Over the past several years, the modern workplace has undergone a slew of changes, some of them more obvious than others. Just to name a few – the pandemic ushered in an era of remote work that made employers and employees alike realize its value, more and more millennials are joining the workforce, and inclusion and diversity are becoming more important to corporations and consumers. This just scratches the surface of all the changes the corporate world has seen, and more are on the horizon. Despite all this change, the importance of employee appreciation and recognizing employees with awards has remained the same. In fact, these changes have arguably increased the importance of corporate awards considering their benefits. Many of these benefits are things all companies would like to enjoy, and we’ll be taking a look at some of the crucial of them below.

Improved Morale

Employee morale affects just about everything in the office, from employee productivity and engagement to customer satisfaction and overall success. Employees with higher morale are more motivated, engaged, and efficient while at work, and they’ll consistently go above and beyond and put in more hours when necessary. Heightened morale also increases the quality of work and gives a company a competitive edge. It’s estimated that employees with low morale cost companies up to a combined $550 billion a year, but low employee morale doesn’t just negatively affect the company. Employees with low morale can also develop depression and even heart disease, according to the American Psychological Association. The bottom line and the health of their employees is something all companies should care about.

Part of improving morale involves giving employees more confidence in their abilities and self-esteem, and that’s where corporate awards come in. Recognizing your employees and their achievements with awards helps to build up confidence in their skills and increases their self-esteem, thereby boosting their morale. Seeing hard workers get rewarded for their efforts also increases the morale of other employees because they’ll see the company cares, and they’ll join in on the celebration for the deserving recipient(s). Being proactive about recognizing employees also makes the workplace a more positive environment, meaning employees will be happier, more collaborative, and more open in their communication.

Productivity

Employee recognition awards can boost productivity in the same way bonuses and other monetary incentives based on measurable employee performance do. Companies that recognize their most productive employees with awards show how all that hard work will pay off to the rest of their staff, inspiring them to work more productively so they too can be recognized for their efforts. This is a win-win for both the company and its employees. The company gets more productive workers, meaning they can make more money and provide deliverables to clients faster, and employees get recognized for increasing their output, along with the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.

The effect recognition has on productivity can be measured, just as employee productivity itself can be. Companies with a good recognition program enjoy employee productivity 14% higher than those without. This is estimated to result in a 2% increase in margins. While it may seem like it has a small effect,

Attract and retain talent

As many companies are well aware, millennials are making up more and more of the workforce every day. They’re already the largest segment in the workplace, and it’s estimated that millennials will make up 75% of the global workforce by 2025. One of the things companies will need to do if they want to attract top upcoming talent is expand their employee recognition programs and put more of an emphasis on giving corporate awards. Millennials value appreciation and recognition, and they prefer it to come from a manager or company-wide event as opposed to peer to peer. Part of the value of corporate awards comes from the recognition an employee receives, as they are almost always presented in front of the company or by someone in an executive position. A more robust employee appreciation program will help companies attract more talent moving forward.

Corporate awards also help you retain talent. It’s simple – employees that feel recognized and valued by the company they work for will be much less likely to seek employment elsewhere. In a recent survey of adults aged 18 to 38, 79% said that increases in recognition awards would make them more loyal to their employer. Furthermore, 91% of HR professionals say recognition and rewards make employees more likely to stay with their current company. Companies that recognize the achievements of their employees with corporate awards will be more likely to retain their talent and prevent high turnover rates. Improving loyalty among employees also helps the company maintain a positive brand image, and it means they won’t have to spend lots of money during the search to find new talent and during the onboarding process.

Strengthen brand image for clients

Customers care about how companies treat their employees, and the “information age” has made it easy for consumers to see the kind of treatment employees from their favorite brands receive. There have been countless examples of brands being exposed, whether on social media, in the news, or in court, for mistreating employees or having harsh working conditions, and no company wants to have their brand image tarnished like that. Obviously, no company should be treating their employees poorly to begin with. Companies have a responsibility to treat their employees well, but the strengthened brand image and more loyal customer base that results from good press is further motivation to do so.

Part of treating employees well is giving out corporate awards and rewarding them for their hard work. Recipients will no doubt post about the awards they received on social media and excitedly tell friends and family, strengthening the company’s image. Keep this up long enough, and you can build an enviable brand image that attracts talent, customers, and great press.

