37 Fun, Engaging Employee Recognition Ideas

It is human nature to want to be acknowledged and feel valued, so it’s perfectly natural for employees to crave recognition in the workplace. Employee recognition is a cornerstone of a thriving company culture and, when utilized correctly, has many benefits.

If you’re looking to get started appreciating your team, there are so many ways companies can recognize employees. Keep reading to learn about fun, engaging employee recognition ideas. 

What Is Employee Recognition?

Employee recognition appreciates employees for their hard work and contributions to a company. When they utilize employee recognition, companies see many benefits, such as improved morale, productivity, engagement, retention, and more. Companies can nurture the talent they already have by creating a culture of appreciation. This culture of appreciation, through thoughtful recognition, transforms employee happiness at companies of all scales. 

Companies can successfully utilize employee recognition through a solid employee recognition program, ideally including the following forms of recognition: top-down, peer-to-peer, and bottom-up. The program would also have a budget for rewards, awards, and any other costs attributed to employee recognition. 

37 Fun Employee Recognition Ideas

1. Employee of the month/quarter

Employee of the Month/quarter is a great way to start incorporating employee recognition. Companies can highlight an outstanding employee each month or quarter. Here are a few places companies can feature their employee of the month: 

• Social Media Platforms 
• Monthly Company Newsletter
• Employee Bulletin Board 

By featuring the employee of the month in multiple places, companies ensure that the recognition is visible and reaches all employees, which helps build a culture of appreciation.

2. Kudoboard 

Encourage employees and leadership to appreciate their employees by creating online recognition boards with Kudoboard. They’re are great for work anniversaries, farewells, promotions, or just a simple shout-out saying “thanks for the hard work.” A Kudoboard is excellent for all types of recognition because large groups can contribute to a board, making the feelings more authentic and real. 

3. “Spot” Awards

The idea behind a “spot” award is for management or employees to give an “on the spot” award to an employee who has gone above and beyond. “Spot” awards are best suited for minor achievements and could include a small token of appreciation (a $5 gift card to a coffee or treat place). 

4. Themed recognition day 

A themed recognition day is a fun way to recognize different teams or types of employees within a company. Here are some examples of themes companies can use (remember, these “themes” would vary depending on the kind of company). 

• Accountant Appreciation Day 
• Thank An _______ Engineer Day 
• Innovation Day 
• Secretary Day 
• Thank Your Manager Day 

There are many more ways that companies can utilize a themed recognition day, but the main thing to remember is to give out ideas of ways employees/management can succeed. These ideas for success include reminding employees and management a few days ahead of the themed day. By using alerts, companies can say, “Reminder, accountant appreciation day is on Thursday! Don’t forget to thank our awesome accountants for their hard work. Write them a message or contribute to the group gift card.” 

5. Flexible Work Day 

If your company is not hybrid or remote, a flexible workday would be a fun way to thank employees for their hard work. Allowing employees to work from home (or wherever else they may choose) helps give employees a sense of control. A flexible workday also allows employees to have a better work-life balance. 

6. Gift Their Favorite Drink 

Another fun way management or co-workers can recognize one another is by buying their favorite drink. An employee’s day will be brightened by seeing their favorite beverage and a little message of gratitude left on their desk (or given directly). 

7. Buy Them Lunch 

Who doesn’t love a good lunch, especially when they don’t have to buy it? Companies can set funds aside in the employee recognition budget so managers and team leads can occasionally buy their employees’ lunch. Buying lunch can be for one person or a whole team, depending on the circumstances. 

8. Gym Membership 

Encouraging employees to foster their health and wellness is a fun way to show them they are valued in the workplace. Gifting a gym membership or another type of wellness membership shows that companies value employees’ well-being, which helps employees feel appreciated. 

9. Wellness Rewards

Like a gym membership, offering wellness rewards to employees to recognize their contributions is another beautiful option companies can use for a recognition reward. Wellness awards show that companies want to invest in their employees’ health. Additionally, wellness rewards can prevent employee burnout and improve employee retention. 

10. Trivia Day 

Introducing a fun day where employees can relax is a great way to show appreciation. A fun trivia day offers a conduit for healthy competition and team building. Teams can compete against each other throughout the day, and there could even be a small prize at the end of the day for any winners! 

11. Recognition Wall 

Recognition walls could be a physical wall in the break room or a virtual recognition “wall.” On these walls, employees can recognize hard work, celebrate wins, or give culture through digital posts or physical post-it notes.

Kudoboard provides a way for employees to recognize each other. The board is customized with your look and feel, and employees can leave messages, photos, gifs, videos, and more. Recognition walls are a great way to build a culture of recognition and appreciation! 

12. Family Day 

A family day is a fun way to invite employees to introduce their families to co-workers and management. There are several reasons for implementing a family day as an employee recognition idea. These reasons include promoting work-life balance, enhancing company culture, boosting morale, and fostering team building. Companies can implement Family Day by hosting an annual family day at a local theme park or hosting a company picnic. 

