Employee Years of Service Awards

What are years of service awards?

Years of service awards recognize an employee's dedication and commitment after they've been with your organization for one, five, or 10 years. Awards for years of service celebrate the contributions they have made and their loyalty to your company's values.

Build a committed and enthusiastic culture in your organization by honoring dedicated anniversaries. Our exclusive collection of years of service awards and work anniversary gifts lets you celebrate those milestones with customizable trophies and plaques.

Benefits of Giving 5-, 10-, or 20-Year Service Awards

Do you know the average employee tenure within your organization? Knowing the answer to that question and recognizing service milestones in your company could lead to lower turnover rates and a more positive and productive company culture.

Keeping productive employees at your business is vital to sustaining your bottom line. Replacing an employee costs more than 15% of their annual salary, and over 200% of their annual salary for highly educated executive roles. Businesses with strategic service recognition programs that offer company service awards report lower turnover rates than companies without a program.

Other reasons to consider making service anniversary awards a regular part of your business recognition efforts include:

• Making people feel valued. A personalized award demonstrates to the receiver that your business acknowledges the important role they play within your company, that you appreciate their work, and that you want them to remain with your business because their efforts are valuable. A beautiful trophy-style gift is one that a recipient can proudly display in their home or at the office, because it reminds them of the positive aspects of working for your company.
• Giving other team members something to look forward to. Employee recognition can play a meaningful role in whether or not many top employees stay at your company. Besides conveying to everyone that you appreciate the work of long-term employees, recognition of a work milestone is an event employees look forward to and a reason to stay motivated on the job.
• Years of service awards strengthen relationships. Giving out company service awards alerts team members to their peers' contributions. Public recognition ceremonies, or even an email note accompanying an award, can indicate how your most dedicated team members are making a difference at your business. This increases the respect and appreciation they receive from their peers, which bolsters teamwork and employee satisfaction.

You can designate certain types of awards based on the number of years served. The most effective recognition is personal, direct, and sincere. A personal touch acknowledges the employee's hard work, rewards them for their dedication, and inspires them to keep going and inspires their peers to achieve the same. As long as those sentiments power are at the heart of your recognition efforts, years of service awards don't have to be expensive to make an impact.

Types of Years of Service Award Ideas

A career anniversary deserves to be recognized. Some ideas for years of service gifts to hand out include:

• Lapel pins: Lapel pins are easy and attractive to wear on the job or at events outside the office. These badges can be worn proudly and spur interesting conversations, which bolster the perception of your business.
• Trophy awards: Great for handing out on a stage or at large events, recognition awards are substantial tokens of appreciation. Recipients will be proud to show off these trophies to coworkers and clients.
• Decorative items: Years of service gifts, like personalized vases offer a unique touch and can be quite useful, while awards like praise pennants can make an office feel more inviting and give employees something to look forward to accumulating over the years.

You can get creative and personalize years of service awards by adding a unique message to the gifts. Giving out service awards is a winning solution for company-wide engagement, because it improves the dedication of your most valuable employees and strengthens the relationships among teams.

Employee Anniversaries are Important Occasions

As Kim Harrison said in >Cutting Edge PR, "Some may believe that recognizing employees for their time served only emphasizes quantity rather than quality - the chair warmers rather than the achievers. However, the fact is that any significant length of service represents a major investment by an employee from their life. This choice of investment is something to be valued, especially when there is a comparatively high employee 'churn' (and cost of turnover) these days compared with the past."

Many companies operate service awards programs for this reason. A joint survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management and Globoforce revealed several key findings about service awards programs, including:

• The main goal of years of service programs is employee appreciation, but many programs fall short on "inspiration and quality."
• Companies that invest in years of service programs see better results.

The survey also found that 74% of companies claim to have a service anniversary program, but just 22% of these companies say their program is excellent, with 31% rating it as fair or poor.

Though the programs may not be as fully developed as many companies would wish, the intentions are noble. The survey found that the top reason companies have years of service awards programs is to appreciate employees, followed by increasing employee happiness or satisfaction.

The survey shows that while employers have lofty goals for their service awards programs, their delivery is failing. Let's look at ways companies can strengthen their service awards programs to better meet employee expectations.

Starting a Years of Service Awards Program

Before starting your service awards program or revising your current program, find out what your employees think. Polls and email surveys can help you understand how workers feel about recognition programs. With this data, you can create programs closely aligned with employee desires. Ask questions like:

• How would you rate the level of recognition at this company?
• Do you feel like the work you do is valued?
• What would an ideal service awards program look like to you?

Use this information to design a recognition program that resonates with your team.

Choose the Years That Will Be Recognized

Employee longevity award programs can't recognize every year of service: that would strain your budget and give the awards less meaning. One of your first tasks is deciding which years your company should recognize.

The SHRM/Globoforce survey found that:

• 90 percent of companies celebrated five-year anniversaries.
• 92 percent celebrated 10 years.
• 89 percent celebrated 20 years.
• 28 percent celebrate first-year anniversaries.

Traditionally, companies celebrate significant milestones, but it's also important to celebrate smaller anniversaries, especially in today's employment market, where individuals stay at companies for shorter periods and are more likely to job hop. For companies with high turnover, celebrating "mini-milestones," boost employee engagement levels from the get-go.

When successfully implemented, employee anniversary award programs can boost employee happiness levels and create a positive, inclusive work environment. Setting reminders can help you manage these dates and stay on top of recognition in a timely and organized manner.

Your organization's success in employee service awards programs hinges on genuine recognition during major career milestones, which is why the timing of the special occasion matters just as much as the personalized awards of the recognition program.

Choose the Award and Manner of Celebration

When creating service awards programs, it's best to take a multi-tiered approach: give the employee a meaningful award and then recognize the individuals with an event and social recognition.

Below are some ways you can honor employees for their years of service milestones:

Give a Heartfelt and Meaningful Gift

Employees celebrating service milestones shouldn't receive a generic, one-size-fits-all gift. Instead, customize the item to the individual. Work anniversary gifts such as crystal clocks, wine cradles, and vases are great for individuals celebrating 10-, 15-, and 20-year anniversaries. For annual work anniversary celebrations, personalized glassware, tech accessories, apparel, or plaques work well.

Write a note

A heartfelt note can mean the world to someone. According to the Harvard Business Review, OGO found in a survey that 76% of people save handwritten thank-you notes. Don't use a template or say the same thing you say on every note. Always personalize the message to reflect the employee's unique achievements and strengths.

Give a Shared Gift

Another idea for service milestones is something that the employee can enjoy with family or friends. For example, a gift card to their favorite restaurant or an experience for multiple people.

Throw a Party

Reserve a meeting room to hold a party for the employee, with a catered meal. You can put together a presentation about the employee and their accomplishments. For major milestones, you can host the party at a local restaurant or another special venue.

Shine the Social Spotlight on Them

Another great way to celebrate service milestones is through social recognition in the workplace. Kim Harrison of Cutting Edge PR notes that you could give the employee a shout-out or blurb in the company newsletter or staff magazine, or you can write a special post on the employee intranet or homepage.

Find Employee Years of Service Awards That Leave a Memorable Impression

At Successories, we make giving meaningful recognition easy and affordable with high-quality service awards items that your employees will cherish. For every occasion and for gifts that match the personalities and interests of the recipients, you can count on our diverse selection of employee years of service awards.

Shop based on your budget, and make anniversary awards for employees an integral part of a winning business strategy. Successories has everything you need to supplement your awards programs, from high-end gifts to stationery for hand-written thank-you notes.