Create a fun atmosphere

During the weekdays, people spend the majority of their time at work, so employers should strive to make it fun and enjoyable. Creating a better work atmosphere will not only increase morale but make employees more engaged and more invested in the company as well. This prevents burnout and absenteeism, as employees will look forward to coming in to work in the morning rather than dreading it or just going through the motions. Fun workplaces will also help companies attract and retain talent.

There are numerous ways to do this, including hosting in-office events, decorating for the holidays, celebrating birthdays, allowing pets in the office, and giving corporate awards. Giving corporate awards help foster a fun atmosphere by encouraging some friendly competition amongst co-workers, but that’s not all. Awards can also highlight some of the already fun elements in your workplace, further supporting their place in the office and telling employees that having fun is encouraged. Furthermore, companies can get creative with the awards they give out, so when the time comes to bestow them upon their recipients, it adds to the fun. These fun awards can honor employees who are always on time, extremely organized or unorganized, always brings the fanciest lunches, or have the best snacks, and we’re sure you can think of quite a few more!

Best Awards from EDCO

If you want to enjoy all these benefits, you’ll need some stellar awards for recognizing your deserving employees. There’s no better place to get them than EDCO, the nation’s #1 supplier of recognition. We have hundreds of different awards in different shapes, sizes, colors, and materials, so you’re sure to find exactly what you’re looking for, along with some that may inspire you to add some new awards to your employee recognition program because they’re just so eye-catching! We wanted to highlight a few of our favorites that your recipients will be sure to love.

Mixed Media Trophy: Featuring a gorgeous crystal tower atop a handsome walnuts base, the Mixed Media Trophy is about as modern as it gets. The wooden base will make this award stand out from many of the others you’ll find, but the crystal still has plenty of room for inscription so you can include your message and branding. This uniqueness makes it perfect for the employee whose work ethic, effort, or achievements really set them apart from the rest.

Custom Achievement Crystal Award: With a stunning chrome-plated statue holding up a round piece of crystal, we don’t blame you if you’d mistake this as an award from an award show. That crystal round can be engraved with your company logo, giving the award meaning few others have. This makes it perfect for an employee that’s helped the company reach new heights, just as the figure in the award is doing.

Contour Flame Acrylic Award: This award is perfect for the employee whose personality and positive attitude are infectious and can bring some much-needed levity to even the most stressful days like a light in the darkness. The award itself has a distinctive flame shape that’s modern with clean lines and comes in three different sizes.

What does the modern workforce want from their jobs?

People have always looked for purpose and meaning in their jobs, but the modern workforce is looking for a little bit more. Millennials and Generation Z both not only value recognition but expect it from their employers, and it can factor into their decision to stay with a company long-term or look for employment elsewhere. One comprehensive study found that less than a quarter of the workforce feels strongly valued at their work, so companies without good employee recognition programs will likely be experiencing very high turnover rates very soon if they don’t adapt.  

In addition to recognition, today’s workforce wants coaching and mentorship opportunities that can help them grow. In fact, close to 80% of millennials see mentoring as a crucial element to their career success. Companies can also show how much they value their employees by offering frequent and personalized feedback through coaching and mentorship. Alongside their employee recognition program, companies should also examine their talent development system to ensure it meets the expectations of the modern workforce.

Workers today also want easy access to learning opportunities that will teach them new skills. Because many grew up with technology that gave them the ability to search for anything, anytime, anywhere, the modern workforce expects a wide variety of learning formats to be available to them at all times. It’s also expected that these learning opportunities will be personalized, just as many of the technologies they’ve used their whole lives, like social media, are. Taking a personalized learning approach ends up benefitting both the employee and employer, so it’s something companies need to start integrating.

Extrinsic motivation versus intrinsic motivation

If you want to increase morale, strengthen brand image, and create an enviable company culture, you need to understand the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation.

Extrinsic motivation is when we engage in activities or display a certain behavior to either earn a reward or avoid a negative consequence. In the workplace, that reward could be a bonus or promotion, and a negative consequence could be a bad performance review or docked pay.

Intrinsic motivation is the motivation we get to do something for its own sake. Rather than engaging in an activities or behaviors in the hopes of earning something, we engage in them because they are their own rewards. In the workplace, intrinsic motivation could be something as simple as the good feeling after a job well done, seeing a client succeed, or knowing that the work one is doing is valued.

