April 22, 2013

The Do’s & Don’ts of Teacher Gift Giving

Filed under: Employee Recognition Ideas — Tags: teacher — PDWriter @ 8:33 am

Although you can give a teacher a gift anytime, it’s especially appropriate during Teacher Appreciation Week, which is May 7-11 this year. This week is your reminder to let inspiring teachers know what a difference they have made in your life or the life of your kids. Teachers receive lots of gifts, so choose yours carefully to ensure it’s meaningful and useful for the teacher.

When Giving a Teacher a Gift, Do:

Consider what the teacher may need for the classroom and pick a gift that meets those needs, like personalized Post-it® Notes with the teacher’s name on them.
Get your child involved in the process of selecting the gift, wrapping it, and adding handmade touches, whether it’s a drawing of the teacher or a small craft project.
Choose a classy greeting card and include a personalized note about why you appreciate the teacher. These notes are often what teachers cherish most because it gives their job purpose.
Add a gift card to an office supply store or bookstore so the teacher can get classroom supplies, which are often more meaningful for the teacher than gifts to use personally.

In Your Teacher Gift, Make Sure You Don’t:

Include baked goods or other foods that the teacher may not be able to eat. Dietary restrictions are very common these days, so unless you know a teacher absolutely loves a particular treat, leave it out.
Go overboard on the teacher-themed gifts with apples or pencils or mugs saying “World’s Best Teacher.” They have probably been getting these for years and don’t need any more.
Choose scented items, like lotions or candles, that the teacher may not actually like. Many of these end up getting re-gifted because the teacher doesn’t like the scent and won’t use them.

Teachers have one of the most challenging and underpaid jobs around, so take the time to choose a unique gift that recognizes the time and energy the teacher has put in during the year. The teacher should be able to look at the gift the next day and remember exactly who it is from and what they liked about it. As you’re deciding what to give this year, browse our catalog at Paper Direct to find high-quality gifts for each teacher on your list.

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April 19, 2013

5 Ways to Make National Volunteer Week Special

Filed under: Employee Recognition Ideas — Tags: teacher — PDWriter @ 8:20 am

Whether you work at a non-profit organization that works with volunteers who help to improve the community, or you are a teacher in a classroom who relies on parent volunteers, it’s important to remember those special people who are dedicating their time to your cause. National Volunteer Week takes place this year from April 21 through April 27, so be sure to do something that week to make your volunteers feel special. The following ideas will help you create a week they won’t soon forget.

5 Ways to Make National Volunteer Week Special for Your Do-Gooders

Organize an awards ceremony to honor your dedicated volunteers. Consider distributing special, custom awards to each contributor on your team. Ideas for awards include “Volunteer Who Logged the Most Hours” or “Most Creative Volunteer.” Just make sure everyone gets something at this event, and don’t forget to create personalized awards to hand out.
Write each volunteer a personalized thank you note. Using the custom volunteer note cards available on PaperDirect, you can take the time you need to truly express your gratitude for the efforts of your volunteers.
Give the gift of a personalized tote bag. This is a practical gift that your volunteers will use for many years to come. It will help them bring supplies to and from the volunteer site, as well as provide many uses in their personal life.
Create personalized coffee mugs for your volunteers. The volunteer mugs on PaperDirect include sayings like “The Difference is You” and “We Appreciate You.” These sentiments express your gratitude, and the volunteer receives a great gift that will make them feel appreciated each morning as they enjoy their cup of coffee.
Take them to lunch and give them a lapel pin to thank them for their time and effort. Everyone enjoys a delicious meal, and awarding them with a special lapel pin will make it all the more memorable. Volunteer lapel pins that state “Volunteers, A Work of Heart” are available.

No matter which route you decide to take, just make sure your volunteers know how much you appreciate them. Chances are you couldn’t get your job done without these special individuals who are donating their time and skills to your organization. To make personalized gifts, note cards and awards quickly and easily, stop by PaperDirect. We have specialty volunteer products that will work great for this particular occasion.

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March 28, 2013

Employee Prizes Under $10 Motivate and Award Great Employees

Filed under: Employee Recognition Ideas — PDWriter @ 7:43 am

It’s important to recognize your employees and let them know when they’re doing a good job. Employees who only receive negative feedback (or none at all) are more likely to quit and more likely to suffer from low morale, both of which can hurt your business and your chances of success.

You can recognize hard-working staff members with inexpensive employee prizes they’ll really love. PaperDirect is your online super store for employee gifts under $10 that will motivate and reward all in one!

Here are just a few employee prizes under $10 from PaperDirect:

When you order online from PaperDirect, you don’t have to spend a lot of money. Award employees with inexpensive prizes, less than $10!

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February 20, 2013

Host Your Own Office Dundies –Ten Employee Recognition Awards

Filed under: Employee Recognition Ideas — Tags: office party — PDWriter @ 7:26 am

If you’ve ever watched the hit TV series The Office, you will remember the infamous Dundie episodes, where boss Michael Scott gives out employee recognition awards to his staff.

He does this through made-up songs, horrifyingly embarrassing remarks, and inappropriate skits. Though entertaining to watch, you could imagine how it could be rough to sit through.

In order to avoid a drastic Dundie situation, we have come up with ten recognition award ideas (some funny, some serious) for the employees in your office – to be presented in whichever manner you see fit (although you may not want to take your inspiration from Michael Scott).

Employee Recognition Ideas:

1 Customer Service Award – Give this to someone who has gone above and beyond to make a client/customer happy. This person would possess and demonstrate a customer-first mindset, and always exceed expectations when interacting with clients/customers.

