4 Unique Employee Recognition Ideas with Lasting Impact

In this post, Maeghan Nicholson, marketing manager, at Suttle-Straus in Waunakee, Wis., highlights four unique employee recognition ideas that offer lasting impact. 

Employee recognition programs aim to increase employee engagement, improve job satisfaction and reduce turnover. If they are done right as part of an overall company culture they can even show an impact on the bottom line. Here are some unique ideas for your company, based on the ways we recognize employees at Suttle-Straus:

1. Recognize Longevity
As a company that has been in business for more than 100 years, we like to recognize longevity at Suttle-Straus. We designed and printed custom anniversary dimensional awards that employees receive starting at 5 years of service. The number can be changed out as the employee progresses through the years.

Suttle-Straus also has a "25 Year Club" where employees with 25 years of service are recognized on a custom-printed wall display featuring their name and start date.

2. Recognize Peers
Employees at Suttle-Straus are encouraged to nominate their colleagues for a Key Employee of the Year award, which is given out at our annual Awards Night event. Leadership picks the winners from submitted nominations. The winners get a custom printed plaque that resides on a recognition wall in our training conference room.

3. Recognize Continuous Improvement
Our company has a large focus on Continuous Improvement (CI) methods. So the team created a CI board that could feature kudos from customers, results of a Kaizen event or a root-cause analysis, and new coaching patterns for management.

The acrylic holders on the board allow slips of paper to be inserted and interchanged on a frequent basis, usually monthly.

4. Recognize Often
Employees are recognized through a bi-weekly Shorts internal newsletter, at quarterly town hall meetings, on social media through Facebook and LinkedIn, and on rotating images on TV monitors around the building. This gives employees multiple opportunities for recognition and appreciation from leadership and their peers.

Human resources studies have shown that employees want recognition more than anything, even money! What will you do this year to give them the validation they are seeking?

About Maeghan Nicholson
Maeghan Nicholson is the marketing manager at Suttle-Straus. A journalist at heart, she has used her writing skills to develop corporate thought leadership campaigns designed to make business-to-business connections. In her role, she manages all aspects of marketing and advertising, from website updates and content creation to conferences and events.