It’s important to have a healthy supply of both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation in the workplace, but finding a good mix of both can be difficult. While giving out awards certainly won’t do the job on their own, they can be a source of both forms of motivation. The award itself and the recognition that comes with it serve as extrinsic motivation, while the personal satisfaction associated with the great work that the award recognizes is intrinsically motivating.

How to keep your recognition program fresh

The best way to keep your recognition program fresh is to be constantly seeking feedback from employees and implementing the changes they wish to see within reason. You should also consider giving out special one-time awards or swapping out the prizes on a regular basis to keep employees interested. Additionally, make recognition something employees are active participants in. Allow all to vote on the recipients of certain awards, so everyone is invested in the results, whether it’s to see if they won or the co-worker they voted for did. Choosing a new recognition theme for every month is another great way to keep employees engaged and make your recognition program feel fresh.

Considering the benefits of giving corporate awards and the changing landscape of the modern workplace where they’re more important than ever, there’s no better time to bolster your employee recognition program with some new awards than now. Shop our large selection of plaques, crystal awards, glass awards, and other trophies today!

Why Motivating Employees with Awards is Important

Successful business owners or presidents of operations know what their secret to success is, and they’ll likely know the importance of building and maintaining an office culture that motivates employees. Motivated employees work more efficiently, produce higher quality work, and improve customer/client satisfaction. Motivated employees are less likely to be absent from work, and keeping employees motivated also helps employers retain talent. The benefits of motivating employees are very apparent, but the best ways to motivate them are far from obvious. While there are a variety of different ways to motivate employees, employee recognition awards are one of the best. So, why is motivating employees with awards important?

Awards Lead to More Productive Employees

Let’s start with the obvious – motivating employees with awards is important because they make employees more productive, more engaged, and generally happier. People work harder when they know they’re appreciated, and this couldn’t be truer for the Millennials and Generation Z workers entering the workforce. These young workers aren’t just looking for a fair wage and compensation benefits – they’re also looking for meaningful and fulfilling work where they feel like what they do doesn’t go unseen. Part of what makes a job meaningful is recognition for a job well done, and companies with robust employee appreciation programs that motivate their staff with awards will be more appealing to these younger generations of workers. As society and culture change, the workplace must as well. Employers that refuse to adapt and don’t see the importance of motivating employees with awards will be left behind, if not completely go out of business because they can’t find anyone who wants to work for them.

Recognition is More Effective than Discipline 

Employee awards are also much better motivators than punishment. Employers are better served when focusing their efforts on rewarding employees for good actions rather than reprimanding employees for bad actions or making threats. This is not to say that employers should not take action when an employee steps out of line, fails to meet agreed upon expectations, or does not fulfill their duties, but this punishment should never be used to motivate others. Rather than threaten employees with what can happen to them if they do something wrong in an effort to motivate them, employers should motivate them with awards that show them what can happen when they go above and beyond and produce quality work.

It Pays Off to Award Employees

Motivating employees with awards is also important because it’s the most cost-effective way of doing so. Essentially, employee awards are a win-win for the employees and the company. It’s been said that actions speak louder than words, and this is especially true in the corporate world. Words of acknowledgment are great, but when these words are accompanied by an action like a bonus or promotion, the message is communicated to a greater degree, and employees truly feel as if their hard work is not just noticed and acknowledged but appreciated. When employees feel this way, they are more motivated, productive, and engaged. The whole company benefits! However, companies only have so many managerial positions that can be filled at a given time and may not have the revenue to give every employee a substantial bonus. This makes employee recognition programs and the awards that most companies include in these programs crucial to maintaining a great office culture where employees are motivated to give their all every day.

It's simple – employee awards are an effective way of showing employees how much their work is appreciated than raises, and they’re better at communicating than a simple “thanks for your hard work.” Awards make employees more productive, engaged, and happier, and companies that recognize and award their staff for their efforts will be more appealing to younger workers.

Why Employee Recognition is Important for Overacheivers

You likely already know the value and importance of employee achievement awards in general – they’re a vital part of cultivating and maintaining a thriving office morale and come with an array of benefits for the organization like increased productivity and better customer satisfaction – but you may not realize the importance of specifically recognizing overachievers. Just like you’d want to give out an award for things like employee of the month, great leadership, the employee who best represents your company’s core values, or a department MVP, you should look to celebrate the overachievers in your company with an award. With EDCO’s extensive selection of crystal awards, glass awards, acrylic awards, and more it’s easy to find the right one for your business that comes at an affordable price.