2. Biggest Distraction Award – This is a humorous award that could be seen at the Dundies! This award would go to someone who is a hard worker but also knows how to have fun in the office. This should be the office “clown” and someone who is great at lighting up the mood in long meetings. This isn’t meant to be a disciplinary award, but rather a ‘thank-you’ award for keeping office morale up. A set of Post-it® Notes with a clown design is a fun little reward for these employees.

3. Cleanest Desk Award – This one is pretty self-explanatory. This award would go to the person whose office space is always the cleanest and tidiest. Which brings us to the next award…

4. Messiest Desk Award – Though this may seem a little harsh, if someone is known for having a very messy desk in the office, that person probably wouldn’t mind being called out on it. In order to avoid hurt feelings, make sure this person has a good sense of humor.

5. Would-Be-Winner of Trivia Award – This honor would go to the person in your office that always contributes interesting, yet sometimes irrelevant, facts to conversations and meetings.

6. Moving On Up Award – This award is actually a Dundie Award from The Office, given to Darryl because he was promoted to Shipping Manager at Dunder Mifflin. You can steal this idea and give this to an employee who has recently been promoted.

7. Cool Cucumber Award – This prize can go to someone who remains calm in the face of issues and situations where the easy option would be to freak out. They handle work issues very well and are always reliable in stressful situations.

8. Caffeine Consumer Award – This is for the person in your office that either always has coffee or energy drinks in their hand. Every company has that one person in the office that would have a mental breakdown if the company ran out of coffee.

9. Early Bird Award – There is always the one person in the office who is a morning person at their desk every day at 7am sharp. This person deserves some recognition for braving the wee hours of the morning, and what better way to do it than with an Early Bird Award!

10. Organization Award – This award can go to the person in your office who always has all their work in line as well as the contents on their desk.

If you are looking to put these awards or recognitions down on paper to host your own Dundies, be sure to browse PaperDirect’s line of award certificates, trophies and plaques.

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February 19, 2013

March 1st is Employee Appreciation Day–Honor Your Rock Stars!

Filed under: Employee Recognition Ideas — Tags: employee anniversary — PDWriter @ 7:11 am

It’s almost the first Friday in March – are you forgetting something? Nope, it’s not your anniversary – phew! – or your youngest kid’s birthday, but it is one of the most important holidays of the year: Employee Appreciation Day!

And that’s one holiday you don’t want to forget! After all, the success of your business depends in large part on your employees’ performance, and happy workers who feel appreciated are a lot more likely to do a good job. Do you think your staff feels appreciated? Do you think their paycheck is “appreciation” enough? You may be surprised to learn that your team doesn’t view the workplace the same way management does.

Since it first appeared on calendars in 1995, Employee Appreciation Day has reserved the first Friday in March as a time for employers to officially acknowledge their employees’ hard work with more than just a regular paycheck. So don’t let Employee Appreciation Day slip by this year; instead, reward those rock star employees of yours with special recognition that lets them know just how important they are!

In almost every single workplace, there are employees who work hard day in and day out, never say “no” to anything that’s asked of them, never have an unkind word for anyone and just do their work. It is these employees who often get overlooked when it comes to giving an occasional pat on the back. They’d never point out something they did that went above and beyond the call of duty as that would be “tooting their own horn.” They just sit back quietly and read/hear about how wonderful the select few are doing.

Hand Write Some Kind Words

In a world dominated by e-mailing, texting and Tweeting, the handwritten note has gone by the wayside. Seriously, when was the last time someone took pen in hand and sent you an actual, handwritten note?

This phenomenon has resulted in two effects:

A widespread epidemic of truly terrible penmanship
Handwritten notes’ rare status means that they’re extra meaningful.

Fortunately, the “meaningful” part totally cancels out the sloppy handwriting part. So pick out some beautiful thank you cards and set aside an hour to write out some personalized notes telling your employees exactly why you value them.

Relax

Make an investment in your employees’ morale and hire a local masseuse or manicurist to come to the office on Employee Appreciation Day. They can go from office to office, cubicle to cubicle, performing their services in 10 or 15-minute increments. Just make sure your employees know that participation is voluntary!

Just Go Home!

If your company can afford it, make Employee Appreciation Day a half-day. Let your workers go home early that day to spend time with their families. Not many things say “thank you” quite as much as paid time off!

Whichever route you choose, it’s important to let your employees know how much you value their hard work. Even if you don’t have the time or means to hold a large celebration, even a certificate of appreciation will boost morale.

If your management team only speaks to employees when a mistake is made, you can be certain your employee morale is low. People may even dread coming to work. That can all be changed with a few kind words, a note, an early day out on a Friday or some other “privilege” that is earned. Think back to your last ten conversations with employees–how many of those ten interactions included a positive word or something that let the employee know you value him or her? If you’re hard-pressed to remember the last kind thing you said to a worker, then there’s a very good chance your employees are unhappy.

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December 21, 2012

Employee Anniversary Gifts to Start the New Year

Filed under: Employee Recognition Ideas — Tags: employee anniversary — PDWriter @ 8:07 am

Start the new year off right by beginning the tradition of getting your employees a little something to mark their anniversary with the company. Beginning January 1, send the message that you care and that you appreciate their hard work by presenting employees with a gift on their date of hire anniversary. Employee anniversary gifts boost morale and raise productivity, studies show. PaperDirect has some great employee anniversary gifts to start the new year off right!

PaperDirect award certificates come in a variety of styles to suit what you’re looking for, and we offer free certificate layout templates for every design. For honoring an employee’s anniversary, you can include the employee’s name, date of hire and any other information you’d like to include. Whether your company’s big or small, these award certificates will be a great gift at the employee’s anniversary.

