The COVID-19 pandemic has been raging the world for quite some time now. While businesses are slowly recovering, many countries are now directly reporting a second wave of the infection. With no clear picture of when all this will end, companies like Twitter have gone completely remote while organizations like HP have adopted a semi work from home model. At this juncture, it gets critical to recognize and appreciate employees who are already feeling isolated.

Why Is Workplace Recognition Important?

Workplace recognition motivates an employee and makes them feel valued for their work. Recognition is the most effective tool that keeps an employee hooked to the workplace. A motivated employee is found to have increased productivity and loyalty towards the company leading to higher retention. A Gallup survey revealed that one-quarter of the employees mentioned that their most memorable recognition came from a high-level leader– like their immediate manager or the CEO. The survey also revealed that money is not just the only way to recognize the employees. Other methods can be:

  1. Public recognition in the form of a certificate or an award
  2. Promotion of increased responsibility that shows trust
  3. A pat on the back from the immediate supervisor
  4. Personal satisfaction of pride in work
  5. Monetary reward

Recommended Read: – Current and Future Trends in Remote Work for 2022-2025

Ten Employee Appreciation Ideas:

  1. Public Recognition Ideas – Give a shout out to the deserving employee on your internal Slack channel, brag their achievements on social media, or feature the employee in your newsletter. Public recognition is an easy, zero cost, and one of the most effective ways to recognize employees. Don’t forget to tag them!
  2. Private Recognition Ideas – Send a box of chocolate, a bouquet, meal pass, a handwritten note with a goodie box to show you care.
  3. Consider For A Promotion – Employees feel valued when you show them you recognize their efforts and consider them for a promotion. It also shows that you trust them with greater responsibilities. If promotion is not an option, try a similar recognition idea. For example, you can give a new job title that shows higher authority, allocate a unique project, or give the opportunity to present during an executive meeting.
  4. Monetary Rewards – Monetary rewards are always fantastic to reward a deserving candidate. Give them a raise or a performance bonus if you have the concept of one in your organization.
  5. Provide Work From Home Equipment – Now that your team is working remotely, it is time to pamper them with some remote working gears. Be it an ergonomic chair, stationery, work desk, appreciate your deserving employee with any of these. Apart from boosting their morale, it also depicts that you care.
  6. Provide Opportunities To Indulge In Their Passion/Hobbies – With no travel now, employees probably have some time in hand. Gift them a hobby class that they want to explore. And, in case you know their passion, think about a reward that encourages them to continue pursuing it. For example, you can give them coupons for a virtual guitar class or an opportunity to do a workshop with their favorite photographer.
  7. Give A Day Off – Employees are working hard, especially in times like this. Give them a paid off to relax and spend the day with their family.
  8. Technology Perks – When employees work remotely, it makes sense to reward them with technologies that can bring a difference to the work output and work satisfaction. For example, you can ask if they need an additional monitor, better headphones, an app upgrade, or anything similar to boost their engagement at work.
  9. Gift Health Benefits – You want your employees to be fit, right? So, give them health benefits like online fitness classes, meditation courses, gym membership, or coupons for fitness gears. If you want to reward your team, consider giving a separate team budget for health benefits.
  10. Learning And Development – Investing in your employee’s learning and development is a great way to recognize them and boost the organization’s knowledge repository. With so many online courses and certifications available, let your team take advantage of it. Share a training budget or book allocation budget for the learning and development of the deserving candidates.

See? Appreciating and recognizing remote team members is not that difficult. So, go ahead and take out time to appreciate your employees in these unprecedented times.