Award Guide

It’s a good sign when you’re having a tough time narrowing down the list of employees who are up for an award – every company would love to have multiple employees who are highly motivated, hardworking problem solvers that can always be counted on – and they should be recognized, but it can be hard to figure out what kind of award is best. Do you get a plaque or a trophy? Not to worry, because as the nation’s premier supplier of recognition EDCO is here to help you figure out the best way to show staff, team, or customers that you recognize their excellence, commitment, and passion.

Employee recognition awards can largely be split into two groups: plaques and trophies. However, prior to deciding which of these options to go with, you’ll want to determine what exactly corporate awards mean to your business. You want awards to speak to the services you provide, as well as company values or a company mission, so it’s important to walk the right line when it comes to recognizing employee achievement. You don’t want these awards to lose their meaning or have their purpose lost.

Considering the many benefits of a good employee recognition program such as increased motivation and employee morale, it’s paramount to get things like this so it can be a win-win for the business and the people who make it successful. Whether you choose a plaque or trophy may seem like an insignificant decision, but it’s important and there are several things to consider.

Award Plaques vs. Trophies

So, should you get a plaque or a trophy? Each has their own pros and cons. Trophies obviously don’t take up any wall space and while they do take up desk space they can be passed around among employees. For example, an employee of the month award can be transferred from recipients on a monthly basis. This doesn’t just save space but it will save the company money as well because it’s one less thing that needs to be purchased every month. If you won’t have wall space to spare or are particular about the things that go up in the workplace, trophies are they way to go.

 There are also more unique designs and materials to pick from with trophies, giving you the ability to bestow an award that’s truly different and exclusive. With plaques the materials and designs are far more limiting while employee of the month trophies can be made out of glass, crystal, or acrylic and shaped into a wide variety of different designs. At EDCO, we have a wide selection of gorgeous crystal awards shaped into diamond, flame, stars, globes, and more alongside pristine glass awards in black, red, green, blue colors and artistic shapes.

On the other hand, award plaques take up no desk space. If your office space has limited space, or is already quite cluttered, employee recognition plaques would be the smart choice and won’t get in the way of things. However, there are some plaques that can be both freestanding and hung on a wall which give you far more versatility than a trophy. Additionally, this gives the recipient far more freedom to either use their desk or wall space as they see fit.

While the design options are a little more limiting, EDCO carries glass and acrylic plaques in addition to the typical wooden and metallic variants. There are also typically more customization options with plaques, as most have space for more than just an employee name and year to be added while not all trophies have much space for engraving.

Making the Decision

So, do you go with a plaque or trophy? Weighing the pros and cons of each is up to you, but regardless of your decision EDCO has a wide enough selection of each that you’ll be sure to find one that meets your preferences and budget. Shop with us today and be sure to come back to EDCO for all your employee recognition needs!

Company culture has a significant effect on the morale and motivation of your employees. It is important for managers to communicate expectations and lead by example. EDCO offers advice on how to improve your current company culture, as well as how to create a new culture from scratch.

What are the Benefits of High Employee Motivation and Employee Morale? Read more to learn about how to increase employee motivation and morale in the workplace for long-term benefits.

Many companies and organizations still make the mistake of thinking that they need to save trophy engraving for big, once-in-a-lifetime achievements like retirement or promotion to an executive position. The myth that trophy engraving is time-consuming and expensive persists, but the truth is that it’s neither.

Looking for the perfect plaque to convey recognition to your employees? At EDCO, we offer a host of award plaques perfect for employee recognition at any level of the company. Here are some of our favorites!

Rewarding outstanding team players is the perfect way of promoting strong values within your company. We share the most popular collaboration awards.

EDCO provides similar awards to some of the most famous trophies in sports, including the Heisman Trophy, the Stanley Cup, and the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

At EDCO, we are committed to working with our customers to create beautiful custom awards that meet their needs, artistic tastes, and specifications. We offer a wide range of personalization options, from custom designs and engravings to custom award descriptions and font selections.

It’s the year of virtual events. With trade shows, conferences and thought leadership summits being postponed or canceled across the globe, many organizations are left wondering how to provide value and stay relevant in the changing landscape.

People love to debate the positives and negatives of social media, but there is one area in which it’s definitely had a positive impact: employee recognition. Here are six ways it’s changed the game – and how you can use it to your advantage.