You can make your own certificates, too, with a little help from PaperDirect. Just use our easy online design tool, and we’ll print up your custom certificates! We offer full color printing, customizable front, 8.5″ X 11 size, free logo and image uploads, and we print and ship most orders in just 1-2 days! For ten custom certificates they’ll love, you pay just $6.99!

You Do It ALL NoteCards by PaperDirect

A handwritten note or thank you card is thoughtful and doesn’t take long to write. Instead of sending an email, take the time to write a personal note to the employee and mention something unique he has contributed to the company. This is much more meaningful than a generic email that reads “Happy fifth year anniversary. Thanks for all you do.” Write something that will let that employee know you truly appreciate the specific contributions he/she has made to the success of your company.

Star World of Difference Recognition Pin by PaperDirect

Be sure to shop online at PaperDirect for other employee anniversary gifts like trophies, plaques and motivational gifts like key chains and water bottles.

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December 17, 2012

Writing a Thank You Note at Christmas

Filed under: Employee Recognition Ideas — PDWriter @ 8:05 am

In a world where technology rules and handwritten notes are practically non-existent, there is one handwritten note that will never go out of style or become obsolete–the handwritten thank you note. There is absolutely no acceptable replacement to writing a thank you note to show your appreciation for a gift you received or a kind gesture someone did during the holidays to help you out. A phone call is nice but just isn’t enough, an email is a bit of a cop out, and a text message is simply unacceptable. PaperDirect has a large selection of thank you notes at affordable prices, and the best part? You can order online and receive your thank you cards in just a few days!

Christmas Thank You Notes

With the holiday season right around the corner, it’s important to know the necessity of writing a thank you note to the person who was kind enough to give you a gift for Christmas. Writing thank you notes does not take a lot of time, and receiving a handwritten thank you note will show the gift giver that you really appreciated what they did for you.

It’s never too early to teach your kids the art of writing a thank you note to show their gratitude. In fact, writing out thank you cards should be part of the Christmas routine. Sure, let the kids play with their new toys for a few hours, but before bedtime, ask them to sit down and start writing thank you notes to their loved ones, especially the ones who mailed Christmas presents from afar.

Here are some tips for writing a thank you note at Christmas:

Address the gift giver with “Dear” rather than just beginning the first sentence of the note.
Describe the gift you are giving thanks for instead of sending a generic message to all recipients; include specific details that show the gift was a memorable one. Instead of “thank you for the jewelry box,” you could write, “Thank you very much for the beautifully hand-crafted gold jewelry box that will make a nice addition to the master bedroom bureau.” This shows you truly remember the gift and appreciate its value.
Discuss briefly how the gift will be used. For example, “The jewelry box will make the perfect storage for my rings and bracelets that I don’t wear when I sleep.”
If you received a cash gift, do not say “Thank you for the cash.” Instead, write something along these lines, “Thank you very much for your generosity. Your gift will come in handy when we begin the addition to the upstairs kids’ play area.”
Include something personal that shows your relationship to the gift giver. For example, “It was so nice seeing you this Christmas, and we’re looking forward to seeing you and the kids again at Uncle John’s birthday party in March.”
End by reiterating your gratitude with a simple, “Thank you again for your kindness.”

Shop online at PaperDirect for all your thank you notes this Christmas.

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December 14, 2012

Employee Recognition Gifts at the Holidays or Year’s End

Filed under: Employee Recognition Ideas — Tags: office gifts — PDWriter @ 10:59 am

When you own or manage a company, whether large or small, it’s absolutely crucial to recognize employees for their hard work.

Studies have proven that showing employee appreciation boosts morale and increases productivity, and it certainly doesn’t take an expert to confirm that when people work hard, they appreciate a pat on the back.

It doesn’t even have to be a grand gesture like a huge bonus, raise or promotion. A simple verbal “thank you,” a handwritten “‘Nice Work” or a small gift are often appreciated just as much as a monetary award.

Some Ideas for Employee Recognition Gifts:

Personalized Mugs
Tote Bags
Mouse pads
Water Bottles
Post it Notes
Personalized Stationary
SWAG
Gas Cards
Recognition Award
Bottle of Wine

Expensive or Inexpensive? That is the Question

Employees may appreciate the big gifts like a vacation, corporate car, gift cards to fancy restaurants or high end stores, but even less expensive gifts will reach out and touch an employee as effectively as something more expensive. Being able to give fairly inexpensive employee gifts to numerous deserving employees will do more to boost morale and make happier employees than giving once-in-a-career luxurious gifts and large monetary rewards to a select few top performers/earners.

At the holiday’s and at the end of the year, you can show your appreciation and let your staff know you value their contributions by giving employee recognition gifts to those who have truly earned them. Here are some suggestions regarding gift giving in the workplace around Christmastime.

Workplace etiquette certainly doesn’t “require” that gifts be given to employees at year’s end or during the holidays, but in many businesses, it’s just something that is done each year and it’s something employees really look forward to. If you’re new to your job and don’t know what the office custom is regarding gift-giving, ask a colleague or someone in Human Resources to let you know what’s been done in the past.

Gifting Etiquette

Decide what the company can spend and stay within budget.

In many companies, giving the boss a Christmas gift is not standard practice as it can be deemed a way to win favor or get preferential treatment. It’s also awkward to buy a gift for someone who makes a good deal more money than you. However, in many workplaces, employees will chip in at Christmas and give the boss a group gift–something related to his/her hobbies such as tickets to a sporting event, a gift card to a favorite restaurant or something collectible. Many bosses prefer the “gift” of year-round hard work and dedication to the company rather than a gift card to Outback for a free steak.

