subject: Boost Morale With Employee Service Awards [print this page] Your business may be a huge company with hundreds of workers, or a small operation that only employs a few people, or somewhere in between. No matter which is the case, you should certainly be concerned with employee motivation and morale. Employees who feel beaten down and under-appreciated are far less productive than their happier counterparts. Employee service awards can help you create the type of environment that motivates employees and increases productivity.
Large companies often offer their employees long term incentive benefits, such as 401kS and pensions. While a small business that is just starting out may not be able to provide this level of reward, it is still extremely important for a fledgling business to find a way to recognize its employees. Consistency and high performance from your first employees can be the driving force behind success at the beginning of a business. Morale and motivation are important tools for helping to increase performance.
If you can afford monetary awards, like holiday bonuses, this is a great way to raise morale. The holiday season can be extremely stressful, and it is a good idea to show your employees that extra effort is appreciated.
If your business is brand new, though, you may simply not have enough profit to award employees monetarily. There are definitely other things you can do.
Token awards such as certificates of recognition or "employee of the month" postings may seem silly or not worthwhile. However, you would be surprised at the difference something small like this can make in employee morale. At the very least, it lets your employees know that you are paying attention to them and to their work performance on an individual level, rather than seeing them simply as one large machine.
Company parties can be another way to recognize your employees. These occasions also improve morale by allowing time to socialize. If your employees spend time together in a relaxed atmosphere, having fun, they will have an easier time relating to each other and this may help their performance as a team.
It is important that there is a somewhat egalitarian nature to the awards you give. Although you are rewarding service and performance, you want to make sure that all employees have equal access to rewards if they deserve them. This means that you should spread your recognition among departments, and find several different aspects of performance to periodically commend. For instance, one month you might recognize an employee who has increased your sales. The next month, give an award to an employee who has fostered teamwork and camaraderie among his or her fellow staff members. The next month award the person whose performance has improved the most.
While employee service awards are a great way to improve morale and to boost motivation, they cannot be your only tool in doing these things. If your work environment is generally hostile and authoritarian, awards will seem hypocritical and your employees will interpret them as being only for show. Service awards should be a part of a management philosophy that values each employee's individual contributions on a daily basis. Service awards can be a wonderful way to do this when they are combined with a pleasant, healthy, upbeat day to day environment.