Every office has those who go above and beyond on every task and these stars are great assets to your team so you’ll want to do everything you can to keep them and their exceptional work ethic with your company. These overachievers are largely self-motivated, meaning you and have confidence instruct them, give them the resources they need, point them in the right direction, and let them go with the confidence that you’ll get high quality work back. A good leader will continue to support, encourage, and show these overachievers just how valuable they are, and awards are a great way to send this message to them and the rest of your business.

Bestowing an award upon the overachievers in your workplace will help you retain this top talent. If employees feel valued and appreciated and have their achievements celebrated by their employer, they’ll be significantly less likely to leave the company or have issues and grievances that make them look for employment elsewhere. Recognizing just how awesome they are with an award from EDCO lets them know that their phenomenal work are not just recognized but appreciated as well. Studies show that the most important driver of great work is recognition, and while many of these overachievers are self-motivated, they’ll still appreciate this recognition and it’ll show everyone else in your workplace how much you value an outstanding work ethic and perhaps inspire them to do more.

As alluded to above, giving out awards like these that celebrate and recognize overachieving can also increase employee engagement. Awards like these will encourage friendly competition – perhaps you have multiple overachievers in your office who will now compete to see who can get the most quality work done. In general, employee reward programs support friendly rivalry among workers, which in turn creates a competitive, fast-paced work environment that’s fun too be a part of, and bestowing the office’s overachiever with an award that celebrates their remarkable efforts will make your overachievers achieve even more! The overachievers in your office may start comparing their performance with each other and then make it a goal to do better the next month, quarter, or year depending on how often you bestow this award. Then, when they receive the award, they’ll feel super accomplished and everyone else will want to give it there all. Communicating one person going above and beyond, or even a departments success, will increase awareness amongst other employees and incentivize them to achieve even more.

Considering these benefits – better retention of top talent and increased employee engagement and productivity – and recent IRS guidelines that make most awards tax deductible, why not start giving out awards for the overachievers in your company? EDCO provides you with a myriad of different award designs and materials so you can find the right one for your business that aligns with the other awards you give out. Shop our extensive selection of awards today!

Why You Should Recognize Your Top Rookie Employees

While it’s important to recognize the veteran members of your team, it’s also important to recognize the hard work and achievement of your rookie employees. If they are making a positive impact on your business, recognizing them with a crystal award is a great way to make them feel appreciated and valued. Rewarding and praising your rookie talent will not only lead to an improved work ethic among your employees but will help lead your business to greater overall success.

A rookie of the year award offers a unique way to help your team recognize new talent. When experienced employees recognize your new talent, their relationship will grow and make your newcomer feel valued and welcome.  Peer recognition is a vital and valuable part of employee appreciation, and it will even help with retention further down the road.

A rookie of the year award helps showcase your new worker’s high performance and helps promote that continued excellence down the road. There’s always a learning curve when it comes to starting a new position, and a rookie of the year award lets your rookies know their hard work is not going unnoticed. This award showcases what excellence looks like to all your new employees and helps them recognize what it takes to perform at that top level

An employee who feels recognized for their commitment to a company is likely to feel an increased sense of job satisfaction. Today it’s more important than ever to recognize your rookies due to high turnover in an average employee’s first year. Hiring new employees can be expensive and strain the resources of your talent acquisition team, so it is important to retain the talent you have brought on. Rookie of the year awards help create an uplifting environment that is desirable to employees, and this will help keep your talented team around for years to come.

Recognition is an essential part of retaining and nourishing your talented employees. With all the great befits a rookie of the year award can bring your team, it is a worthwhile investment for your company. Corporate awards are an inexpensive yet effective way to show your staff the appreciation they deserve. At EDCO, we are the nation’s leader in recognition and offer one of the widest selections of awards, perfect for showing your employees how much you appreciate their continued hard work. Shop our selection of Corporate Awards today!