If you decide to do a group gift to the boss, contribute what you can afford, and if you’re the organizer of the group gift effort, give the employees a dollar amount range and emphasize that they need only to contribute what they can afford. You don’t want to embarrass anyone by asking for a large contribution the employee simply cannot afford.

A handwritten holiday greeting card with a kind message is a simple, inexpensive way to show employees you recognize their value to the company. If you’re not sure of your employee’s religion, choose a neutral Seasons Greetings type of sentiment and keep your note short. Wishing them best happiness, health and prosperity in the new year in a PaperDirect holiday card is an employee recognition gift that goes a long way.

When giving gifts to people you work with, avoid perceptions of discrimination and favoritism by offering similar gifts of equal value to all. Although you may not expect it, the reality is that some of your employees will compare their gifts to that of their colleagues.

If you’re the boss or manager, you may want to consider a group gift to your staff such as a basket of goodies, providing breakfast in-house or even allowing an “early dismissal” around the holidays so time can be spent with families.

If you have a small company, the amount of money lost by allowing your staff to leave a couple of hours early will not even come close to the amount of gratitude they will feel for this very kind gesture.

It’s time to start thinking about employee recognition gifts for the holidays or end of the year. If you’d like to buy each of your workers an award of some sort, check out PaperDirect’s trophies, plaques or motivational gifts like coffee mugs and water bottles.

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November 27, 2012

Do’s & Don’ts for Employee Christmas Gifts

Filed under: Employee Recognition Ideas — Tags: office gifts — PDWriter @ 9:18 am

Have you been assigned the task of helping the boss choose employee Christmas gifts this year, or are you the boss and need to begin the process of selecting nice, affordable gifts for your employees. If you’re on a budget, you may be able to spend a certain amount on each employee, but even if you are limited in what you can spend on each employee Christmas gift, you can get great Christmas gifts at reasonable prices.

Tips for Employee Christmas Gifts

Here are some tips for giving gifts to employees (and bosses) this holiday season:

Gift giving in the workplace does not really have specific rules; it’s more of a common sense and good judgment issue. Business etiquette does not require you to give gifts at work at Christmastime, but in many companies, it’s a custom. Observe your office’s practices and when in doubt, to avoid making an embarrassing faux pas , find out from a close colleague or from someone in Human Resources what has been done in the past or what is considered acceptable when it comes to boss and employee Christmas gifts.

When buying a gift for workmates you should foremost consider the message you want to convey. Your gift allocation should be based on your budget, your past relationship with that person and their interests.
Giving gifts to the boss. In most work environments buying a gift for the boss is a not an accepted practice as it can be perceived as a way to get preferential treatment. It is also awkward to buy a gift for someone who has a great deal more money than you, if that is the case with your boss. Giving a gift to your boss will probably make him or her feel uncomfortable, and you certainly don’t want to do anything to tarnish your relationship with your boss. Your gift to your boss is doing a great job at work during the year and giving the company your all.
If you insist on doing something for your boss at the holidays, consider initiating a group effort. You can take up a collection from everyone in the office and discuss potential gift ideas, or you can let someone else organize the effort and you can contribute what everyone else. Don’t over contribute or under contribute if it’s avoidable.
For everyone in the office, a handwritten holiday greeting card is another simple, yet very effective, gesture that can go a long way in showing gratitude. Keep it simple and to the point. If you are not sure of the recipient’s religious affiliation, choose a holiday card versus a Christmas card.
When giving gifts to people you work with, avoid perceptions of discrimination and favoritism by offering similar gifts of equal value to all. Although you may not expect it, the reality is that some of your employees will compare their gifts to that of their colleagues.
A popular gift giving choice at the holidays, is a basket of treats the whole office can enjoy.
Take a department out for lunch before the holidays. This will surely show them how much you appreciate their hard work.

Keep in mind the importance of employee recognition at this time of year and throughout the year. You can show employees how much you appreciate their hard work by giving them trophies, plaques or motivational gifts like coffee mugs and water bottles.

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August 22, 2012

Fall Themed Certificates for Seasonal Awards

Filed under: Employee Recognition Ideas — Tags: fall — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

PaperDirect has a number of seasonal designs to make award certificates appropriate for the time of year. Fall themed certificates are designed with the lovely, earthy colors of Autumn such as shades of yellow, orange, brown, red and copper. When making fall themed certificates for students, employees, or family members, be sure to use quality stock paper from PaperDirect and choose a design befitting the season. Check out these beautiful fall themed certificates exclusively from PaperDirect:

Remember that PaperDirect will custom print your fall award certificates. Let’s take a look at some of your options when it comes to printing certificates from PaperDirect. Desktop printable standard certificates are 8.5″ X 11″, white parchment paper, full-color designs and come in boxes of one hundred. The paper is laser and inkjet compatible. Custom printed fall themed certificates come in seven different colors, and we will do free logo and photo uploads. You customize your layout, font and ink color. We produce professionally printed, folded and boxed fall-themed certificates for all types of awards.

You can order a sample from PaperDirect to see the high quality products we create. A sample is just a single piece of a paper product so you can see and feel the quality of our work. All samples are full size, and you may order up to eight different paper products per sample order for a $5 shipping charge. Ordering a sample is easy! Simply find the product you want and click “Add to Sample to Cart” or you can call PaperDirect at 1-800-272-7377 to place your sample order. Samples are shipped first class mail and usually arrive within 3-5 business days, depending upon your location. You can pay $10 for express delivery, and we ask that you pay a $5 shipping and handling charge, which you will receive back in the form of a $5 coupon off your next order!

