The Best Low Cost Employee Recognition Ideas

Companies that have a culture that incorporates gratitude, appreciation and recognition have more engaged, self-motivated employees. And every client I work with wants that.

So how do we create a culture of recognition and gratitude? 

Well first, it goes beyond performance reviews and salary increases. You can't wait six months to give positive kudos on a job well done. Recognition needs to happen in a timely manner to make it meaningful. 

Sometimes I find that leaders fail to consider that recognition is not a one-size fit all exercise, surprisingly. How employees like to be recognized is a personal preference and managers should get to know their employees well enough to know what type of reward will be effective for them.

Let me give you an example of what I mean by that.

One employee may get energized and feel great about being brought up in front of their peers and recognized for their accomplishments while another employee may actually get embarrassed in the same situation. Do you think the employee that is embarrassed will want to accomplish something again if that is the reward? Everyone is different.

Remember, you get what you reward/recognize so if you recognize and reward desired behaviors, you will get more of that behavior.

Not all methods have to be expensive; in fact, there are many low cost and free forms of reward and recognition, which is what I want to focus on here.

I was fortunate enough to meet Dr. Bob Nelson at a conference and he gave me a copy of his book, 1501 Ways to Reward Employees which is an excellent source of information on the importance of rewards and recognition as well as examples of some of the most effective forms of inexpensive recognition.

Can you believe he came up with over 1500 ways to show employees appreciation?

The 30 Best Low Cost Ideas for Recognizing Employees

Below are suggestions from Dr. Bob Nelson’s book, 1501 Ways to Reward Employees and inexpensive recognition ideas that I learned from a ValGrubb and Associates webinar on the Top 99 Non-Monetary Rewards. 

1. A simple and intentional “thank you”
2. On the spot award – small plaque or certificate
3. Coffee shop gift card
4. Reserved parking space for a week
5. Extra day off or come in late
6. Movie passes
7. Personalized company apparel
8. Breakfast or lunch with the CEO or another executive
9. Tickets to a sporting event – make sure you find their favorite team or sport first
10. Lunch or dinner with company executive and employee and their spouse
11. Article in company newsletter or website
12. Choice of project to work on or lead
13. Massage gift certificate
14. Letter of thanks sent home to the family praising the employee
15. Visit corporate headquarters for an off-site employee
16. Paid day off to volunteer with employee’s choice of charity
17. Donate to an employee’s charity
18. House cleaning service for a day
19. Free car wash and detail
20. Service award lunch
21. Night’s stay at a bed and breakfast
22. Babysitter for a date night
23. Round of golf
24. Recognition at corporate meetings/events for those employees who have received kudos from managers and/or customers
25. Letter from the CEO
26. Gift card for dinner with their family
27. Flowers, wine or their favorite candy 
28. Shadowing an executive for a day
29. Picture included on a Wall of Fame
30. Homemade cookies by the employee’s manager

I hope these will come in handy as we near the holiday season and throughout the New Year. Don’t forget, recognition should be timely and tailored to the employee! Thank you for reading and feel free to add any other recognition ideas in the comments below.