Staff Recognition: Ideas to Celebrate and Uplift

Bravo Board

Have a physical or digital cork board where staff can leave shout outs to each other for hard work, kindness, positivity, little or big accomplishments, etc.

Employee Engagement
Check - Ins

Performing monthly or quarterly engagement check ins lets employees know that you care and that you are listening. These should be separate from performance reviews and focus on engagement and employee well- being. Be sure to look out for ways you can implement their feedback.

Department Milestone Celebrations

Have your own Milestone ceremony within your department. Choose a day (a week or a month) with some down time and plan a few hours where you’ll celebrate staff observing milestones that year.

The Little (Big) Things

Don’t forget to take the time to recognize personal and professional milestones. Whether it's a quick shout out, a cake or an eCard, the little things can make a big impact.

Shout Out Channels

Create a “Shout Out” specific chat channel (i.e., Google Chat, Slack, etc.) for your department or team. Use this to shout out jobs well done, the end of a big project, the success of a big event, staff anniversaries, and more!

Friendly Competition

Come up with an overarching departmental competition…Ex. Have a monthly virtual trivia game (taking 5 minutes at department meetings is a great way to do this). Form teams and have different topics each meeting. Keep score! At the end of the year be sure to recognize the winning team, as well as all contestants. This is about getting to know one another, working collaboratively and celebrating teams!

Gratitude Gatherings

Plan periodic (monthly, quarterly, etc.) informal gatherings for your team. Can be as simple as lunching in the conference room or, take the time to find a nice park or meet up space. However it looks, taking the time to do something special for your team and celebrate their daily contributions is a great way to serve up some recognition!