Employee recognition awards are generally awards, trophies, and plaques, given to employees who have achieved a goal, performed well, or exhibited a behavior that is worth awarding. They are often given out at company events, conferences, holiday parties, etc.
What are employee recognition awards all about? It goes deeper than a simple gift, and is more meaningful than a gift card or a trinket. It’s about making your employees feel respected and valued, and to do that you need the right appreciation award wording.
Jack Kerouac said, “One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.” This perfectly sums up what you must do to create thoughtful, effective awards. The right words are the words that communicate not only the what, but the why: why do you appreciate this person so much? And the words must be simple enough to say what you mean in a limited amount of space.
20 Types of Employee Recognition Awards:
- Employee of the Year Awards
- Work Anniversary Awards
- Years of Service Awards
- Employee Achievement Awards
- Employee Leadership Awards
- Sales Awards / Sales Achievement Awards
- Behavior and Value Awards
- Performance Awards
- Employee of the Month Awards
- Employee Retirement Awards
- End of the Year / Holiday awards (i.e.- For Company Parties or Retreats)
- Diligence Awards
- Innovation Awards
- Mentorship Awards
- Teamwork Awards
- Department MVP Awards
- Most Creative Awards
- Employee Accomplishment Awards
- Attendance Awards
- Safety Awards
What is the Best Employee Recognition Award Wording Template/Formula?
Step 1: Choose an award name
Step 2: Prepare award wording
Step 3: Choose an award type/shape that reflects the idea behind the award
As a note, depending on the size of the award, you may only have room for just an award title or the wording. You can choose which is more important based on your employee and find a title or wording in the examples we’ve provided as needed.
You don’t need to be a novelist to create amazing appreciation award wording. Here is a cheat sheet for employee award names for all sorts of employee positions and achievements:
Employee Performance Award Title and Name Ideas
- Rising Star
- Outstanding Service Record
- Unmatched Dedication
- Most Determined Employee
- Stand-out Performer
- Most Improved Performer
- Mountain mover
- The Growth Driver
- Incomparable Service Award
Employee of the Year Award Title and Name Ideas
- The MVP Award (Most valued player)
- Top-Flight Award
- Most Committed Employee
- Spotlight Award
- Superstar Award
- The Ace Employee
- The Star Employee
Leadership Award Title Ideas & Recognition Award Names
- President’s Award
- Beyond Call of Duty
- Best Team Leader
- Pinnacle Award
- Leaderboard Award
- Ace of Initiative
- Hall of Fame
- Diamond Club
Employee Achievement Award Title Ideas + Sales Achievements
- Capital Achievement Award
- Paramount Achievement
- Chief Closer
- Big Kahuna Award
- Rising Star
Retirement Award Title and Name Ideas
- Leaving a Legacy
- Heroes are Remembered, Legends Never Die
- Permanent Recess
- Goodluck and Goodbye
- Going Out on Top
Behavior/Characteristic Award Title and Name Ideas
- The Idea Generator
- Best Team Player
- The Brainiac
- Best Attendance
- The Trend Setter
- The Motivator
- Expert Accuracy
- Positive Participator
Funny/Creative/Humorous Award Title and Name Ideas
- The Customer Whisperer
- Consider it Done Award
- Customer Hero Award
- Highest of High Fives
- The Dumbledore Award
- Cruising and Crushing it
- The Tip Your Hat Award
- Customer Kudos
- Calmer of Storms
- On-Point Award
- Super Star Award
- The Ripple Effect Award
Customer Service Award Title and Name Ideas
- Customer Hero Award
- First Class Service
- Customer Care Award
- Diamond Service Award
- Star Service Award
- Platinum Service Award
- Outstanding Service Record
Employee Superlative Award Title Ideas
- Most Likely to Go the Extra Mile
- Best Performer
- Best Customer Service
- The Funniest
- Best Personality
- Most Stylish
- Best attendance
- Fewest sick days taken
- Longest-running employee
- Most goals achieved
- Most sales made
Employee Award Wording Ideas
Step 2. Once you’ve decided on the employee award title, it can be difficult to find the right wording to recognize an individual or how to express gratitude in an eloquent manner. To make your life easier, we’ve outlined some award wording ideas and suggestions for all different types of corporate awards, recognition awards, crystal awards, and appreciation awards. You can use them as inspiration and customize as needed!
