The holiday season is upon us. For many small businesses, it’s the busiest time of the year. It also signals the end of the calendar year, which is the perfect time to come up with some creative employee recognition ideas.
While thanking your employees should be an ongoing activity, taking the time to do a little extra in the holidays will always be appreciated.
Employee recognition is a key factor in employees feeling engaged, and that engagement can have a big impact on your business performance. According to Haiilo, companies with highly engaged workforce are 21% more profitable. This can be solid proof that the to reaching milestones in your business is to keep your employees engaged constantly.
As a small business owner, you likely don’t have a giant budget to throw a fancy holiday party, and that’s okay. Your employees will appreciate small gestures. Instead, consider what you can do to say thank you without adding to their to-do list this holiday season.
To help you get creative with how you recognize your employees, we’ve come up with a list of low-cost employee recognition ideas that you can use during the holidays and beyond.
9 Affordable ideas to thank your employees this holiday season
A simple appreciation of your employees goes a long way. If you’re having difficulty in coming up with cost-effective ideas, consider these:
- Give handwritten notes
Taking the time to handwrite a card to your employees is a great way to personalize your communication with them. Include some thoughts on how their work contributes to the business and the overall team. For an extra wow factor, send the card directly to their home, so it’s a nice surprise in the mail.
- Find novelty gifts
When you spend all day at work being sensible, it can be nice to be silly and have a laugh. Choose novelty gifts with funny images, a common office saying or anything else you know will make an employee smile.
A few suggestions:
- A mug with a common office saying.
- Artwork that reflects their interests or hobbies.
- A funny calendar.
- A t-shirt or hat.
- Homemade gifts
Get creative by crafting or baking homemade gifts for your team. For example, you can create personalized cookies, handmade candles, or holiday-themed ornaments. These thoughtful, handmade items show that you’ve put effort into expressing your appreciation.
- Spruce up their workspace
When people spend so much time at their jobs, things can start to seem a bit like the same-old-same-old. Give your employees’ workspaces a fresh new look to bring a smile to their faces and show them you want their time at work to be as comfortable as possible.
You could include:
- A new webcam
- New office supplies
- A plant
- A branded, standing phone charger
- Company sticker
- Gift cards
If you want to be 100% sure that your employees get a gift that’s exactly what they want, you can’t go wrong with gift cards.
Depending on what your employees’ interests and hobbies are, you can keep it very general—like an Amazon gift card—or get a gift card for somewhere you know they’ll love.
Possible gift card ideas include:
- Food delivery services.
- Video services.
- Gas cards.
- Team recognition
Recognize and celebrate your team’s accomplishments, whether they are big or small. Share success stories and give credit to employees for their role in achieving company goals. This recognition can be done in group meetings or through a virtual platform.
- Holiday trivia
Plan a trivia contest for a 7 or 10-day period over the holidays. Consider making it a collaborative effort with your team by having them submit questions for the contest. Allow each team member to submit a fun fact about themselves and include those in your trivia deck.
Have two or three questions daily for employees to answer. Include trivia about the business, holiday traditions for different cultures, etc.
Trivia questions can be answered as a solo activity, or employees can be broken into teams. At the end of the trivia period, do a grand prize draw for tickets to a local event and have some prizes for the runners up.
- Holiday dollars for swag store
Your employees do great things every day, so why not catch them in the moment?
For the month of December, give out company-branded dollars or gold dollar coins every time you catch someone doing a great job. Involve the entire team by encouraging them to give one another kudos to show their appreciation.
When the month is over, allow employees to redeem their dollars for prizes—small gift cards, company swag, mugs, t-shirts and more.
- Employee awards
Create unique and lighthearted awards or certificates that reflect your employees’ personalities and accomplishments. For instance, you can recognize “The Office Optimist” or “The Creativity Champion” and share these digital awards with your team.
Spread the holiday cheer to your employees
Your employees are a big part of your small business’s success. Without them, it can be difficult to get to where you are today. A simple appreciation of their efforts is enough to boost their morale and make the workplace an overall enjoyable place to work at. Use our list to show your treasured employees that they are appreciated during this holiday season and see increased productivity levels even beyond the holidays.
