Employee Service Awards
Looking for ideas on the types of programs available and the details to develop a program for your company? You’re in the right place!
If you’re on the fence about how employee recognition programs impact overall performance, view our Guide to Starting an Employee Awards and Incentive Program for important factors to consider before you get going.
Below are some of the common types of programs and sample lists of individual awards. Think about how they could fit into your organization. If you still have questions, feel free to contact our awards experts at National Premium, they’ve delivered tens of thousands of awards for companies.
Types of Employee Recognition Programs
Sales/Achievement
Go beyond an extra bonus for top salespeople and increase their performance and engagement with unique employee awards, public recognition in front of their peers, and a story they’ll be telling for the rest of their life.
Sales and sales achievement award programs are sure to invigorate your sales team, but you do not want to make the mistake with a run of the mill award that they don’t perceive as valuable.
Consider this:
In a WorldAtWork human resources survey, 51% of employees said that recognition for achieving sales performance had a direct impact on employee retention. Also, Dr. Bob, an authority on employee recognition, maintains that employees within organizations with a "Culture of Recognition" are 11 times more likely to feel completely committed to their companies.
Sales Achievement Award Program Sample Awards:
- Top Sales Person (National/Regional/Local)
- Highest percentage increase / most improved
- Top rookie salesperson (less than 1 year)
- Account manager of the Year (+ Runner Up)
- Highest sales retention rates
- Biggest deal award for largest new account (check our blog post of creative award names [include a link])
Employee Performance
Sale teams are easy to award performance since it is based in numbers, dollars and cents, but what about for qualitative performance in other positions?
Employee excellence award programs can vary in shape or form, but at the end of the day, they increase morale, retention, and productivity (which means profits in most businesses).
Some ideas on how to reward other departments and types of awards:
- Excellence in your department
- Can be employee nominated with voting–even more powerful peer selection
- Manager chosen
- Performance based
- Level of productivity or quotas being met/exceeded
- Outstanding attendance
- Goal achievement
- Reduction in costs
- New process or idea that extended to other departments
- Employee of the month
Service & Years of Service
In today’s marketplace and with generation Y entering the workforce, we know that company loyalty is not what it was 20 years ago. With that said, years of service awards programs are shortening in milestones, awards for fewer years of service. However, higher years of service awards are increasing in value, stature, and desire.
One easy way to develop (and budget) this type of program is to average out the years of service for existing employees. Once you have rough numbers you can begin to place dollar amounts and milestone years for which you want to give awards.
The more interesting part of years of service awards is how to best implement them. Some service award ideas:
- ID badges/name tags with stones that rotate out
- Watches, rings, or other jewelry items with charms for years of service
- Permanent plaques and awards that enhance or build with additional years
- Electronic devices that increase in value with increased years of service
- Custom designed pieces that tie in with the overall company philosophy
Network Awards (Dealers & Distributors)
Dealers, distributors, and vendors will also benefit from recognition programs. Depending on your business model, these types of awards could have the largest impact on your bottom line, particularly if your product/service depends on these channels.
If the right award is chosen and is prominently on display, it can also help strengthen your own brand if one of your dealers has a beautiful custom made plaque that reads ‘YOUR COMPANY Platinum Partner’.
Some of the sales awards can apply to this group, but also consider:
- Different levels: bronze, silver, gold, platinum
- Customer service based awards
- Smaller awards for technicians or service teams
- Custom designed pieces that mimic your company or the partner's company
Certification Awards and Certification Displays
Certification awards programs are powerful in two ways. They allow you to reward employees AND showcase your commitment to training and staying up-to-date in your industry.
The most common example is on the walls of repair shops and auto dealers with employees, years of service, and certifications and accreditations.
Other examples include:
- Widely recognized industry certifications
- Training programs completed
- 3rd party reviews and/or endorsements
- Donor/benefactor walls (creative possibilities are endless)
Getting Started with an Employee Recognition Program
Now that you have the basics in place, consider how they could be used to improve weak areas of your business, increase employee retention rates, and increase employee engagement and morale.
More useful articles:
Awards and incentives process
Creative Award Ideas & Styles
The easiest way to get started it to contact one of our promotional product experts to help you with budgeting, planning, and execution of your own customized program.
Contact Us or call 866-889-0250 to get started with one of our award experts.