How to Give Meaningful Employee Appreciation in 2024
Check out our employee appreciation guide to learn what to give, when to give, and why employee appreciation matters.
Updated on
June 24, 2024
24
June
2024
As a leader, as a team member, it can be hard to know how to give appreciation. Here’s a guide to help you create meaningful personalized recognition experiences for every occasion. Each of these tips comes from global research from the O.C. Tanner Institute and our work with thousands of clients worldwide.
Recognize early and often and integrate recognition into the employee experience and your workplace culture to build belonging, engagement, fulfillment, and loyalty.
Frequent, personalized recognition increases odds of employee engagement by 9x and great work by 13x.
— 2023 GLOBAL CULTURE REPORT, O.C. TANNER INSTITUTE
Onboarding
WHY: To welcome a new hire
WHEN: Throughout an employee’s first year (30, 60, 90, 180 days, and beyond)
IMPACT: Introduces new employees to your culture and community, builds belonging, and shows appreciation for their expertise and choosing your organization as a place to work
WHAT TO GIVE: A gift that introduces employees to your company and culture, like a welcome email or eCard, small symbolic award, or company swag box
HOW TO GIVE: Use your company’s recognition program throughout onboarding to introduce new hires to recognition tools, mail a swag box to their home before they start, and/or present a symbolic award in person on their first day with your team
Everyday effort
WHY: To say thanks when a team member helps you out or does something special (lends a hand outside of their job scope, gives insight that inspires others, drops everything to tackle an emergency project, demonstrates resilience, etc.)
WHEN: Typically given weekly (at least every other week)
IMPACT: Increases feelings of appreciation and teamwork; builds belonging, connection, and workplace community; reinforces effort along the way
WHAT TO GIVE: Awards that show gratitude and appreciation, like eCards, emails, handwritten notes, verbal thank you, points, gift cards, experiential gifts (spa, movie tickets, etc.), or a treat or meal out
HOW TO GIVE: Via email or in person (in a team meeting or one on one), specifying the impact their work had on coworkers
Small victories and big wins
WHY: To celebrate small accomplishments (making progress on a special project, overcoming an obstacle, collaborating successfully) and big results (exceeding goals, innovating, completing a big project)
WHEN: Typically given every 1–2 months when you see great work happening
IMPACT: Shows how their work is making a difference and increases feelings of opportunity and success; encourages innovation and builds fulfillment and community
WHAT TO GIVE: Mementos and awards that symbolize the achievement, like points used to select personally meaningful gifts and gift cards, or custom/personalized symbolic awards for bigger wins
HOW TO GIVE: Publicly in a meeting or small recognition moment with leaders, specifying how work benefited teams and the company
Highest achievements
WHY: To reward the highest achievements (significant innovation, transformational or breakthrough work, top performance, etc.)
WHEN: Annually or every couple of years
IMPACT: Inspires greatness, aligns to purpose, increases pride and feelings of success; strengthens belonging, community, and fulfillment
WHAT TO GIVE: Something highly memorable and symbolic, like a symbolic award paired with a gift of their choice, a VIP experience, and cash as appropriate
HOW TO GIVE: In front of coworkers, teams, senior leaders, and even family or friends, in a special meeting or company-wide event, specifying how the work benefited their teams and the company
Career milestones (including retirement)
WHY: To celebrate an employee’s life at work
WHEN: At career tenure milestones (1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, etc. to separation/retirement)
IMPACT: Strengthens belonging, connection, community, fulfillment, and loyalty; increases feelings of ownership in the company and motivation to help the company succeed
WHAT TO GIVE: Awards that symbolize an employee’s career, like symbolic awards, a custom Careerscape, experiential gifts, or a keepsake like Yearbook with peer and leader comments and a gift of the employee’s choice
HOW TO GIVE: Involve peers, leaders, and even family in a recognition moment to commemorate an employee’s contributions over the years—connect their work to purpose, appreciate their impact on teams, and demonstrate how the employee contributes to the success of the team, organization, and customers
Team success
WHY: To recognize teams when they complete a project, innovate, or achieve something together (and to celebrate wins and progress along the way)
WHEN: Multiple times throughout the year
IMPACT: Builds belonging, community, connection, and sense of team
WHAT TO GIVE: Experiences and awards that bring the team together, like team celebrations, symbolic awards, points, and gift cards
HOW TO GIVE: In a meeting as a team, but specifying the role each individual member played to achieve team success
Company celebrations
WHY: To celebrate company achievements and milestones (industry or calendar holidays, company anniversaries, financial goal reached, new product launches, a big client win, etc.)
WHEN: At least 4 times throughout the year
IMPACT: Builds belonging, community, pride, and feelings of appreciation
WHAT TO GIVE: Awards that include everyone and connect employees to the company, such as company swag, a meaningful gift, points, gift cards, or symbolic awards
HOW TO GIVE: In a company celebration with senior leaders
Life events and occasions
WHY: To celebrate an employee’s personal life event (birthday, new home, new baby, promotion, new skills, or a personal achievement like running their first marathon, etc.)