Rebooting Your Company's Employee Recognition Program

Employee recognition programs aren’t new, but they are changing. Today’s employees – and companies – have different values. But as they say, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Research on workplace motivation goes all the way back to Frederick Herzberg in 1959. In his famous studies, Herzberg categorized workplace motivation into “maintenance” factors, like salary, job security and benefits, and “motivating” factors, like achievement, pride and recognition. He found that maintenance factors only went so far. For employees to be truly satisfied in their jobs, they needed motivating factors. If you find your employee recognition program isn’t having the effect it used to – or never had a very big effect – it may need a makeover to take it from a maintenance factor to a motivating factor. Here are five things to look at, along with a few employee recognition program examples that work.

Check Your Incentives

Everyone loves free stuff – that’s just a fact of human nature. But if your employees feel like you are trying to buy their loyalty, rather than truly recognize their accomplishments, it can have the opposite effect. The best examples of employee recognition programs go beyond just handing out free stuff. They give thoughtful, personalized gifts that make employees feel seen and appreciated – because the true value of an employee recognition program is to contribute to positive company culture and make your team feel they are a part of something bigger.

Make Your Employee Recognition Program Easy

Does your company seem unenthusiastic about your employee recognition program? Do you have to remind people constantly of what they need to do? If your program is flagging, it could be because it’s  too complicated. Too many steps in the voting process, too many people involved or too many large events can all be roadblocks slowing down your program. You don’t have to give out fewer awards – just find a way to streamline the process. Employee recognition programs should be fun!

Provide Clear Goals

Sometimes, employee recognition programs decline because the team simply doesn’t know what they are aiming for. For example, if you have an Employee of the Month program, make it clear what employees need to do to earn the title: jumping in on projects unasked, learning new skills, mentoring a teammate or resolving the most customer complaints are all criteria you could use. Give your team a path to being recognized so that they know where their efforts are most valued.

Use Technology

This is a great way to reboot complicated employee recognition programs. Use Google forms to create a recognition nomination form that employees can fill out and submit entirely online. Or, create a survey using Google or another free service to take votes regarding categories, winners and the overall format of your program. You can also use surveys to ask for input on what employees think is working and not working about your current program.

Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment

Times have changed. Employees are staying at jobs for shorter periods of time, care more about positive company culture and may not feel rewarded by the same things they did 20 – or even 10 – years ago. If your employee recognition program has been in a slump, maybe it’s time to switch it up. Instead of awards for years of service, give awards for innovation and leadership. Try unique gifts like barware or clocks. Or, let a team of employees run the show instead of HR. With a little creativity, you’ll create a program that’s exciting and motivating.

Examples of Employee Recognition Programs That Work

Need a little inspiration? Here are a few employee recognition ideas that can take your program to the next level.

• Employee of the Month: It’s a tried and true recognition program because it works. Singling out just one employee makes that person feel especially valued, and gives everyone else something to work toward. Just make sure that the exact traits you’re rewarding are clear.
• Peer-to-peer recognition: Praise from peers means more than praise from managers or supervisors – and it encourages teamwork and collaboration. Employee recognition programs should always incorporate peer feedback, through a nomination or voting process that includes all levels of the organization.
• On-the-spot awards: Awards don’t have to be a complicated nomination and voting process. Set up something like a “Going the Extra Mile Program,” where colleagues can nominate each other on the spot for doing that little something extra for a teammate or client. Award a small plaque, pin or other economical prize to the recipient.
• Friendly competition: You don’t always have to recognize professional accomplishments. In fact, encouraging fitness – both mental and physical – among your employees directly reduces sick days and other time taken off. Set up workplace fitness challenges like step-counting, stair-climbing, biking to work or other friendly competitions. Don’t forget a fun trophy for the winner!

Employee recognition programs should be personalized, simple, inclusive and provide a clear path to winning. If you think yours needs a boost, it’s time to go back and make sure you’re checking all those boxes. And remember: Most importantly, employee recognition should be fun!

Get High Quality Employee Recognition Awards from EDCO

Now that you know all the reasons why motivating employees with awards is important and how to invest in an employee recognition program, you can get all the awards you need from EDCO and start enjoying these benefits today! EDCO is a leader in many types of employee recognition awards including employee of the month awards, crystal awards, and more. Contact us now to get started.

Adaption of Employee Recognition Programs to Remote

The severity of the global COVID-19 pandemic prompted quite a bit of change in practically every aspect of life, but particularly in the business sector. Abrupt closures of thousands of businesses meant offices and other workspaces were abandoned as a new era of remote work was ushered in for millions across the entire nation. Thanks to technology advancements and work from home innovations, remote work has thrived, and many companies have embraced work-from-home programs as a long-term solution.