“Company culture” is more than a buzzword. It’s an essential part of any successful business’s growth strategy. Learning how to improve company culture can increase employee engagement, morale and retention. But before you can improve your culture, you need to identify it.

Your employee recognition program should incorporate peer-to-peer appreciation, corporate event awards and the feedback of all levels of the company. Most of all, have fun with it! There are tons of creative ways to recognize your employees and reap all the benefits that come with boosting morale and building a positive workplace culture.

Sometimes recognizing top employees should be more than just a pat-on-the-back. Show your employees how much you truly value their work with employee recognition awards.

Employee appreciation day is right around the corner. We share our 50 years of experience to make choosing the right award or gift easy and meaningful.

How important is employee recognition in your company? How do you motivate your team to focus on the big picture? These are important questions to ask when running a business or being in charge of a small team.

Employee recognition makes a huge difference when it comes to having workers that just get by in their daily tasks or having ones that go above and beyond. When it comes to performance, awards are an opportunity for leaders to reinforce the purpose of the company, which makes employees want to work harder.

 

Here are four reasons to recognize high-performers at your company with awards:

1. Empower Your Employees

These days, it is hard to find people who have a commitment to solving big problems. When facing challenges, some workers may feel confused by problems, overwhelmed, and stressed.

Rewards can give your workers the confidence required to look for solutions, controlling the situation.

As an exercise, challenge your team members with high-performer objectives. They are opportunities to work for results and add value to the company, which can turn into future compensation in the form of a salary raise or another reward.

You can motivate your workers if you show them that they can achieve anything with their dedication, which allows them to think proactively to solve problems.

2. Rewards Can Make Your Team More Competent And Committed

Social value is one of the most critical factors when motivating people to do anything. How well optimized is the working environment?

When everybody in your team is working, it is much harder for an employee to lack the motivation to perform at the same level. Naturally, the worker will want to outwork other people in his space to get that social recognition.

Of course, competitiveness depends on company culture and values. If your rewards program encourages people to solve problems and work for results, people will focus on those factors.

Whenever you give a reward an employee in public, you will increase that sense of competition that every employee has inside. If you want to get the most out of recognition events, consider setting attainable but challenging goals to keep people engaged.

3. Working Long-Term

When an employee receives a reward, especially if it is an award, they will want to work harder for the company because they are looking to the big picture.

Whenever your company is going through hard times, awards remind employees that they can get over any obstacles. The bigger the reward is, the stronger the motivation will be to repeat that in the future, which leads employees to be more committed to their future projects.

Because of recognition, people feel more inspired to over-deliver at work in both the short and long term.

4. Constant Improvement

The second best way to motivate anybody is to use daily goals where you can constantly measure your progress.

Daily goals and achievements are a reduced version of the employee awards. Luckily, these micro objectives generate enough motivation to make workers accomplish the next day goals. Successful leaders know how to create paths with small goals to lead employees to get a big win in business.

A timeline of some of the most famous awards created throughout history. Including the NFL's Lombardi Trophy and FIFA's World Cup. As time goes on the glory and the legend of these famous trophies continues to live on in the minds, hearts and dreams of players and fans alike.

 

Businesses and companies too often forget about the importance of employee recognition and the effects it can have on employees and job performance. Many businesses think they're saving time and money by skipping out on employee recognition programs, but in the long run, they're actually losing out on time, money, work quality, and employee retention. It's important to take the time to appreciate an employee's hard work in order to better improve the company and business as a whole. Here are five reasons why employee recognition is so important.

 

Improved Productivity

Implementing employee recognition and reward programs can let them know that the company values their work. Exemplary employees can rest easy knowing their extra effort will not go unappreciated. Through a recognition program, employees will understand what standards they are required to work under and what is considered above average work. Knowing these two keys will improve their productivity and work quality since they will strive to achieve recognition through the program. Companies with no recognition programs will always receive the same lackluster work from their employees since they know that hard work is not being rewarded.

 

Establishes Teamwork

With an employee recognition program, a sense of teamwork among workers is greatly enhanced. Producing excellent and recognition-worthy work to improve the company and business gives them a sense of unity and need for teamwork. Employees who strive to have their work recognized through the program will also be more willing to help out their co-workers when they need assistance. If there is no recognition program in place, employees will be less willing to help each other out and will adopt an "every man for himself policy" when it comes to workload. Their extra efforts aren't being recognized, so they see no point in assisting their fellow co-workers.

