Employees keep your company in business. Without them, no one would be around to do the hard work that’s required for your business to thrive. When you're considering employee appreciation awards, there are so many ideas to choose from that it can be overwhelming at first.
You can find the best employee appreciation awards and trophies from EDCO. We specialize in customized, high-quality pieces that your employees can add to their collections for years to come. Here are some of the most creative employee appreciation award ideas for your company.
How You Can Recognize Your Employees
Employee appreciation goes beyond generalized awards and plaques. In order to show your workforce that you truly understand the sacrifices they’ve made, giving out unique awards and trophies is key.
Customized employee appreciation trophies from EDCO give your employees the recognition they deserve for their achievements and service. We offer several broad categories of employee appreciation awards so that you can choose what works best for your company’s needs.
Employee Achievement Awards
Need to call out specific accomplishments? Employee achievement awards will get the job done.
In every industry, employees undertake important tasks every day. They deserve to feel your appreciation and gratitude for their hard work. Our selection of employee achievement awards helps you bring attention to major accomplishments within your workforce.
Some examples of noteworthy achievements include:
- Breaking records
- Gaining new clients
- Reaching sales goals
- Hitting monthly, quarterly, and annual targets
- Completing big projects
- Overcoming professional obstacles
These are just a few of the things you can celebrate with our employee achievement awards. Don’t let your team’s perseverance go unnoticed!
Employee Service Awards
Service awards celebrate individual employees who have dedicated years of service to your organization. Whether it’s a retirement award or a 20-year milestone trophy, employee service awards help create a better work culture. As an employee, it feels good to know that your service is appreciated.
We recommend giving out service awards for the following milestones:
- 5 years
- 10 years
- 15 years
- 20 years
- 25 years
- Retirement
- Leadership roles
- Promotions
All of these awards call out the employees who have given their time and energy to your company. These are all major milestones to hit and make for perfect opportunities to show your employees that they matter. Your business can only improve with employees who are motivated and dedicated to servicing your organization.
Employee of the Month
Employee of the month awards keep morale high and motivate your team to strive for greatness every month. By recognizing your best workers monthly, you encourage everyone else to step up their game.
Generally, Employee of the Month goes to the worker who has gone above and beyond. They may have hit new milestones or completed tough projects with sharp deadlines. No matter their achievements, they should be recognized with a monthly token of gratitude.
Since employee of the month awards are given out so frequently, it’s a good idea to change up the type of award or trophy you use. Our wide selection of plaques, trophies, and timeless awards will help you stay creative and unique. Each employee who gets this honor within your company can show off a different memorable award.
Employee Appreciation Awards
Employee appreciation awards are “just because” awards. They call out the exceptional work ethic and accomplishments of your team and showcase your company’s appreciation for them. You may be surprised how much employee appreciation awards can boost morale and motivate your team.
These awards are about more than just specific accomplishments or milestones. They communicate that no matter what has happened with your team, you recognize each member’s unique value. No one gets left behind with these gracious appreciation awards.
Typically, employee appreciation awards have longer inscriptions than other trophies and awards. We highly recommend coming up with personalized, heartfelt engravings to include in these awards. This way, your employees will know that you’re simply recognizing that your organization couldn’t thrive without them.
Some keywords to use on these inscriptions include:
- Appreciate
- Gratitude
- Thankful
- Gracious
- Sincere
- Value
- Cherish
- Recognize
- Celebrate
- Thank you
- Employee’s full name and title
These buzzwords will ensure that you get your warm message across without sounding generic or cold.
Top 10 Ideas for Employee Appreciation Trophies
Don’t know where to start on your employee recognition journey? We’re here to help you formulate the best employee appreciation awards and trophies.
Our custom ordering process makes everything easy and simple. Try any of these top ten ideas for employee appreciation trophies.
1. Office Barista Trophy
Know of an employee who always makes sure the coffee bar is stocked and ready to use? The Office Barista trophy is for them.
Maybe this person regularly brings back coffee drinks for the whole office. Perhaps they keep up with the coffee pot’s maintenance and care. No matter how they contribute to office-wide caffeination, they deserve to be recognized for their efforts.
Caffeinated beverages like coffee keep your team energetic and focused. Without the “office barista,” you may see some sluggish, unmotivated employees. Recognize this employee’s exceptional coffee efforts by awarding them an Office Barista trophy. Bonus points if you order a custom-made coffee cup on top!
