Are you looking for ideas to recognize and appreciate your remote team members? Remote employees deserve to be recognized and your efforts will be greatly appreciated. According to a 2015 survey, 86% of people believe recognizing employees makes them happier.
Employee of the Month Award
Employee Recognition Award Plaque
Employee of the Year AwardRemote workers are hard workers
Remote employees might work in their pajamas some days, but that doesn’t mean their job is easy. Many surveys have shown that remote employees are far more efficient and productive than office employees.
It’s not personal, it’s their environment. When office employees get to work from home, their productivity generally increases.
When you want to show appreciation, the following employee recognition ideas are sure to make your team members feel appreciated.
1. Personalized awards
Awards like plaques and trophies are a great way to appreciate someone. With a personalized crystal plaque, for example, you can have the person’s name engraved along with a special, custom message.
The custom message is where you can really get creative and show some deep appreciation. For example, underneath your employee’s name, you can write a message describing their contribution to the company.
Your awards can be branded with your company logo, and you can add the date so your employee never forgets when they were given the award. These personalized awards can be employee of the year awards, or just general gestures of appreciation.
Awards for special achievements
Recognizing your remote employees for their achievements is another great way to show them they’re a valued member of the team. Achievement awards can recognize workers for their contributions to the company or for personal milestones.
For example, you can give awards to recognize promotions, big wins, or for those who solve difficult problems and come up with useful solutions.
2. Personalized clothing
Customized t-shirts and hoodies make awesome gifts for remote employees, provided you choose the right design. Does your team have an inside joke you can turn into a design? Or an inspirational slogan you can put on a shirt?
People are usually picky about the clothes they’ll wear, so don’t spend too much money on personalized clothes for your employees. If you’re going to use this idea, it might be more of a novelty gift than something people wear regularly.
Another idea is to ask your employees if they’d like a customized article of clothing. Get everyone’s input and let everyone vote on the item and style along with the design. You could get nice leather jackets made, windbreakers, or high-quality hoodies.
3. Coffee mugs
It’s safe to say that coffee mugs will make a great gift for anyone. Even if some of your employees don’t drink coffee, mugs are great for drinking tea and water.
You can do one of two things. First, you can create a design and send the same mug to all of your employees. Or, you can find out what each of your employees likes and create a personalized design for each worker.
The latter is often the better option because it will show your team that you took the time to create something personal. Try to avoid giving out mugs with the company’s logo unless your employees are also die-hard fans of your brand.
4. Something your employee needs
Although it’s not a direct form of recognition, getting your employees something they really need is a great way to make them feel appreciated. Check in with your employees to find out if there’s something you can get for them. It might be work related, or it might be something personal. It could be anything from a gym membership to a coffee maker. You’d be surprised at how appreciative people are when their boss reaches out to find out how they’re doing and offers to help.
5. Ergonomic furniture
Remote employees usually don’t create an elaborate office space to work from. Many people work from the couch, the kitchen table, or their bed. These are habits of convenience that don’t support the health and wellbeing of your team.
If you really want to show your employees you care, consider asking them if they’d like you to buy them an ergonomic office chair, desk, or keyboard. Ask them if there’s anything about their work setup that doesn’t work for them or that isn’t comfortable and see if they’d like an upgrade.
6. A tech upgrade
New computer equipment is another upgrade your remote employees will appreciate. Technically, as an employer, you’re supposed to provide your employees with all the tools they need to do their job. However, you might have a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy where your employees feel more comfortable using their personal devices.
Either way, find out if your employee is struggling with their current tech setup. If they need a new laptop or computer monitor, consider helping them get a better machine.
7. Hand-written thank-you letters
Emails are impersonal compared to physical, hand-written letters. When you take the time to write thank-you letters to your remote employees, they’ll feel more appreciation than if you just sent a group email.
8. Various other recognition awards
Similar to the personalized achievement awards, you can also give employees several other types of recognition awards.
Do you have an outstanding manager, sales rep, or CEO that you’d like to recognize? Here’s a list of several more types of awards you can give to your team:
· Years of service awards
· Board member awards
· “Best boss” awards
· Sales awards
· Leadership awards
· Retirement plaques
· Outstanding customer service awards
· Safety awards
If you’re nearing the end of the year, you can present the awards to your team at your year-end employee appreciation event.
Recognizing employees will keep your team strong
When employees enjoy their job, they’re happier and more productive. While people do enjoy raises, high salaries, and benefits, appreciation makes a bigger impact.
Many workers say they’d rather be appreciated and acknowledged than given a raise. Millennials are especially focused on recognition over benefits and higher salaries.
Is your goal to create and maintain a strong remote team? Recognizing and appreciating your employees is the foundation that will support you in achieving that goal. Browse our large selection of crystal corporate recognition awards to find the perfect gift of appreciation for your remote employees.