 

Comfort Within Work Environment

There are a number of ways to show employee recognition and it doesn't have to be necessarily through a program or rewards. It can be through free amenities and services offered in the workplace. If employees have access to these facilities, they will be more comfortable in their work setting. This will help in creating happier employees, which in turn will produce better work. Even through the simple employee recognition program, employees will still find comfort and happiness in the work environment knowing their hard work going appreciated.

 

Friendly Competition

Implementing a way to recognize your employees can help establish a sense of friendly competition among them. In the bigger picture, this friendly competition serves as a way to see who can produce the best quality work efficiently and consistently. This will perpetuate the quality of work, constantly improving it and the skills of your employees. Be sure to implement the recognition program correctly and let your employees know the standards on which they will be judged upon. Picking an employee at random to be recognized will make them grow bitter towards each other since a lackluster and lazy employee could be recognized over one that goes the extra mile.

 

High-Quality Employees

It's no secret that the best businesses and companies boast the best and happiest workforce. They also have multiple forms of employee recognition implemented. Employees want to work hard for great companies with excellent employee recognition programs and services. They will compete against other potential employees and produce the highest quality work in order to secure their spot in a great company. Recognition programs will also help your business retain hard working employees since they understand their work is being valued. Workers often leave companies because they feel as if they company doesn't care about them, which makes them feel the same way about the business. They want to move onto better companies.

 

Want to Boost Employee Morale? Don't Miss These 5 Steps to Energize with Events!

Have you noticed something isn’t quite right in the office? Perhaps morale is down or your employees feel unmotivated by the tasks at hand. Perhaps when you talk to your employees, you hear dissatisfaction, and that is spreading among your teams.

You want to curb employee dissatisfaction and frustration as soon as you can, but it's not always easy to do if you have ignored the problem for too long. That's when it's time to plan an incredible employee appreciation event for your workforce!

If you want to boost productivity and energy all while showing your appreciation for the hard work your employees do every day, then it’s time to intervene and change things up.

What better way to boost employee morale than to plan an unforgettable work event that highlights both your appreciation and the accomplishments of your staff that make your company a success?

Best of all, executing an encouraging, energizing employee event doesn’t take a lot of time or effort, but the pay-off can be huge. Read on to get our top five tips for planning a work event to encourage and celebrate your workforce.

 

Step 1: Choose an Event Type and Theme

The first step in planning your employee appreciate event is to answer this question: Are there common activities my employees enjoy doing that put them on common ground? Naturally, eating and socializing are two activities that are equalizers, and, in our experience, these ideas are popular because there is a low barrier to entry and they are fun. Who doesn't want to eat free food and build stronger relationships?

In addition, you might think about additional attributes of your workforce. Are they competitive? If so, they might enjoy a Trivia Night, for example.

Here are other options for selecting a unique event type and theme:

• Employee Appreciation Breakfast – Cater a morning meal for your crew.
• Back Porch BBQ – As the boss, fire up the grill at the office and grill employee favorites for lunch.
• Happy Hour – The tab is on the company with this after-work celebration at a favorite local bar.
• Ice Cream Social – Create an ice cream bar with a variety of ice creams and toppings. Invite employees to take a break to socialize and eat a sundae.

The key is to select an event type that will bring your employees together and celebrate them via a kind and thoughtful gesture.

 

Step 2: Define the Purpose of Your Event

At the end of the party, what are you hoping to get out of it? What do you want your employees to do? How do you want them to feel? This will help determine what you actually do at the event.

For example, here are a few defined outcomes for an employee appreciation party that you may want to consider:

• Employee Recognition – Who are the quiet leaders, the all-star team players, the sales giants, etc. that make your company run smoothly? With this event, make sure you find a way to include and recognize everyone, such as giving out framed certificates or plaques with official achievements and appreciations.
• Boosting Morale – Are your employees feeling overworked and undervalued? If so, you may want to solely throw a great party that reminds them that your company wants to give back to them in a special way.
• Company Achievement – Did your company recently hit a sales goal? Did your organization surpass a fundraising goal? This is your moment to throw an event that recognizes how each person made it possible to get there.