PaperDirect also has a Certificates Template Software 2010 CD for $34.99. This amazing piece of software is for the person who spends a great deal of time making certificates as this is a HUGE time and money saver! The software lays out your certificate for you and offers 25 different headings in three different styles. It even offers suggested wording for over 20 types of awards. The Certificate Templates CD is compatible with Microsoft Word® 97 and above in PC and MAC versions.

Looking for some certificate award ideas? Check out these blogs from PaperDirect:

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July 11, 2012

Motivational Pins Are Cost Effective Student Rewards

Filed under: Employee Recognition Ideas — Tags: teacher — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Students of all ages (no matter how “cool” they are) appreciate being acknowledged for doing a good job or for improving upon something like behavior, perfect attendance or grades. While certificate awards are definitely morale boosters and plaques and trophies look great on the wall or shelf, there really isn’t any way a student can take his/her reward around where it can be seen (nothing wrong with showing off a bit, right?).

Motivational pins can be used as a reward for student achievement and as an incentive for other students striving to better themselves. While some students may act as though recognition is not a big deal, every parent and teacher knows that children of all ages like a pat on the back every now and then. Motivational pins are inexpensive, attractive and can be worn on any type of clothing.

Recognition awards like motivational pins not only shows the student his good work, attitude, behavior, or attendance is being acknowledged, but they show other students that good work does not go unnoticed. Whether it’s an award for achievement such as “Highest Math Grade” or an award for someone who is showing improvement like “Most Improved Classroom Behavior,” motivational pins can be worn every day and serve as a constant reminder of what the student did to earn that pin.

Student recognition awards like motivational pins actually serve two purposes. They’re designed to show appreciation for deserving students, and they’re designed to help boost morale amongst in other students. Having a recognition program using certificate awards, lapel pins, plaques and trophies is an effective tool to reward and motivate students throughout the school year.

Seeing all the awesome recognition lapel pins available from PaperDirect will give you ideas about how to best utilize them for motivating and rewarding students.

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June 27, 2012

Motivational Gifts Perfect For Summer and Gift-giving Tips

Filed under: Employee Recognition Ideas — Tags: summer — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

With summer upon us, it’s time for employers to start thinking about motivational gifts for employees, and if you’re the office manager who has been assigned this task, PaperDirect has some ideas that may make your job just a little bit easier this summer. For employees fortunate enough to have a boss that shows his/her appreciation with gifts, summer is a great time to give creative, yet practical, motivational gifts that can be used during the warm summer months.

Water bottles have become one of the most popular motivational gifts for employees in recent years. Many people take a water bottle with them wherever they go, especially in the hot summer months, so a water bottle is a considerate and practical motivational gift for the summertime. Add that extra special touch by having the water bottle personalized for your deserving employee.
Tote bags (perfect for the beach, pool or any summertime excursion) are a great motivational gift for employees that can be used during summertime and year-round.

Tips for Employee Gift Giving

Be Fair – Try and keep your gifts fair where cost is concerned, especially if everyone is pretty equal in their job duties and salaries. Giving one person an expensive gift and another employee an inexpensive gift is a sure way to create resentment and hard feelings.

Be Gender Neutral – Stay away from gender specific gifts such as football or baseball tickets for the men and necklaces for the women. The office is not the place

for gender specific gifts.

Don’t Overspend – Company picnics are

Great Job Star Tote Bag

fun for everyone but consider your employee gifts as an expense and budget for that expense.

Do It Yourself – As a small business owner, don’t assign all the employee gift buying to one of your employees. Do it yourself or ask a friend, associate or relative to help you.

Cards or Thank You Notes – A nice card along with a personal hand-written note to go along with your gift is the perfect touch and will be appreciated.

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May 23, 2012

Ways to Tell Your Teachers How Much They Mean To You

Filed under: Employee Recognition Ideas — Tags: teacher — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Being a school teacher is one of the toughest, most admirable professions one can choose. It’s an often thankless job that requires hours and hours of work after the school day is over, evening meetings, event chaperoning, and sometimes even weekend work grading papers and preparing for the following week’s lessons.

If you are a teacher, were a teacher or know a teacher, you understand that teaching is not easy. You have lives in your hands each and every day, and everything you say and do somehow impacts the students in your classroom. If you’re not a teacher but appreciate the work they do, or if your child has told you how much a teacher has meant to them, there are many ways you can show your appreciation for their hard work and dedication. Let’s take a look at some teacher appreciation ideas that are thoughtful and affordable.

Handwritten thank you notes
Custom designed and printed certificates of appreciation
Plaques
Trophies
Paperweights
Pen sets
Gift cards
Books
Coffee mugs
Tote bags
Key chains
Day planners

Feel free to come up with your own teacher appreciation ideas or use any of these. Teachers will be so thankful that their work has not gone unnoticed. Shop online at PaperDirect for teacher appreciation gifts today!

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April 19, 2012

9 Goofy Awards for Team Building

Filed under: Employee Recognition Ideas — Tags: certificate awards, employee recognition ideas, office awards — Kristine Richards @ 8:00 am

If you like the sitcom “The Office,” you may remember “The Dundies” that Michael Scott (played by Steve Carell) awarded to his Dunder Mifflin employees during a ceremony at the local Chili’s restaurant.

Remember Pam’s “Whitest Sneakers” award? While Carell’s character did not use the best judgment when it came time to present goofy awards to his employees, you can make a goofy award ceremony for employees an annual occurrence to boost morale and have a little fun during (or after) the workday.

Why Host an Event?

Hosting some type of fun event during the workday is a great way to keep employees motivated, show them you appreciate their hard work, and maintain a light, enjoyable work environment.

You know the old saying, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy…” All work and no play in the workplace will create an atmosphere of drudgery, unhappiness, and lack of enthusiasm. One great way to motivate employees and create a light, fun atmosphere in the office is to give goofy awards in a company- or department-wide awards ceremony.

