Why Should You Hold Award Events?

"A person who feels appreciated will always do more than what is expected."

This popular quote from public speaker and business expert Amy Rees Anderson highlights the importance of focusing on the positive things employees do.

Verbal praise and occasionally treating your sales team to lunch are great ways to show appreciation, but many companies will take it a step further by hosting award ceremonies to recognize employees with a personalized trophy, plaque, or corporate gift as a more permanent display of gratitude for their excellent performance and long-term achievements.

Award ceremonies can be standalone occasions or scheduled company events like conferences, luncheons, or holiday parties. Some companies will prefer to hold formal affairs, complete with hors d’oeuvres, neckties, and heels. Others prefer more casual, come-as-you-are events like a monthly company gathering or an after-work happy hour at the local sports pub where award plaques are handed out over beers and darts. Every business has a different philosophy about how award and recognition ceremonies are held, but regardless, they still serve the same purpose: to let employees know that you value their commitment and performance.

Why Does Appreciation Matter?

While pay, benefits and overall satisfaction with a job are reasons why people will choose a certain career or company to work for, the majority of employees say they stay with an employer because they feel valued. Approximately 7 out of 10 adults confess they would quit a job where they feel unappreciated, and more than half of managers leave a company if their achievements aren’t recognized. Employees often dedicate one-third of each day, sometimes more, to their jobs; being recognized by supervisors and management gives them the sense of being appreciated – or even praised and admired amongst their coworkers. That infectious sense of pride and satisfaction helps build a company culture where individuals feel like a productive, important part of their team.

Maintaining high standards for positive company culture prevents a high turnover rate, saving time and money from training new staff. It also helps keep customers happy. Customers notice when the employees they’re interacting with like– or dislike – their jobs, and it is every company’s goal that each interaction with a customer is going to grow business and make a good impression.

How Can You Show Appreciation with Awards?

When shopping for awards, consider company culture and the positive traits your employees possess. Two popular examples of awards include:

Years of Service awards are perfect for highlighting the time employees commit to your company, acknowledging even 1 year of service as well as more tenured milestones.

Sales awards are popular and can be tied directly to achieving specific company goals, such as securing the largest number of new accounts or the highest grossing sales in the region. Sales awards are often competitive achievements designed to motivate employees and teams to score the top-ranking achievement. Some companies will give staff an individual award, or they’ll hold ceremonies to present a "traveling award," similar to the Stanley Cup, which will be given to the top performing store or office to display until the next award ceremony is held.

Need some inspiration? To find more ideas for recognizing your employees on our website, see Award Wording and Ideas.

Planning an Award Ceremony? Consider this...

• Attendance Gifts – Will you provide a gift to everyone to commemorate the event, such as a medallion/coin or a branded paperweight?
• Where will the award be displayed? - Consider the candidates' work environment – do they work from home, in the office, or in a cubicle?
• Presentation – Will actual awards be presented? If not, do you want them shipped to recipients post event?
• Photo Ops – Will you need a replica award for the photo op, if so how many?
• How will the recipients get their awards home? - If your event or recipient is not local, how will the awards be safely transported? Will the hotel package and ship them?
• When to choose and order awards? - Ideally, 4-5 weeks prior to the event. No worries, if you don’t have 4-5 weeks before your event, we can still have awards to your event on time!

Let Us Help Plan and Design Your Award

Awards are made in a wide variety of materials and sizes, from sparkling crystal awards to traditional award plaques and trophies. If you are unsure about what your company needs, Awarding You can provide expert advice and considerations to help you choose the best awards for your company’s preferences and budget.

Our award custom engraving and printing services ensure that each piece honors the recipient's personal achievements, so your employees will feel the pride and esteem they deserve.

Whether you manage a small dental office, large warehouse or national association, taking time to recognize employees motivates them to continue delivering exceptional work, as well as letting everyone in your organization know how much they matter. If you are ready to find a unique and fun way to honor your staff for their exemplary performance, reach out to us and we'll help you find the best recognition award.