WHEN: Throughout the year
IMPACT: Strengthens wellbeing, fulfillment, community, and connection
WHAT TO GIVE: Personal awards like eCards, gift cards, or thoughtful, relevant gifts
HOW TO GIVE: One on one or as a team
As a leader, as a team member, it can be hard to know how to give appreciation. Here’s a guide to help you create meaningful personalized recognition experiences for every occasion. Each of these tips comes from global research from the O.C. Tanner Institute and our work with thousands of clients worldwide.
Recognize early and often and integrate recognition into the employee experience and your workplace culture to build belonging, engagement, fulfillment, and loyalty.
Frequent, personalized recognition increases odds of employee engagement by 9x and great work by 13x.
— 2023 GLOBAL CULTURE REPORT, O.C. TANNER INSTITUTE
Onboarding
WHY: To welcome a new hire
WHEN: Throughout an employee’s first year (30, 60, 90, 180 days, and beyond)
IMPACT: Introduces new employees to your culture and community, builds belonging, and shows appreciation for their expertise and choosing your organization as a place to work
WHAT TO GIVE: A gift that introduces employees to your company and culture, like a welcome email or eCard, small symbolic award, or company swag box
HOW TO GIVE: Use your company’s recognition program throughout onboarding to introduce new hires to recognition tools, mail a swag box to their home before they start, and/or present a symbolic award in person on their first day with your team
Everyday effort
WHY: To say thanks when a team member helps you out or does something special (lends a hand outside of their job scope, gives insight that inspires others, drops everything to tackle an emergency project, demonstrates resilience, etc.)
WHEN: Typically given weekly (at least every other week)
IMPACT: Increases feelings of appreciation and teamwork; builds belonging, connection, and workplace community; reinforces effort along the way
WHAT TO GIVE: Awards that show gratitude and appreciation, like eCards, emails, handwritten notes, verbal thank you, points, gift cards, experiential gifts (spa, movie tickets, etc.), or a treat or meal out
HOW TO GIVE: Via email or in person (in a team meeting or one on one), specifying the impact their work had on coworkers
Small victories and big wins
WHY: To celebrate small accomplishments (making progress on a special project, overcoming an obstacle, collaborating successfully) and big results (exceeding goals, innovating, completing a big project)
WHEN: Typically given every 1–2 months when you see great work happening
IMPACT: Shows how their work is making a difference and increases feelings of opportunity and success; encourages innovation and builds fulfillment and community
WHAT TO GIVE: Mementos and awards that symbolize the achievement, like points used to select personally meaningful gifts and gift cards, or custom/personalized symbolic awards for bigger wins
HOW TO GIVE: Publicly in a meeting or small recognition moment with leaders, specifying how work benefited teams and the company
Highest achievements
WHY: To reward the highest achievements (significant innovation, transformational or breakthrough work, top performance, etc.)
WHEN: Annually or every couple of years
IMPACT: Inspires greatness, aligns to purpose, increases pride and feelings of success; strengthens belonging, community, and fulfillment
WHAT TO GIVE: Something highly memorable and symbolic, like a symbolic award paired with a gift of their choice, a VIP experience, and cash as appropriate
HOW TO GIVE: In front of coworkers, teams, senior leaders, and even family or friends, in a special meeting or company-wide event, specifying how the work benefited their teams and the company
Career milestones (including retirement)
WHY: To celebrate an employee’s life at work
WHEN: At career tenure milestones (1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, etc. to separation/retirement)
IMPACT: Strengthens belonging, connection, community, fulfillment, and loyalty; increases feelings of ownership in the company and motivation to help the company succeed
WHAT TO GIVE: Awards that symbolize an employee’s career, like symbolic awards, a custom Careerscape, experiential gifts, or a keepsake like Yearbook with peer and leader comments and a gift of the employee’s choice
HOW TO GIVE: Involve peers, leaders, and even family in a recognition moment to commemorate an employee’s contributions over the years—connect their work to purpose, appreciate their impact on teams, and demonstrate how the employee contributes to the success of the team, organization, and customers
Team success
WHY: To recognize teams when they complete a project, innovate, or achieve something together (and to celebrate wins and progress along the way)
WHEN: Multiple times throughout the year
IMPACT: Builds belonging, community, connection, and sense of team
WHAT TO GIVE: Experiences and awards that bring the team together, like team celebrations, symbolic awards, points, and gift cards
HOW TO GIVE: In a meeting as a team, but specifying the role each individual member played to achieve team success
Company celebrations
WHY: To celebrate company achievements and milestones (industry or calendar holidays, company anniversaries, financial goal reached, new product launches, a big client win, etc.)
WHEN: At least 4 times throughout the year
IMPACT: Builds belonging, community, pride, and feelings of appreciation
WHAT TO GIVE: Awards that include everyone and connect employees to the company, such as company swag, a meaningful gift, points, gift cards, or symbolic awards
HOW TO GIVE: In a company celebration with senior leaders
Life events and occasions
WHY: To celebrate an employee’s personal life event (birthday, new home, new baby, promotion, new skills, or a personal achievement like running their first marathon, etc.)
WHEN: Throughout the year
IMPACT: Strengthens wellbeing, fulfillment, community, and connection
WHAT TO GIVE: Personal awards like eCards, gift cards, or thoughtful, relevant gifts
HOW TO GIVE: One on one or as a team
