Celebrate Success
Recognising and rewarding the success of individuals and teams helps to motivate them, and encourages people to achieve high performance.
Here are ten ways to celebrate success.
1. Say thank you – the easiest way to recognise achievement is a face-to-face “well done.”
Getting the team together to say thank you and giving a round of applause can be inspiring.
A hand written card or note makes it more personal, or an email can be effective too.
Sometimes the company intranet, social media site or newsletter can be used to thank a group of people. Get the right balance between being too personal or impersonal, and avoid embarrassing people.
2. Team day out – People have different ideas of a “fun day out” so this can be risky, but it’s a great way to celebrate. Everyone wants to have a good time so deciding which activity will be most popular is the hardest part.
Once the event has been agreed, consider:
- Is it for employees only, or can partners come too?
- What will be paid for by the company, and what will not?
3. A social gathering – Buying team members a meal or a drink is a good way to celebrate as a group. Make sure everyone can attend and let them know if they are expected to return to work afterwards.
4. Money – this can be a one-off cash bonus or a voucher to buy something. Everyone likes cash, but make sure it’s not perceived as a substitute for low wages or that people expect it all the time.
5. Food or Flowers – These are inexpensive gifts and a personal way of saying thank you. Find out what people like before you buy them.
6. Employee or Team of the Month – Choose a plaque or trophy to hand out. Pinning someone’s name to the notice board or company website works well for a time, but could gradually lose impact.
How to choose people is always an issue, and nominations should be open to everyone, not just management.
7. A paid day off work – a full day’s holiday to take at their leisure is a great way to make your thanks known.
8. Give them a massage - Have a massage therapist come to your office for the day and give every recognised employee a chair massage. A chiropractor is also a good idea.
9. A Surprise Prize – A reward based on individual personality, e.g. a magazine subscription.
10. Awards Ceremony – An extravagant evening of music, trophies and speeches is an exciting way to combine social gathering, team building and networking with formal recognition and celebration. If you want to limit the expense and increase participation, get everyone involved in managing and running the event themselves, including making the food and costumes – or splash out on a hired venue and a professional events team.
You should have a clear policy for rewarding people. Communicate this to staff so they can see that it is fair to everyone, and know what they need to do to be recognised.
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