It's possible that your event will have a dual purpose, and you can incorporate this into the flow of your event. It's simply good, however, at the outset, to remind yourself of why you are organizing the event and what you hope to give to your employees or have them take away from it.

Step 3: Decide on the Details

Event details for consideration can be broken down into three categories:

• Budget
• Location
• Activities

First, you'll need to set a budget. The only way to know exactly what you can pull off is to know what you can afford to spend. The budget doesn't matter as much for the amount of money you can spend as it does giving you a limit for spending and planning. You don't want to plan a $100,000 event when all you have available is $1,000.

Be savvy and smart with your budget and you'll be happy and less frustrated with the end result because you don't have to scale back.

Secondly, think about your location. Choose a location that makes it easy for all of your employees to get to – such as an event space at your place of work or close by. This works especially well if your employees commute in to work from other cities. You want to increase the likelihood that your employees will participate in your event by making the location an ideal and convenient one for as many of them as possible.

Of course, be sure to go with a location that fits within – again – your budget. Check into at least three places to get estimates for event space rental and catering. Do a cost/value comparison before deciding.

At the end of the day, however, your office space may be the best spot because it is convenient and a money-saver for your company. You won't have to pay extra for space rental!

Thirdly, consider the kinds of activities that will take place during the event. For example, are you giving out awards at your event? Is your event a team building one in which there are more physical activities? Are you hosting a party where there will be a gift giveaway by your company? In the midst of your activities, how will employees eat and drink? Is there a seated dinner or a snack table? Make sure you are thinking of all of the pieces that need to come together in order to pull off your event.

Step 4: Go into Action

With your plans set and your questions answered, it's time to go into action. You'll need to:

• Name your event.
• Set a date for your event.
• Secure the event space and catering.
• Write, design and send invitations.
• Order flower arrangements
• Order special gifts, certificates or awards.
• Order special swag to give away or any other necessary assets to pull off your event theme.
• Set up a system for measuring success.

It's important to make a list of all the items you'll need to order and to price them ahead of time to make sure they still fit within your budget. Also, factor in enough time to have the items shipped to you. You can't give out awards at an employee recognition dinner if those awards don't come in on time!

Finally, craft a survey as a way to quantify and evaluate the success of your event. This works especially well if you survey your employees in the month leading up to the event. If employees feel more appreciation and job satisfaction after your party via the survey you send them post-event, then you've been successful in meeting your party goals!

Step 5: It's Time to Party

With everything set in place, it's time to show up at your event or party and just have fun with your employees. Everything you've planned culminates into this event -- and it's up to you to be the emcee that cultivates a message of appreciation and pride in your workforce.

It's truly amazing what a few kind words can do to boost employee morale. In fact, research shows that employees are by far more motivated by a boss’s "Great job!" than they are by more money or other incentives. Keep the spirit of this revelation in mind as you plan your employee event and craft the message you will share with them.

At the end of the day, everyone wants to feel valued, included and part of something significant for the greater good. When they don't feel that way, they begin to look elsewhere -- and if you want to keep your staff and reduce employee turnover -- then make sure appreciation, encouragement and public recognition are part of your employee satisfaction strategy for the future!

Now get ready for a great party!

Ready to Start Planning Your Next Workforce Event?

Now you're ready to plan your very own event for your employees. Keep in mind that your employee appreciation event can be as simple or as creative as you want. It really depends on your budget and your sense of what would motivate your employees.

The goal, regardless of what kind of employee event you choose, is to have your employees feeling what can be summed up by the acronym MAUI:

• Motivated to continue working for the company.
• Appreciated for their critical and important work.
• Uniquely celebrated among their peers. Everyone needs to be recognized in some significant way.
• Invested and interested in a future with your company.

Keep this MAUI acronym in mind as you think through your end goals, and keep this quick guide with you as you plan your next employee appreciation event in just five simple steps!

 

 

Define a Promotion Plan

Marketable events exist over a variety of areas, including business events (sales; grand openings; product promotion), social events (parties; reunions), school events, and fundraisers. Each hopes for a slightly different outcome, but the approach is the same for all. Utilizing proper promotional tactics for events can assure that little time or money is wasted in the process.