2. Go-Getter Award
The Go-Getter Award is for employees who don’t hesitate to reach their goals. From group projects to individual milestones, the recipient of this award gets the job done in a timely manner.
We recommend awarding this honor to an employee who stays motivated and focused no matter what’s going on around them. Your company needs go-getters to raise morale and hit important deadlines. Recognize this valuable trait with a personalized award.
For this award, you can order a plaque, trophy, or other type of award, like glass or crystal. Depending on your field of work, it may be better to choose one type over another. No matter which you choose, make sure it feels personal and warm toward the recipient.
3. Busy Bee Award
Some employees are always on the go, never sitting idle or waiting for another task. They simply take on more projects to stay busy and contribute to the workplace. The Busy Bee Award is for this marvelous team member.
While everyone needs breaks sometimes, productivity is the cornerstone of any good professional organization. Busy bees don’t have time to dwell on stress or challenges; they get the job done and do so very quickly.
It’s important to recognize your local busy worker bee and celebrate their extreme dedication to workplace productivity. We recommend giving out a custom trophy from EDCO for this award. You can order the shape of a bee on top, making the trophy relevant and uniquely collectible.
4. New Kid on the Block Award
Know someone who already makes a huge positive difference in your workplace despite just joining the team? This type of award is a bit different from our other employee appreciation awards. Instead of celebrating long-standing team members, it calls out the “new kid” who has taken your team by storm.
The New Kid on the Block Award is for recent hires who already show excellent traits and values within your organization. New employees are likely to feel motivated and appreciated when they’re already being rewarded. You know your team best, and it’s important to recognize even the most junior members for their accomplishments.
We recommend including personalized inscriptions that call out specific accomplishments this new employee has already made. Specific praise shows that you’re really paying attention and caring for your new team member.
5. Record-Breaker Trophy
Any employee who consistently breaks records and exceeds company expectations deserves this award. The Record-Breaker trophy goes to a team member who makes your organization’s numbers look amazing on paper. From sales to insurance to retail, almost any industry can use this appreciation trophy.
We designate this award as a trophy instead of a general award because trophies are traditionally for number-one superstars. Record breakers consistently show that they can be number one in your company. They truly care about your team’s performance, and they’ll go to any lengths to raise important numbers.
Include a few specific records that this employee has broken in your personalized inscription. That way, they know exactly where this award is coming from — and what to strive for in the future.
6. Social Superstar Trophy
Socialization is incredibly important, both inside and outside of your workplace. Without your company’s social superstars, your team would be less cohesive and cooperative. That’s why you should give out a Social Superstar trophy to the social butterflies in your organization.
This employee goes out of their way to include everyone in each conversation. They don’t play favorites, and they foster positive discussions everywhere they go. A simple star-shaped trophy will go a long way in showing your gratitude for this employee.
7. Morale Master Trophy
Those employees who boost morale at every turn deserve recognition. Hand out a Morale Master trophy to someone who contributes to a more positive, upbeat workplace every day.
Morale is one of the most important facets of any company or organization out there. Don’t underestimate the value of having someone on your team who makes work a great place to be for everybody.
Giving out a Morale Master trophy will help boost morale in its own right, too. When your employees see that upbeat attitudes are rewarded, they’re more likely to adopt better mindsets. With high morale, your team can accomplish anything!
8. Office Organizer Trophy
Every workplace needs an employee who keeps things neat, clean and organized. The Office Organizer trophy goes to the person who has a system for everything. They know exactly where everything is located and can find anything quickly.
Studies have shown that cluttered workspaces lead to decreased productivity, lower morale, and worse outcomes overall. Maintaining a tidy and organized space, however, has the opposite effect.
It’s important to show your appreciation for your office organizer. They actively work toward providing better working spaces for everyone. Best of all, it’s not even in their job description — they just do it because they know the value of organization.
9. Overachiever Award
There’s nothing wrong with being an overachiever. In fact, when it comes to your company, overachievers keep things running smoothly! The Overachiever Award goes to the employee who is always going above and beyond on every task they’re assigned.
This recipient makes sure they meet deadlines and goals and then exceed expectations on top of that. These employees are likely detail-oriented and efficient with their work. They deserve to be recognized for all the hard work they put in to achieve greatness.