Recognition Certificates

PaperDirect has recognition certificates for all occasions and in all different types of styles, so there’s definitely something for all types of tastes. PaperDirect certificate templates assist you in designing and printing certificate layouts.

Our free desktop printable templates format your certificate automatically, with preset margins, borders, and tabs. Recognition certificates from PaperDirect make quick and easy goofy awards for team building efforts.

Goofy Award Ideas

Due to the sensitive nature of the workplace, you’ll want to avoid references to appearance or character traits that could potentially embarrass recipients. For office party settings, create funny awards that focus on humorous situations common to the workplace. Here are some examples of goofy awards that you can give to employees to motivate, inspire, and build a sense of camaraderie:

Neatest Cubicle Award
Messiest Cubicle Award
Late for Meetings Award
The Step-Away-from-the-Coffee Award
The Best Office Spirit Award (for the eternal optimist and cheerleader of the team)
The Out-of-the-Office-at-5:00-Sharp Award
The Think-Outside-the-Box Award
The “Go Green” Award (for the office recycler)
The Trivial Pursuit Award (for the employee with useless facts to share)

The office is where many people spend almost a quarter of their time during a given week, and for some, it’s even more. Working in an office environment can be stressful and tedious at times. That’s where funny office awards come in handy!

These awards were created to provide office humor and entertainment by recognizing office workers for their entertaining gifts. These funny awards are perfect for company events and parties and are great for everyday office humor and jokes. Shop for the perfect certificates and other quick gifts, like Lapel Pins and Trophies, to showcase your goofy awards on PaperDirect today!

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April 18, 2012

Employee Anniversary Recognition–Appropriate Gifts

Filed under: Employee Recognition Ideas — Tags: employee anniversary, office gifts — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Recognition of employees is something that supervisors, owners, and CEO’s must make time and effort for.

Why?

Because studies have shown that when employees feel appreciated and valuable, they tend to be more productive and are more vested in their company’s success.

When it comes to employee anniversary recognition gifts, even those that are not expensive, are greatly appreciated. The smallest gesture can mean the world to hard-working employees, especially those who have worked for the company for several years.

If you’re struggling with ideas, here are some appropriate gift ideas to recognize a loyal employee’s years of service to your company.

Ideas:

Classic Appreciation

Certificates of appreciation, plaques, and trophies are very common anniversary recognition gifts.

These can all be personalized with the employee’s name, years of service and can be placed in the employee’s office for others to see.

PaperDirect has a large selection of employee certificates, plaques and trophies, and to jazz award certificates up a bit, we carry certificate holders and jackets, embossed certificate seals and frames to preserve their quality and make them last for many years.

We offer award certificate templates to assist you in design and printing certificate layouts.

Our free desktop printable templates format your certificate automatically, with preset margins, borders and tabs.

We also offer a certificate template CD with certificate headings for professional results. Whether you need one or one hundred certificates, PaperDirect’s desktop printable templates make certificate creation extremely fast and easy.

Personalized Gifts

If you’re looking for something more creative, PaperDirect has many motivational employee gifts including clocks, paperweights, pins, banners, and personalized gifts including key rings, business card holders, and mugs.

Hobbies

A great way to find out what gift to get your employees for their anniversaries is to learn a little bit about what they do in their free time.

For instance, if you know one of your employees is an amateur photographer, picture frames make a great gift. How about a gift card to their favorite restaurant or movie theatre passes for the movie buffs in the office?

Inexpensive Ideas

Employee anniversary recognition gifts that cost nothing, but that are greatly appreciated are “free” days off, long lunches, acknowledgement in the company newsletter, a small office pot luck luncheon, and public recognition at a staff meeting. Take your employee to lunch at his favorite restaurant or allow him to leave early on a Friday afternoon.

How about a work-from-home day, if his job allows it or a late arrival day? Employees loves little perks like this, and sometimes “privileges” are enjoyed more than a tangible gift such as a plaque or coffee mug.

Whatever employee anniversary recognition gift you choose, your employee will be appreciative, and the gift will show him that you recognize his contribution to the company.

There’s no need to spend a lot of money on employee anniversary recognition, but it is important that you make the time and put forth the effort to honor the loyal employees who have been with you for as little as one year or as long as twenty years.

There is no worse feeling than thinking you’re not appreciated at work, so find out when your employees’ anniversaries are coming up and make some plans to recognize their great work and continued loyalty to your company.

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April 4, 2012

Field Day Sports Certificates

Filed under: Employee Recognition Ideas — Tags: teacher — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Good Sport LetterTop Certificates

Who doesn’t remember your school’s “field day” toward the end of the school year–the day the whole school competed in a variety of outdoor competitions like the egg toss, three-legged race and relay races? If your principal were cool enough, you may have even gotten to have a dunking booth with your teachers in the hot seat. Field day is a day that both students and teachers look forward to because it’s a way to celebrate the end of a great year, teach sportsmanshipand just have fun outside of the classroom.

If you’re getting ready for your field day, you will need sports certificates to award the winners and for those who participated but may have fallen short of first, second or third place. PaperDirect is your online shopping source for award certificates to fit just about any occasion and any age group.

PaperDirect has certificates for just about every accomplishment, so the only problem you may have is choosing which design you like best. Want to design and print your own? We can teach you how to make do-it-yourself award certificates for all occasions. All you need to provide is the computer! If you want to create your own professional-looking sports certificates, PaperDirect has award certificate templates to help you design and print certificates, and you will be amazed at how easy it is. Our free desktop printable templates format your certificate automatically, with preset margins, borders and tabs. We also offer a certificate template CD with a variety of certificate headings so you can make as many certificates as you like whenever you like.