An effective event promotion starts with a solid plan, so spending some time developing a concrete strategy can save valuable time and money down the road.

• Identify the targets: Include individuals with whom you have previously done business, as well as those who have attended similar events in the past.
• Define the objectives: What are you hoping to accomplish with this event? What are you hoping your chosen targets can bring to the table?
• Construct the tactics: Determine what tactics can effectively combine chosen targets and objectives.
• Organize implementation: Develop a promotional team and assign tasks to each team member.
• Define the timeline: Schedule a starting date and ending date, as well as key promotional dates in between, such as presence at similar events or key dates for posting via online mediums.
• Allocate the budget: Determine how much money can be spent on promotions and distribute accordingly.
• Evaluate the results: Analyze all efforts and determine the return on investment. Use these results for future promotional efforts.

 

Online Promotion Tactics

 

As of June 2012, 2,405,518,376 people had access, and were using the internet. Whether for business or pleasure, it’s safe to say that any promotion effort enacted online will certainly have a broad reach.

 

Online scheduling has replaced traditional calendars, old-fashioned meetings have made way for Skype sessions, and virtual shopping is giving traditional storefront a run for its money. Businesses that recognize the value of online promotion for products and events can stay ahead of competition in the battle for customer loyalty.

 

Social Media

The unbelievable growth of social media in recent years has forced businesses to reconsider their marketing efforts. Facebook currently has 1.15 billion users, Google+ has 343 million, Twitter has 500 million, and Instagram steadily rising at 130 million. Each of these social media giants has implemented promotion plans for businesses, making it easier than ever to drive customers to an event.  Some tips for promoting an event through social media include:

• Offer a couple of free tickets to the event within a post.
• Post videos of event highlights, including notable speakers or special activities.
• Encourage users by offering coupons or discounts for those who share the event.
• Create a weekly posting schedule so that your event will stay on your customer’s radar.
• Create an event listing on Facebook. Letting users see who is attending as well as post their own comments is an excellent way to keep users engaged and excited.

 

Email Campaigns

Stay in touch directly with email campaigns; send-out campaign platforms such as Constant Contact or MailChimp to simplify the email process. It’s important to remember the following to create the most effective emails:

• Create compelling subject lines: To avoid an email being sent to a spam filter and never to be seen again, ensure that the subject is personable and to the point; offer a discount or coupon code within the subject to offer as much information as possible before they open the email.
• Include a call-to-action: Make sure the person knows what they need to do and how to act on event coupons or special notices.
• Be thorough: Include all relevant information about the event, so there’s little left unknown. Include the place, time, date, and where/how to buy tickets to the event. Include a link to the ticket purchase site if possible.

 

Event Website and Registration

Developing a user-friendly website for the event can make ticket purchase simple and also help businesses keep track of ticket sales and attendee contact information. Many event registration platforms also include an email portion that allows businesses to contact users directly via email about any changes to the event or to confirm the ticket purchase.

Sites such as eventbee.com or eventbrite.com can make the ticket sale process easier and can also be connected to social media sites for simplified promotion posting. Creating an event website can greatly improve visibility and promotion towards a targeted audience, while allowing for further social media marketing opportunities.

 

Promotional Products

Even though online promotional efforts have proven to be effective in today’s fast-paced marketplace, physical promotional productshave always found a place in event promotion success. When investing in giveaways, it’s important to remember the following:

 

• Choose products that can be used daily, such as pens, cups, cozies, and water bottles. The more useful the item, the more it will be used, and ultimately the more exposure it will receive.
• Choose timeliness to give away promotional items, including during similar events, at related conferences or to businesses which would have an interest in attending the event.
• Assure that all important information is included on the product, including how to register or buy tickets for the event.

 

Effective event promotion can be accomplished with careful planning, implementation of online resources and creative promotional products. With a little work and a lot of creativity, your event can be a financial success and a cherished memory.

 

Planning an event? Let EDCO Awards and Specialties help with your marketing efforts. With a wide selection of promotional products available, including pens, key chains, water bottles, mugs, golf tees, flashlights, umbrellas and more, EDCO can help make your event a success!