Make sure you include specific praise and plenty of warmth in the inscription for this award. It’s important to emphasize that being an overachiever in this context is a good thing.
10. Employee of the Year Award
Similar to the Employee of the Month Award, this annual celebratory award calls out the best worker of the entire year. It is a true honor to win this award, and we recommend pairing it with a congratulatory awards ceremony.
Employee of the Year goes to the team member who has gone above and beyond all year. They excelled in their performance and maintained a positive attitude while doing so. Maybe they had unique contributions to your company that you can also recognize.
Reserve the Employee of the Year Award for the best of the best within your organization. This award will motivate other employees to strive for their best performance during the rest of the year as well.
Since this is such a big honor, we recommend choosing from our selection of glass and crystal awards. Glass and crystal both signify important accomplishments and have a timeless aesthetic. This award can take a position of honor in your employee’s homes or on their desk for years to come.
Silly Employee Appreciation Award Ideas for Laughter and Fun
Employee appreciation doesn’t always have to be straight-faced and serious. You can recognize important attributes of your team members with silly, lighthearted awards and trophies as well. Here are some silly award ideas that will bring a brighter spirit to your organization and effectively boost morale.
The Wordy William/Wendy Award: For Long-Winded Employees
Know of anyone who can’t just send a few-sentence email or memo? They add many descriptors and ample information to every communication they send. Maybe they’re wordy in person, too! The Wordy William/Wendy Award goes to this person.
We’ve included two names to account for gender differences, but you can change them as you see fit. This award recognizes employees who take the time to include all of the facts about a situation. No one is ever left pressing for details after they speak to this employee.
Despite the comedic nature of this award, it really is important to have a well-spoken employee on your team. They are the best candidates for giving instructions and walking others through processes. When it comes to office productivity and protocols, this person takes the cake.
The Geek Squad Award: For Team Tech Geniuses
Any employee who receives the Geek Squad Award is sure to be knowledgeable on all things technology. This employee helps out with computer problems, printer malfunctions, and every other tech-related issue. They know their stuff when it comes to electronics, and they aren’t afraid to show it.
Every workplace needs a tech-savvy employee. Recognize this team member’s dedication to improving the digital workplace by awarding them the Geek Squad Award. This award can take many forms, and you can even deliver it as a trophy.
Alternatively, you can give this as a group award for your on-site tech team. Without them, your workplace would be void of well-connected electronics. Group awards and trophies should still be personalized for each team member, including their name and title.
The Nocturnal Nelly Award: For Those Who Work Late Into the Night
Every team has that one-night owl who spends hours working late into each night. This person might be the last to leave the office every evening, and they have no problem getting things done by moonlight. The Nocturnal Nelly Award is perfect for such employees.
Your organization should extend its gratitude to the Nocturnal Nellies within. These employees often get a lot more done since they’re willing to work later hours. They may even do things off the clock, which increases productivity and output for your team. You don’t want to let those late-night hours go unappreciated!
This award can take the shape of a moon, star, or owl to symbolize this employee’s natural nocturnal tendencies. No matter what you choose, make sure you include plenty of positive descriptors on the inscription.
The Grub King/Queen Award: For Employees Who Always Have Snacks on Hand
It might seem like a minor contribution, but providing drinks and snacks for the workplace is a valuable thing. Reward employees who always pass out delicious grub deserve the Grub King/Queen Award. We recommend ordering this award in a food shape to drive the point home.
Your team can’t get anything done if they have empty stomachs. The office Grub King/Queen keeps everyone fueled and ready to work. This leads to increased productivity and in most cases, better attitudes all around. No one has to go hungry around this employee!
The Chatty Cathy Trophy: For the Most Talkative Employee
This award is all in good fun, but it also highlights the strengths of employees who communicate well and often. The Chatty Cathy trophy goes to team members who are always chatting up their coworkers. Every hour is the social hour for these employees.
Chatty Cathys contributes a lot to the workplace. They foster positive communication, spread their knowledge, and increase cooperation among coworkers. When it comes to positive morale and team engagement, what more could you need from an employee?
An emoticon with a beaming grin would work well for this trophy’s top symbol. We also offer medals that this employee could hang on their desk. No matter what you select for the Chatty Cathy Trophy, know that this employee has earned their recognition!
