Planning Appreciation Awards Events

It’s commonly understood that those who feel appreciated will exceed what is expected of them. Verbal praise and kudos go a long way toward showing appreciation for hard work. These efforts can be taken even further by hosting appreciation awards ceremonies. Recognizing employees by presenting plaques, corporate gifts, or personalized trophies offer you a more tangible display of gratitude for their long-term achievements and exceptional performance.

An awards event or ceremony can be as formal or informal as suits your company culture. For some, this means hosting a gala event complete with tuxedoes, heels, ties, and hors d’oeuvres. For others, it may look more like an after-work party or happy hour at a local venue or pub. Appreciation awards events are effective, no matter how formal or casual your preference. Every business is unique when it comes to presenting awards and handling recognition ceremonies. No matter what it looks like, the purpose is the same and that it letting employees know you value their performance and commitment.

Why Do Appreciation Awards Matter?

People stay in a particular career field or with a company for many reasons including pay, job satisfaction, and benefits. But for most employees, staying in a position where they feel valued is most important. According to Forbes, almost 70% say they would quit a job where they didn’t feel appreciated. Over half of the managers stated they wouldn’t work for a company that didn’t recognize their accomplishments in some way. Employees dedicate about one-third of their days to their jobs. For some, it’s even more. When their hard work is recognized by management or supervisors, it can foster a sense of being appreciated. This kind of pride and satisfaction can be infectious in a company culture and helps individuals feel like they are an important, productive part of the team.

Also, when a company can maintain a high positive standard, it prevents a huge turnover rate which translates into saved money as well as time. It also helps keep customers happy indirectly since you want personnel who can interact positively with customers to make a good impression for the business and help it grow.

Demonstrating Appreciation with Awards

When you start looking for corporate awards, think about company culture, and the types of positive traits employees possess. Here are two basic examples that may be applicable to many different types of business settings.

• Years of Service Awards. These are ideal for highlighting employees who have remained committed to the company. Start appreciation awards with 1 Year of Service. Then, recognize each of the more tenured milestones.
• Sales Awards. These are popular awards for many companies and usually tied directly to specific goals. This might be something like opening the most new accounts or having the highest gross sales in a specific region. Sales awards are among the most competitive but serve to motivate other employees or teams to reach higher or improve their numbers. Some companies also present individual sales awards to the top performer in a specific office or store site.

Considerations When Planning Awards Ceremonies

 A lot of planning goes into a successful awards program, and there are many points to consider. Use these questions to help you begin.

• Attendance Gifts – Do you want to ensure every attendee has a commemorative gift? Some examples of attendance gifts includes a medallion, coin, or branded paperweight.
• Where will employees display the awards? – Where will the awards be displayed? in a special place at work, such as a hallway, wall, or shelves? Or will the worker take the award home with them?
• Presentation – You will want to present each award and recognize each employee publicly to have the greatest effect. Decide on the award and who will present it.
• Choosing the Oder of Awards – You’ll want to have the awards chosen in time to order them. Usually, you’ll need to allow at least 4 to 5 weeks to receive them.
• Wording on Awards – Personalizing the awards makes them more memorable. Consider what you want each award to say. If you need help with wording on awards, we can help!

Let Suburban Custom Awards Help You

There are a variety of award styles, materials, and sizes to choose from. You may want crystal awards, plaques, or trophies for your appreciation awards. If you are not sure about what is best for your company, contact us. We’ve been at this for years, and we can help you find the perfect fit. Suburban Custom Awards provides expert advice and consideration to help you get the best appreciation awards for your company and your budget.