Why Are Employee Engagement Awards Important?

When it comes to creating a positive workplace culture, it all comes down to developing an employee engagement strategy. According to a 2018 Gallup survey, employee engagement has risen to 34% within the U.S. workforce. Although this number doesn’t seem significant, it represents progress over the statistics of recent years. But with almost two-thirds of workers stating that they are disengaged, this increase isn’t worth celebrating.

Employees serve as the backbone of your business. That’s why it’s crucial to ensure they feel engaged and motivated at work. One way to show the workforce that their efforts are appreciated and valuable is through employee awards and recognition.

The importance of employee engagement

Employee engagement has a significant impact on several components of your business. For one, highly engaged workers are more productive than their disengaged colleagues. A 2017 Gallup survey reported that highly engaged teams show 21% more profitability than those that are disengaged. What’s more, these highly engaged teams also show a 41% reduction in absenteeism and 59% less turnover. Not only are engaged workers putting forth their best efforts, they are showing up when they’re most needed and staying with their companies for longer.

It’s also worth noting the flip side of things: the costs associated with disengaged employees. A study by the Engagement Institute found that disengaged workers cost businesses between $450-550 billion a year. It pays to create a workplace culture of engagement, and it might literally cost you for neglecting to develop one.

Recognizing and rewarding employees

When your business is looking to increase productivity, decrease absenteeism, bring down turnover rates and boost employee engagement, you might consider different ways to reward and recognize your top talent.

One such way you can create a workplace culture of recognition is by offering employee engagement (EE) awards. Whether you’d like to reward a team member’s achievements or thank an employee for stepping up to a difficult task, EE awards can light a fire under your workforce, thus increasing engagement rates.

Different types of EE awards

Once you’ve decided to create or develop your existing engagement strategy, you might be wondering about the specifics of an effective recognition program. What exactly should employees be awarded for doing? And what are the best kinds of awards to give out to staff?

Sales achievement

Do you have a few sales professionals that outdid themselves this quarter? Recognize their excellence by presenting them with sales achievement awards. An added bonus: When the rest of the sales team sees that their hard work is not going unnoticed, they might feel more compelled to bring in greater revenue next quarter.

Recognizing the unsung hero

Maybe an employee achievement didn’t necessarily bring in an increase in revenue, but still made a huge impact. It’s important to recognize workers’ intangible efforts to lessen the burden placed on their colleagues and shine a light on your humblest employees.

Work anniversaries

You don’t just have to reward your staff members on the basis of performance. Present your staff members with awards based on their tenure. This recognition strategy promotes a workplace culture of retention, showing your tenured employees that their dedication to the company is important and acknowledged.

Some businesses only present their staff with awards on significant milestones, such as five, 10 or 20 years of service. Even though staff members deserve greater recognition for work anniversaries when they’ve stayed with the company for a long time, you shouldn’t neglect your staff members celebrating one, two, six or eight years of service.

General shout-outs

What if one of your staff members did something incredible outside of work, like ran a marathon or published a book? Rather than letting employees’ achievements outside the office go unrecognized, it can be fulfilling to promote their dedication.

One of the most impactful ways to show employees that their hustle is exceptional is through shout-outs on your company’s internal communications platform. Not only can this small gesture fill the staff member with a sense of pride, it informs their colleagues of their achievements, thus developing a sense of community among your teams.

Something else you can do to publicly recognize your staff members is post about their achievements – related to work or not – on your company social media account. Everyone likes being spoken of fondly, especially in a public format. Plus, prospective candidates will see the recognition you’ve provided your employees and see your company as a desirable place to work, thereby assisting in recruiting efforts.

What to give awards winners

If you’re looking for something tangible to give your dedicated staff to engage the workforce, check out the employee gift offerings at Successories. Whether you’re recognizing workers on the basis of corporate achievement, tenure or just because, we have plenty of items to motivate your employees, all while meeting your budget needs. You can even customize your gifts by adding your corporate logo. No matter what you’re looking for, you can find the perfect employee awards and recognition gifts from Successories.