 

The Best Places to Work

 

For the 100 Best Companies to Work For , the organizations chosen must be at least five or more years old and have at least 1,000 employees in the United States. The list is nomination-based, and winners are chosen based on several factors, including:

• A thorough employee survey, which includes the Trust Index-Employee Survey and The Culture Audit. Although the surveys are anonymous, they truly provide the best insight into the company’s employee satisfaction, perceptions, opinions and attitudes. These surveys count for 2/3 of the decision.
• An in-depth evaluation of both surveys, as well as an analysis of company programs and policies according to the Great Place to Work Model.

 

 

Most organizations choose to take advantage of the feedback provided to improve their company’s culture for employees, hoping to find a place on the list for the next year. For companies that are looking to improve their workplaces and keep their employees happy, the best way to learn is by example.

The 2013 100 Best Companies to Work For include Google, SAS, CHG Healthcare Services, The Boston Consulting Group, Inc., Wegmans Food Markets, Inc., NetApp, Hilcorp Energy Company, Edward Jones, Ultimate Software and the Camden Property Trust. Here is what makes the top two companies, Google and SAS, so fantastic.

 

 

Google
The recent movie The Internship opened America’s eyes to what a fun place to work Google seems to be, but the real reasons for employee satisfaction in this industry giant’s workplace goes far beyond just a fun atmosphere. (Although these onsite perks aren’t bad, either: medical and dental facilities, valet parking, oil change, bike repair, laundry rooms, and free gourmet meals).

• Focused on women’s needs: A good percentage of Google employees are women, and when the HR department noticed a lower retention rate that seemed to center around a too-short maternity leave, changes were made. Rather than a standard 12 weeks of paid maternity leave, Google employees were given five months, with full pay and benefits, and could even divide that time out however they pleased. The focus even extended the new fathers.
• Thought for family: Forbes magazine recently revealed that if a Google employee dies, the company will pay his or her spouse half of the employee’s salary…for a decade. Recognizing the importance of family and showing compassion are two main reasons Google succeeds in keeping its employees happy.
• Investing in employees: Google’s Global Education Leave program allows its employees to take up to five years to further their education, and reimburses up to $150,000 to do so. Google proves to employees that they are believed in, at the same time strengthening the company’s brainpower and skills.

 

 

Google is a company of around 45,000 people and worth around $245 billion dollars, making it easy to provide these kinds of benefits. However, there are valuable lessons to be learned that any company can accomplish: recognize the importance of family, show compassion and invest in employee education and training when available.

 

 

SAS 
The second best place to work is SAS, an analytical software company in Silicon Valley, California. With over 6,300 employees, and a 5.6% job growth, this company is known for taking care of its employees and recognizing their hard work.

• Putting the people first: When the 2008 recession caused massive job layoffs of SAS competitors, CEO Jim Goodnight held a webcast to all employees that assured them their jobs were safe, but that everyone’s help would be needed to watch spending and push through. SAS is a company that values its employees and shows them that they are considered in decisions. Family members are also included in importance, with an extensive family resource program that includes family counseling, adoption, eldercare and childcare.
• Flexible hours: SAS prides itself on giving employees flexibility on the hours they choose to work. While a 35-hour work week is what is expected, the hours can be accomplished when and how the employee chooses, and the CMO, Jim Davis, pointed out that most work many more hours that required because they “enjoy those hours as opposed to ‘slaving in the office.’”
• Promote pride in work by recognizing accomplishment: SAS takes large measures to recognize employee successes and give credit where credit is due.  In identifying achievement, SAS finds that employees are more likely to take pride in their own work. The company even designates certain areas of their property to individual landscapers, so that they will treat it as their own.

 

SAS leads by example in its treatment of family members, employee consideration and recognition of employee successes. Other businesses can take these lessons home, finding ways to incorporate family values and showing acknowledgment and appreciation for hard work and success.

 

Regardless of size or financials, a company can always show its employees how important they are. Whether through considerations for family and personal time or awarding recognition for jobs well done, a company can always find ways to prove to its staff that they are appreciated and understood. 

Find some simple ways to recognize achievement in your organization, with EDCO Employee Recognition Awards. Since 1969, EDCO has provided quality motivation and recognition tools for any occasion. From sports trophies, to corporate awards and promotional items, EDCO carries all types of awards for any organization’s corporate needs. EDCO’s products are fully displayed on its website and can be customized and shipped in a week or less in most cases.