Employee of the Year Wording Ideas
- For your extraordinary dedication and service
- In recognition of your exceptional performance
- In honor of your passion and commitment to achieving excellence
- In special recognition of your superior dedication and performance this year
- Thank you for your exceptional performance and dedication to [XYZ Company name or logo]
Employee Achievement Award Wording Ideas
- In special recognition of your significant accomplishments in the year of 20XX
- Honoring your outstanding performance in the year of 20XX
- In special recognition of your outstanding performance and commitment to excellence
- In recognition of your exceptional achievements this year
- In recognition of your outstanding sales performance in the year of 20XX
- In recognition of your milestone achievements
- In honor of your superior dedication and performance this year
- In recognition of your exceptional performance
- Thank you for your commitment and service where it mattered
Leadership Award Wording Ideas
- We thank you for being the best team leader in the year of 20XX
- In honor of your superior performance and leadership in the year of 20XX
- Thanking you for your extraordinary dedication and leadership in the [XYZ department name] department
- In appreciation of your leadership at [XYZ Company name or logo]
- We thank you for [ # ] years of dedication, leadership and outstanding performance
Years of Service or Retirement Award Wording Ideas
- In honor of [#] years of service
- In grateful appreciation for your [#] years of devoted service
- Thank you for [#] Years of Dedicated Service
- We sincerely thank you for your hard work and dedication year over year at [company name]
- Congratulations on your well-deserved retirement from your family at [company name]
- In recognition of your [#] years of hard work and dedication at [company name], we sincerely thank you. Enjoy the retirement, you’ve earned it!
What are Some Examples of Employee Recognition Awards?
Step 3. Choose an award that matches your employee award title and wording.
- Years of Service or Award Retirement Award example: For 5 Years of Service, a beautiful award featuring the number 5 elevated on top of a deeply beveled base showcasing your company logo and congratulatory message. Click here to see the Crystal 5 Years of Service product page.
- Performance Award example: A Rising Star award would look perfect as a crystal or glass star. Click here to see the Crystal Star Award product page.
- Sales Achievement Award or Trophy example: choosing a crystal award that looks like an upward trending chart to represent the sales. Click here to see the Goal Buster Crystal Award product page.
Customized Employee Recognition Awards
How to Incorporate Employee Appreciation Into Your Company Culture?
Employee appreciation isn’t just about awards ceremonies and events. It’s about making recognition part of your company culture and living it every day. When you learn the right language to use on a day-to-day basis, coming up with appreciation award wording will be even easier.
Make employee appreciation a part of your company culture by acknowledging at least one worker every day, either verbally or in writing.
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Start with an “I”, “we”, or “you” phrase,
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Then, fill in the accomplishment or contribution.
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Don’t forget to add an appropriate adjective as a personal compliment.
Everyday Employee Appreciation Example:
“We really appreciate your dedication and diligence above call of duty with this project”
Formal Employee Recognition Award Example:
“We honor how much of an inspiring leader you have been for the past 5 years”
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“I”, “We” or “You” Phrases + Verb |
Personal Compliments |
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I really appreciate… |
problem solver |
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We value your… |
team player |
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I admire your… |
out-of-the-box thinker |
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You demonstrated… |
energetic, enthusiastic |
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You helped me… |
inspiring leader |
When you show appreciation daily, you’ll improve communication on your team, boost employee morale and encourage productivity. Practice makes perfect – eventually, this type of wording will come naturally to you.
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