If you would like a pre-designed desktop printable certificate, we offer free individual certificate templates. Simply find the certificate design you wish to purchase and click “Choose a Template” on the product page of our website. Then select either a Word or Publisher template. PaperDirect will email a certificate template right to you at no charge.

Award certificates are fun, and with added features like certificate seals and certificate jackets and folders, they can last forever.

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February 29, 2012

Employee Anniversary Recognition: Let Your Staff Know You Care

Filed under: Employee Recognition Ideas — Tags: employee anniversary — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

All employees remember the day they were hired, and it is important to acknowledge an employee’s dedication and service to you and your company on their anniversary.

If you are an office manager who has been asked to come up with some employee anniversary recognition ideas, or if you own a business and need some ideas about how to recognize your employees’ anniversaries, we have some ideas for you.

Whether it’s one year or twenty years, employee anniversary recognition is crucial and will be appreciated by the employee you honor, even if it’s just a small gesture.

Tips for Tracking

If you own or manage a large company, you should create some type of system to keep track of employees’ hire dates. Even if you manage only a few employees, it’s important to have an organized system to know the hire dates for everyone, from the mail room to the board room. Everyone’s anniversary should be recognized in some way.

The easiest way we have found is to add it to a Google Calendar and mark it to “repeat every year” This will keep it from creeping up on you.

Why Yearly Recognition?

While some employees are fortunate enough to get raises each year as a way of recognition, in tough economic times, a monetary reward is not always possible to recognize an employee’s anniversary. Instead, there are many other creative, inexpensive ways you can recognize an employee’s service that are meaningful and will be cherished by that employee for years to come.

Recognition Ideas

Think of an employee’s anniversary as a career birthday, so make your recognition sincere, meaningful and personal.

And while employee anniversary recognition does not have to be formal and costly, it must be genuine.

A handwritten note or thank you card is thoughtful and inexpensive. Instead of sending an email, take the time to write a personal note to the employee and mention something unique he/she has contributed to the company. This is much more meaningful than a generic email that reads “Happy third year anniversary. Thanks for your hard work.” Write something that will let that employee know you truly appreciate the specific contributions he/she has made to the success of your company. Employee recognition motivates and provides incentive for continuing hard work.

The Importance of Individual Recognition

Large companies often have a “group” celebration for anniversaries, but it’s much more thoughtful to acknowledge an employee’s anniversary separately.

On special anniversaries (five, ten or fifteen years) managers should mark the occasion with an extra special gift or recognition ceremony. It’s not necessary to spend exorbitantly, but keep in mind that your employees have contributed to your success and profit.

Why not give a little back by purchasing a nice gift?

When giving gifts to employees on their anniversary, do your research. Find out what your employees’ interests are such as hobbies, favorite restaurants, special talents they have, etc. This will make the employee anniversary gift more personal and will show the employee you took the time to find out a little bit about him or her. On the flip side, giving the employee a choice from a selection of gifts is a great way to keep your recognition program efficient and simple.

PaperDirect has an extensive line of recognition and motivation gifts and products. We have a vast array of award certificates, plaques and trophies for employee anniversary recognition.

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February 22, 2012

Steps to Develop Employee Reward Programs

Filed under: Employee Recognition Ideas — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

For employee reward programs to be meaningful to both the award recipient and others in the department, they should be tied to the department’s goals, mission, or values. As an owner or manager who must develop an employee reward program, you can determine the goals and purpose of the program yourself, or you can ask employees to offer suggestions. Another idea is to conduct an employee opinion survey that will help to identify preferred types of awards, establish nomination and selection procedures, and determine the frequency and method(s) of award presentation. The University of Washington has implemented these steps to successfully create employee reward programs that really work.

Step One: Establish the purpose and criteria for the employee reward program

The most important aspect of all employee reward programs is that they are fair and that all employees understand the criteria that will be used for recognition. Here are some suggestions for types of employee rewards:

Teamwork
Going above and beyond the call of duty
Customer service
Creativity
Performance
Length of service
Leadership ability
Flexibility

Step Two: Form a Committee

Getting employees involved in this process will help ensure the employee reward program is fair and helps to create a feeling of ownership in the program, which makes it more meaningful to the employees.

Step Three: Determine Award Eligibility & Frequency

For this step you should consider:

Employment status: Is the award available only to all employees full and part-time? Permanent and temporary?
Is length of service a considering (does the employee have to so many months or years with the company to be eligible?)
Can a member of the employee reward selection committee be nominated for the award?
How frequently can the same individual receive the same award?

The selection committee must also decide if the nomination process is anonymous or will the nominee know who nominated him or her? Who is eligible to nominate? How are nominations to be submitted?

Step Four: Set a budget and determine types of awards

Awards don’t have to be costly; award certificates are fairly inexpensive and can be designed for a number of awards. Plaques and trophies are often presented to award winners.

Step Five: Monitor the employee reward program

As your departmental goals and needs change, so employee reward programs. You should review the awards and their criteria to make sure they are still relevant and meaningful to employees and the department each year. Adding an award to an existing program to highlight a new initiative may be all that is needed to keep the program up to date. Consider conducting an occasional employee survey to measure the effectiveness and value of the employee reward program and for new ideas.

Read the PaperDirect blog for more ideas on employee reward programs and employee recognition ideas.