13. Casual Friday 

Another simple way to thank and recognize employees is by offering casual Fridays. Sometimes, employees need a break from their button-up shirts (or whatever the company policy might be on clothing). A casual Friday gives employees a day to dress casually and be more comfortable. 

14. Employee Achievement Newsletter

Employee achievement newsletters are great for highlighting some achievements of various employees. Companies can also use this newsletter to recognize teams and management or showcase the employee of the month or quarter. 

15. Celebrate Birthdays

A simple but engaging way to recognize employees is by celebrating birthdays. Celebrating employee birthdays has many benefits, such as enhancing company culture, promoting inclusivity, and boosting employee satisfaction. Celebrating an employee’s birthday shows that you care less about their work and more about the employee as a whole. 

16. Rotating Achievement Trophy

A rotating team achievement trophy is an innovative and dynamic approach to recognizing and celebrating the successes and contributions of different teams within an organization. Unlike traditional recognition awards given permanently to individuals or teams, a rotation trophy is passed from one team to another based on achievements, performance, or meeting specific criteria. This concept encourages healthy competition, fosters a culture of excellence, and keeps motivation high. 

17. Provide Professional Development Opportunities

Another way companies can thank their employees is by providing them with professional development opportunities. Providing opportunities for employees to improve says that the company cares about the employees’ growth and improvement in the workplace. Development opportunities also help employees reach goals and build leadership skills.  

18. Virtual High-Five

Another great option for employee recognition is a quick virtual high-five. A dedicated Slack channel or Kudoboard can help employees thank each other and help management give quick shout-outs to deserving employees. A virtual high five is also a great way to encourage peer recognition, which also has many benefits. 

Read more: How To Write A Peer Recognition Message

19. Gift Cards 

Offering gift cards as a reward for a job well done is a simple and easy way to thank employees. Companies can send out a quick survey beforehand or at the beginning of the year to keep track of employee’s favorite restaurants or treat spots.

When attached to a 1-1 recognition card from Kudoboard, employees can choose where to redeem their gift cards funds from hundreds of businesses worldwide. You’ll appreciate the gifting made easy, and they’ll appreciate the flexibility.

20. Wellness Afternoon

Every employee wants to have a break from work once in a while, so companies can offer a “wellness afternoon” for employees to take some time for self-care. Ideas could include: 

• Yoga
• Meditation hour 
• Stress Management Workshop
• Nutritional workshops

Ensuring employees have time for self-care promotes the idea that companies care about the employee and provides an excellent work-life balance.

21. Recognition Parking Spot

A recognition parking spot for employees who have gone above and beyond for the month is a fun and cheap recognition idea. This idea also challenges employees to work a little harder and promotes healthy competition in the workplace. 

22. Give Thanks To Leadership

Employees aren’t the only ones who deserve a thank you! Companies must also thank management and leadership. National Bosses Day is an excellent opportunity to thank leadership and show gratitude for their hard work and dedication to the company. 

23. Game Day 

Hosting a company game day is a fun way to thank employees and let them blow off some steam. Employees can bring their favorite board or card games and play with co-workers. A game day also fosters team building and helps create a positive company culture! 

24. Food Truck Lunch

Everyone loves a good lunch, especially if they don’t have to pay. Having a catered food truck lunch gives a fun twist to recognizing and thanking employees for their hard work. 

25. Late Start Day

If an employee has been working exceptionally hard, offering a day where they can come in a little later than usual is a welcome reward. A late start day is also a free way to recognize employees and can help motivate other employees to work hard so they can receive the same reward. 

26. Recognize Work Anniversaries

A classic way to show appreciation for employees is to recognize their work anniversaries. Work anniversaries are important to celebrate because they foster loyalty and create a culture of appreciation. Companies can celebrate work anniversaries with work anniversary cards signed by the team, employee perks, lunches with leadership, and more; just remember to be consistent and don’t leave anyone out! 

27. Leave An Anonymous Thank You Card

A thank you card is always appreciated, and an anonymous one is fun because it leaves a little mystery. To ensure that the thank you card is well received, here are a few tips to follow: 

• Be timely with your gratitude 
• Be specific; do not generalize

Here are a few employee appreciation quotes management/companies can include in a thank you card. 

28. Personalized Company Swag

Sometimes, getting company swag as a recognition gift can be boring, and it can also seem a little impersonal. Companies can combat this by personalizing the swag or ensuring they are giving corporate gift items their employees want. Here are a few ideas for personalized swag: 

• Gift custom apparel with the employee’s name or initials (or an “employee of the month” shirt). 
• Tech gadgets such as phone cases or wireless chargers are helpful, and if personalizing them seems complicated, a thank you note is a nice touch that makes it seem more personal. 
• Gift customized office supplies such as an engraved pen or notebook. These items are practical and can also be very thoughtful. 