Specific Appreciation Awards for Employee Milestones and Achievements
Every team has specific goals that employees work to reach. These award ideas are for those important milestones that must be celebrated. Whenever someone does something celebration-worthy, you can hand out one of these awards or trophies!
The Finish Line Trophy: Completing Long, Complicated Projects
Award the Finish Line Trophy to employees who have recently completed lengthy tasks and projects. This award symbolizes their commitment to reaching deadlines and hitting their goals. Once they’ve crossed the finish line, they deserve recognition for it.
The Collaboration Award: Group Achievements
Have a group of employees that collaborated on something awesome? The Collaboration Award is for them. Give this award to groups who have completed projects and achieved greatness together. Rewarding cooperation encourages other employees to work together and hit important milestones.
The “Out of the Park” Trophy: Surpassing Deadlines and Targets
We recommend getting a baseball-shaped trophy for this honor. The “Out of the Park” trophy rewards employees who exceed expectations on specific projects and tasks. They’ve outdone themselves by exceeding the given deadline, target, or requirement at hand.
Celebrate their wonderful achievements by giving a nod to baseball with this creative trophy!
Retirement Awards: Appreciation for Employees at the End of Their Careers
Retirement awards definitely fall under employee appreciation. It’s always a good idea to give your sincere thanks and best wishes to employees who are retiring soon. At the end of their careers, they deserve to hear all of the great things they contributed to your workplace.
There are many different retirement awards to choose from at EDCO. We offer custom shapes and colors for each award, as well as personalized inscriptions. We recommend tailoring retirement awards to each recipient’s unique personality. They’ll feel the love and appreciation for years to come when they look at their retirement plaque or trophy.
Important Information to Include on Retirement Awards
It’s essential to include relevant information on retirement awards. The last thing you want is to give out an impersonal, cold award that seems generalized. Your retiring employees deserve one last boost of recognition and appreciation before they go.
We recommend including these details on retirement awards:
- Recipient’s full name and title
- Job title
- Major career accomplishments
- Number of years of service
- Retirement location, if known
- Your organization’s name
This information shows that you know this employee well and you truly care about their future in retirement. Always include well wishes on behalf of your organization as well.
Types of Retirement Awards
Glass and crystal awards often work best for retirement awards. These materials are heavier than acrylic and convey a sense of prestige and accomplishment. Since retirement is one of the biggest milestones in a working adult’s life, it only makes sense to give out a heavy-duty award.
Clear glass and crystal have a timeless appearance that works well for retirement awards. However, we also offer colorized awards and trophies for retiring employees. Each of the vivid hues we offer adds a personalized touch to your employee’s recognition of retirement.
Additionally, you can award a retirement plaque, if that best suits your organization. Retirement plaques have a distinguished look and feel. They can be placed within the office, along with giving the recipient a personalized award. It’s always a good look to new hires when they see recognition of retirement for past employees.
High-Quality Award and Trophy Materials From EDCO
When you order from EDCO, you can expect the best quality for your awards and trophies. We use the finest materials to curate heavy-duty, durable awards for employee appreciation. Whether you choose elegant crystal awards or glass trophies, your employees will feel the love behind them.
Acrylic Awards: Durability and Customization
Acrylic awards are popular for their shatterproof qualities and easy customization. We can include almost any color, shape, and inscription on acrylic awards. These awards don’t break easily and can last for several years with vivid colors and readable text.
Glass Awards: Vintage-Style Commemorations
Glass awards are heavy and strong, designed to commemorate high-level achievements within your organization. Many of our trophies are resistant to breakage as long as they’re cared for properly. We recommend opting for glass awards and trophies that will go in a display case or on a high shelf.
Crystal Awards: Timeless Prestige and Elegance
Crystal sparkles from all angles in any type of light. Both indoor and outdoor lighting will give crystal awards a delightful glow that attracts eyes everywhere. Reserve crystal awards for the highest honors within your organization. This includes retirement, yearly recognitions, and extremely important achievements.
Find the Best Employee Appreciation Awards and Trophies at EDCO
At EDCO, we’ve been in business for over 50 years, providing high-quality awards and trophies to a range of industries. We know what it takes to make great employee appreciation awards, plaques, and trophies. Our responsive in-house team is here to help with any questions or concerns you have about the ordering process.
Show your employees your sincerest appreciation, and shop EDCO’s wide selection of awards and trophies today!
