At many companies, the end of the year means it’s time for Employee of the Year awards. If your business decides to give out awards, it’s important to make them meaningful and to actually recognize the efforts and contributions of your staff over the past year. Only give awards to employees who really deserve them.
Categories
Pick a few categories that are relevant to your company. For example, if you run a business that prides itself on providing cheery customer service, give the most upbeat and positive person the “Sunniest Employee of the Year” award. Other categories can include “Most Growth Over the Year” and “Most Helpful,” as well as a general “Employee of the Year Award.”
Nominations and Voting
Decide whether employees can nominate themselves or need to be nominated by other staff members. Create a nomination form that asks the person submitting it to explain why he or she believes a certain employee is the best for a particular award. After all the nominations are received, choose a team of supervisors to serve as judges and choose the winners of each award.
Award Prizes
The exact prize you give each award winner depends on your company’s budget. At the very least, winners should receive an award certificate printed with their names, the name of the award, and the year.
If your company has room in the budget, you can include a cash prize with the award, to give it more meaning. Another option is to give award winners a gift certificate to a local restaurant or other business or award an extra day or two off. The better the prizes, the more likely people are to try to be nominated for an award.
Awards Ceremony
Hold an awards ceremony during your office Christmas party or as its own event. The company’s president can act as the emcee of the ceremony and announce each winner. You can also have the person who nominated the winner give the announcement and share the reasons why he or she nominated the award winner in the first place.
Employee awards give your team something to work towards and an incentive to go above and beyond the call of duty. An awards ceremony also a fun way to wrap up the year and get everyone ready for the holiday season.