29. Weekly Team Breakfast

Companies and management can also thank their employees while fostering healthy team building through a weekly team breakfast. This breakfast can be served during a team meeting, so no time is wasted, but employees still feel appreciated and valued through the food offered. 

30. Monetary Rewards

Money is always a great way to thank employees. Monetary rewards, such as bonuses or gift cards, are usually well received. 

31. Celebrate Employee Appreciation Day

If implementing employee recognition seems difficult, an easy start would be with Employee Appreciation Day, which falls annually on March 1st. Here are some fun ideas for celebrating Employee Appreciation Day in style. 

32. Award Night 

An award night is a fun way to recognize employees. To make it fun for employees and entice them to attend, companies can allow a “plus one” so that spouses or significant others can attend the award night. Companies can also make it a funny award night, which can bring laughter in the office and foster a positive work culture. 

33. Sponsored Volunteer Day

A sponsored volunteer day is another unique employee appreciation idea that helps build a positive company culture and helps employees feel good. Employees can vote on a charity or organization they want to help, and the company can make a day of volunteering and helping this organization. 

34. Sticky Notes 

The idea behind this is to give a quick shout-out to employees with supplies that the company already has. Leaving a quick, specific thank you on a sticky note is an informal but meaningful way to recognize employees and let them know they are valued. 

35. Customer Praise

If a company is customer service-based, it would be a fun idea to get customer feedback and share it with the employees. Companies can share this customer praise for specific employees in a few different settings: 

• Share in a team meeting. For example: “Joyce from California says that Tim was great to work with and quickly solved her problem with care and concern! Great job, Tim!” 
• Feature in the company newsletter. A quick paragraph in a newsletter is a good option to highlight a few different employees or a team. 
• Incorporate customer praise in performance reviews. Utilizing performance reviews to share customer feedback is an excellent way to give constructive feedback and let employees know what they are doing well.

36. Additional Paid Time Off (PTO)

Employees can benefit from a little more time off work. Offering additional PTO to thank employees for a job well done helps promote a healthy work-life balance and allows employees to practice self-care and spend time with family or friends.

37. Lunch With The Boss

Having lunch with a manager or other leader is a wonderful way to treat an employee who has worked hard for a specific time. A “boss lunch” can provide employees valuable time and help build positive relationships between employees and management. These lunches can also help employees feel seen and enhance communication among managers and their employees. If this seems complicated for larger companies, “boss lunches” can be done in a large group setting and still be effective. 

Incorporate Employee Recognition Today 

When utilized correctly, employee recognition has many benefits. The idea of employee recognition may be daunting, but there are so many employee appreciation ideas that can fall under any budget or timeline. No matter your company’s budget, employee recognition is possible and can help employees and the company. 

Employee Recognition FAQ

What should employees be recognized for? 

Employees can be recognized for many reasons, not just specific milestones. Here are a few ideas: 

• Achievements 
• Exhibiting Desired Behaviors 
• Going Above And Beyond Expectations
• Being Exceptionally Innovative
• Being A Team Player 

Management and companies can recognize employees for many different reasons. Companies can utilize recognition to celebrate significant achievements and small wins. 

What is the most effective way to recognize employees? 

There isn’t a wrong way to recognize employees; however, there are ways that companies can enhance how they identify their employees. Here are a few ways to make employee recognition more effective: 

• Give regular, constructive feedback. 
• Make the feedback/recognition personalized. 
• Respond to any concerns that might come up with employee recognition. 

Do I need an employee recognition program?

An employee recognition program is useful for many companies who need a little help being consistent with recognition. These programs also help facilitate feedback from employees to ensure that the recognition companies are giving is working. Did you know that Kudoboard has employee recognition software that can track engagement and makes it easy for companies to utilize peer recognition, top-down recognition, and bottom-up recognition. Check it out today! 

How often should employee recognition occur? 

Employee recognition should occur regularly to be effective. However, there are many forms of employee recognition, and the type of recognition may be rare (for example, on-the-spot recognition should happen regularly. However, an employee of the month is once a month or quarterly). The primary key to employee recognition is to be consistent.

How does employee recognition affect employee engagement?

Employee recognition has a large impact on employee engagement and companies shouldn’t underestimate the power of recognition in the workplace. Not only does recognition boost productivity, but it also helps employees feel valued and have a sense of belonging. 

“Unfortunately, many also find that organizations undervalue the positive impact of employee recognition.
 Those who receive appreciation and those who offer it are clearly divided 
 in their perception of its value and its impact on happiness, connection, 
 and productivity.”- Kudoboard Happiness Trends

Kudoboard found that 97% of employees agree that receiving recognition often has more impact than what givers originally anticipate. 

Remember, recognition does not need to be complicated or expensive, and there are many benefits for the employer and employee.