urban city, getting away or spending time in nature turns out to be a very fulfilling experience that they like to do regularly.
4. Wine Tasting or Distillery Tour
Many people enjoy a good wine tasting especially if it is done at a vineyard where they get to see the grapes and the whole process of making wine. It’s educational as well as fun. If there are vineyards, distilleries or brewhouses in your area or close to the city then tours and tastings would be a great idea. Many people do enjoy a drink or two on the weekend, and they get to learn about how their favorite drinks are made. A memorable and exceptional experience.
5. Personalized Gifts
This type of reward is great for milestone-type employee recognitions like a work anniversary or major achievement. Find vendors that supply high-quality personalization on high-quality products such as leather wallets, handbags, watches, or even jewelry. Gifts like these tend to be truly memorable and they don’t necessarily have to be expensive. Your employees are more likely to keep personalized gifts for longer as well.
6. Plain Ol’ Cash
For most, an experience or a free gift counts as more than enough of a reward but for others, cash is just as good. Sometimes, it is what is preferred. Give your employees the option to exchange the points that they have collected for either a gift, gift card, or just cash. By giving them this flexibility of choice you’re also allowing them to see that their likes and dislikes are being taken into consideration.
Coming up with creative rewards for your employee recognition program doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Instead of doing extravagant things, keep it simple and straightforward and most of the time this is the most effective. As long as you ensure that rewards and an employee recognition program or part of your work culture, your organisation will be able to cultivate a highly invested workforce that will remain loyal.
The HubEngage employee recognition platform enables you to create a highly customized recognition program and facilitates a just as customized and automated employee rewards functionality. Access in-depth insights and analytics in real time so you can keep track of how engaged your employees are. Get in touch with us for a live demo so we can show you how the platform can benefit your organization.