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February 3, 2012

Employee Motivation Ideas for the New Year

Filed under: Employee Recognition Ideas — Tags: employee recognition ideas, employee reward certificates, employee reward programs — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

The start of the new year can be a slow time for many companies, especially retail companies (post-holiday down slide) and other types of businesses involved in sales. Businesses often tighten their belts after the holidays, and your sales staff may be lacking motivation to pursue new leads. To get things moving and keep your business going, you should try to implement tactics designed to renew your staff’s interest in selling. In doing so, you can create enthusiasm, boost incentive, and help your business thrive in the new year. While these ideas are geared more toward the sales industry, these employee motivation ideas can be applied in some fashion to most any business.

Contests are a good motivator to get employees off to an enthusiastic start to the new year. A sales contest can be a way to re-energize your sales team and fire up their competitive spirit. Design a competition based on your sales needs: focus on new customers, for example, or who can get the most new leads. Instead of having a long-term contest where prizes are not awarded until the end of the year, aim for short-term contests to keep the excitement going and give recognition to winners as the contest progresses to provide added incentive to keep up the hard work. Make sure the prizes/recognition are worthwhile. Receiving a reward that has no meaning or value will not motivate your employees to keep up their pace.

You can’t deny that cash is the greatest incentive for most employees, especially after the holidays most people are a bit strapped for cash. Choose a specific goal you want your staff to achieve, one that will help your business address a weak area or achieve a strategic goal. Set a time limit and individual goals and then reward your staff with cash when the goal(s) are met.

Be flexible in your employees’ work schedule and location of where they work. In the dreary winter months at the start of the new year, give your staff the freedom to work from wherever makes them most comfortable, whether it’s a coffee shop or from their own home, if that’s feasible. By giving them the freedom to design the working environment that works best for them, you may see an improvement in performance. Some employers feel that allowing staff to work from home will decrease their productivity, but, many businesses have found that the opposite is true. When given the privilege to work outside the office in a more comfortable environment, many employees tend to be even more productive. They want to prove that it’s not necessary for them to be tied to their office desk nine hours a day in order to meet or exceed company and individual goals.

If you sense your staff members need motivation to improve their sales, reward progress with power. Announce that the top sales person will get a special treat: the ability to hire an assistant, for example, or the ability to lead a meeting or make sales assignments.

Motivational gifts are also good rewards and serve as an incentive to keep up the good work. Learn a little bit about your employee before purchasing a gift; make sure it’s something he/she will value and actually use. While trophies and plaques make very nice rewards and employees appreciate recognition such as an “Employee of the Month” certificate, there are many other employee motivation ideas out there.

Check out the PaperDirect blog for more ideas on boosting employee morale and other ways to motivate your employees.

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January 18, 2012

Thoughtful Student Recognition Ideas

Filed under: Employee Recognition Ideas,Student Recognition Ideas — Tags: student — PDWriter @ 8:00 am

Regardless of what grade students are in, they all want some type of positive reinforcement when they do something well or improve on something they have been struggling with in the past. Whether it’s good behavior, improved behavior or good grades, teachers must show each and every student that they are valued and appreciated. Even the students who seem to do very little good in the classroom can be recognized for something positive during the school year. It never ceased to amaze me (as a former school teacher) how far a little positive reinforcement went, especially with kids who were used to only getting negative feedback.

There are hundreds of creative, inexpensive student recognition ideas you can use in the classroom, and all you have to do is tweak the recognition to fit the age of your students. You don’t want to embarrass a student by offering a reward that is too childish for his/her age.

Most children, regardless of age, love having special privileges. Asking a student to be the office delivery person, to take messages to other classrooms, or to leave a few minutes early for lunch or afternoon dismissal are student recognition ideas that kids in any grade will love. This works especially well when the student is one that many teachers would not trust with these privileges. When you offer a student with a reputation for being “trouble” the privilege of delivering a message to the office or having your copies picked up from the copy room, he/she will feel that you trust and respect him and that will go a long way in how he behaves in the future. When the “perfect” students are given privileges like that, it just doesn’t mean the same because it’s usually the well-behaved students and students with high grades that get privileges like this. So, this is one student recognition idea that really, really works.

One of the great things about this student recognition idea is that it cost you absolutely nothing. The best student recognition ideas are usually the ones that are monetarily inexpensive but are priceless when it comes to intrinsic value. If you have not tried giving privileges to poorly behaved students who show improvement in their behavior, give this one a try.

Writing a short note to parents or making a phone call home to report good behavior or an improvement in classroom performance is also a great student recognition idea that really does wonders to keep the student motivated to do well. Phone calls home are so often associated with bad news that a good phone call home will probably surprise the student (and parents) so much, he will want to continue to do even better to get future positive reinforcement. This takes very little time, and you can even schedule one afternoon a month to make these positive phone calls home to students who are doing well.

PaperDirect is your online shopping source for other types of student recognition such as trophies, plaques and certificates to keep students motivated and provide incentive for continued good work and behavior. Read more Great Ideas for Classroom Recognition on the PaperDirect blog.

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April 22, 2013

April 19, 2013

5 Ways to Make National Volunteer Week Special for Your Do-Gooders

March 28, 2013

February 20, 2013

Employee Recognition Ideas:

February 19, 2013

December 21, 2012

December 17, 2012

December 14, 2012

Some Ideas for Employee Recognition Gifts:

Gifting Etiquette

November 27, 2012

August 22, 2012

July 11, 2012

June 27, 2012

May 23, 2012

April 19, 2012

Why Host an Event?

Recognition Certificates

Goofy Award Ideas

April 18, 2012

Ideas:

Classic Appreciation

Personalized Gifts

Hobbies

Inexpensive Ideas

April 4, 2012

February 29, 2012

Tips for Tracking

Why Yearly Recognition?

Recognition Ideas

The Importance of Individual Recognition

February 22, 2012

February 3, 2012

January 18, 2012