15 Fun Team Recognition Ideas, Best Practices
Teamwork makes the dream work, but once the dream is achieved, how do you celebrate the team that made it happen? Team awards and gifts are an easy way to show appreciation for the people who support you every day.
Team recognition can be gratifying, creative, and meaningful. However, without a clear idea of how you want to honor your team, your efforts may seem disjointed or insincere. Our team at Cristaux International has immense experience in helping hundreds of clients develop their own team recognition programs. Discover the purpose of team recognition, ideas for your organization, and more.
What Is the Purpose of Team Recognition?
Team recognition is important because it celebrates the hard work of those around you and the importance of teamwork and collaboration. What does recognition mean to your team? Recognition makes people feel valued, and that is an unforgettable feeling. They feel inspired to continue achieving and working hard.
15 Team Recognition Ideas
When deciding how to celebrate your team, make sure you choose an employee recognition program that helps achieve company goals. Consider the following team recognition ideas and imagine which would be best for your people.
1. Sales Awards
Your salespeople bring in great revenue for your business and foster crucial customer relationships. Their contributions cannot go unnoticed. Sales trophies and awards honor the achievements of your sales team, from exceeding quotas to making massive deals.
Do you want to motivate your sales team? Check out these tips for sales team motivation.
2. Remote Recognition
Remote recognition programs are new yet popular and offer lots of options. You can host a company meeting when you compliment your team members and their achievements. Also, you can deliver custom creations to your staff, directly to them with drop shipping.
3. Work Anniversary Gifts
Properly celebrating your employees’ work anniversaries is a great way to retain and recruit the best team members. No matter how large your workforce is, you can develop a meaningful years of service award program. Read this blog post for work anniversary gift ideas.
4. Peer-to-Peer Recognition
Hearing kind words from those closest to you pulls on all the right heart strings. Recognition means the most from those you admire and know the best. Whether shouting out someone’s accomplishments or designing a people’s choice award, boost camaraderie with the most intimate of internal recognition.
5. Company Events
Events come in all shapes and sizes. Casual, formal, in-person, or virtual. The sky’s the limit! No matter what, we recommend you present custom awards made personally for your team. This way, you show them that you truly care about them and appreciate all they do.
6. Leadership Awards
Leadership awards celebrate your employees who show great initiative. From veteran managers to rookies with great potential, all team members will feel confident in their abilities and inspire others to achieve.
7. Company Branded Gifts
By creating company branded gifts, you celebrate your brand and the team who makes up that brand. The best gifts for your team are the ones that are personal and purposeful. You can customize champagne flutes, luggage tags, reusable water bottles, and more.
8. Deal Toys
Financial tombstones and deal toys are best suited for celebrating the employees, advisors, investors, and clients involved in closing a business deal. Closing a deal requires a lot of teamwork and collaboration, making it the perfect team recognition idea.
9. President’s Club Awards
Reserved for your highest achieving salespeople, the President’s Club celebrates the top performers in sales. These programs often include personalized awards and company-paid trips. No matter your budget, you can develop a President’s Club award program fit for your team.
10. Milestone Gifts
Milestone awards and gifts are perfect for your most outstanding achievements and occasions. Whether you’ve reached your 50th business anniversary or opened a new location, your team helped you get there. Show them some appreciation with custom-made awards or hand-selected gifts.
11. Safety Awards
Because of the safety precautions your team practices, your organization can thrive. Safety recognition is essential to keeping up safety itself. Honor the commitment to workplace health with safety awards. For your team, you can celebrate completed training or months with no accidents.
12. Thank-You Notes
Hand-written thank-you notes and letters are tried and true when it comes to recognition. Letters are cost-effective and personalized. Also, the handwritten touch shows employees you care tremendously by investing your time and effort.
13. Creative + Design Awards
Your creative teams deserve recognition for their artistic concepts and projects. But are you nervous about creating an award for creative people? No worries. Find a recognition vendor like Cristaux that provides creative design consultancy services.
14. Plaques
Perfect for individualization, plaques are a timeless form of recognition. Additionally, they are ideal for displaying achievements and honors in the workplace. With tangible recognition pieces, your team members can be reminded of their value whenever they see their plaque, award, or gift.
15. Department Awards
With department awards, each team has the opportunity to showcase and honor one of their employees. You can honor individual achievements and growth, while gathering a whole department behind one award.
What Is an Example of Team Recognition?
An example of team recognition is Cristaux’s Stormy Awards inspired by our resident office dog named Storm. Each year, we get together and celebrate our team members for individual and group accomplishments. We present replicas of our favorite French Bulldog.
Team Recognition Best Practices
How do you do team recognition? Maybe you can’t find an idea that fits your team, or you’re overwhelmed by your options. To help you decide what is best for you, we’ve gathered a few tips for creating your own team recognition program.
Incorporate Your Company Identity
Celebrate your organization and your team in one company branded design. Use your colors to establish a scheme or use your products as the focal point. You can incorporate elements of your business’s history for years of service awards.
Use Team Ideas and Interests
Focus your awards and gifts on team members’ interests, passions, and hobbies. This way, you will present them something personal and useful. They will feel like you care about their whole identity, not just who they are as an employee.
Be Consistent and Evolving
Make recognition routine to improve workplace culture, employee retention, and more. Don’t be afraid to change things up, but always keep up the pace. As soon as you slack off and forget about recognition, company morale will plummet.
Team Recognition for the Win
Team recognition is fundamental to a positive and communicative workplace. From casual compliments to formal events, recognition comes in many forms. Do some digging, reflect on what makes your team special, and channel that unique character into a one-of-a-kind recognition program.
Contact the Cristaux team to start developing your team recognition program today.
FAQS: Team Recognition
You may have some questions that need answers, so we’ve provided information on frequent questions from people like you. If you can’t find what you’re looking for below, visit our FAQ page or contact our team.
How do you show recognition at work?
In the workplace, you can show recognition by giving your teammates compliments on their achievements. You can also develop an employee recognition program. Read this blog post to learn how to create an employee recognition program.
What is the best reward for employee recognition?
The best reward for employee recognition is something personal and useful for the employee. Common employee incentive programs include new office perks, gifts, handwritten letters, and custom awards. Read this blog post for 11 creative incentives for employees.
How do you personalize recognition awards?
To personalize your recognition pieces, incorporate details about the recipient. Include things like their name, information about their achievement, or a personally significant quote. Collaborate with your vendor to engrave these details into your awards for that final, customized touch.