Regardless of the reliance on in-person or remote work, a good employee recognition program is still important. In some ways, it’s even more vital to company success in a remote, work-from-home environment. Celebrating achievement helps keep employees motivated, feel appreciated and helps ensure employee retention.

The specifics and frequency of corporate awards will vary from company to company, but all should enjoy the same benefits. By rewarding remote employees and celebrating and honoring their accomplishments and hard work, businesses can motivate their employees to be more productive and work more efficiently.

Continue the Tradition of Employee Recognition

Maintaining a good employee recognition program boosts employee morale and contributes to a more supportive culture that lowers retention rates. It’s simple – if employees feel as though their hard work and dedication is not just appreciated, but publicly recognized, they’ll want to work harder and have less interest in searching for employment elsewhere. This acknowledgement is especially important when facing a work-from-home environment, as you won’t have the opportunities to show your appreciation through words and actions in person in the office.

Considering the importance of employee recognition awards in a work-from-home environments, you’ll want to give a lot of thought into the type of award you’re bestowing. Such awards should be meaningful, public, and personalized so they truly convey how appreciative you are of your employee’s hard work. To create a meaningful award, incorporate some work from home element in the name or physical trophy itself. If some of your employees work in office and others are remote, perhaps give out a remote employee of the month award in addition to an in-office employee of the month.

Keeping Employee Morale High

Obviously, it’s important to keep the morale of all employees high. Higher morale makes employees more engaged in their work and work more productively. They also are less likely to quit or seek employment elsewhere. There are a variety of reasons why a business should strive to keep morale high and employees in good spirits, and while there have been years of insights and experiences that can help when creating a culture like this in an office, there’s not much to draw from when trying to extend the same work atmosphere to remote employees.

Thankfully, boosting morale for remote employees is not as challenging as it may sound, and it should fit in perfectly with one of your existing programs. The pandemic made employee recognition even more important than it already was, so include awards specially for remote staff in your employee appreciation program. Recognition awards made just for remote employees will show them how much you appreciate their hard work, and the specificity will make the gesture feel more meaningful. Awards for remote employees won’t just boost their morale, they’ll also encourage them to be more efficient and more engaged in your company culture.

Embrace the Changing Environment by Recognizing New Achievements

Find new ways to celebrate and acknowledge your staff members! We all know that working remote comes with its fair share of technical difficulties, so perhaps give out an award to those who persevered despite having a bad internet connection or other technical issues. Even if you can’t physically present the award, make sure the recipient is brought up in a company meeting or in some other way where all can see. Lastly, you don’t want to get something generic without the company logo or recipient’s name engraved because it’ll make it seem like you didn’t put any thought into the award.

There are so many ways to celebrate the accomplishments of your employees in a work-from-home environment, including these remote team celebration ideas:

·         Branded Merchandise:When it comes time to celebrate your remote teams, give them something that reminds them of your appreciation. Branded merchandise is a fantastic way to reward your teams while making them feel welcome. Promotional merchandise is a great tool for raising morale among your employees, and they create a lasting impression your employees will remember for years to come. It will be important to choose the right products; if the reward is perceived as useless, it will take value away from the recognition. Check out EDCO’s popular branded merchandise today!

·         Food: Just because you have a team full of remote employees doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate with some delicious food. Sending your top employees special snacks and taking them out for a nice meal are great ways to connect with them and make them feel valued for their hard work. Everyone will find appreciation from enjoying some of their favorite foods, and this will help boost productivity and make your team happier.

·         Public Recognition: One of the best ways to make your employees feel valued is to have their accomplishments announced to your whole team. Putting them in the spotlight helps show others what excellence looks like and inspires those around them. Encouraging your team to congratulate your top performers helps build a culture of appreciation and helps retain talent. When employees feel their dedication is not only appreciated by their boss but by the rest of the team around them, they’ll want to work harder and have less interest in searching for employment elsewhere.

·         Custom Trophies and Plaques: Customized trophies and plaques are great options because they provide tangible recognition that the employee gets to keep. Trophies such as teamwork awards provide a continuous reminder of your company’s appreciation when they are displayed on a desk, bookshelf, or wall, helping them feel even more connected to their peers and the company itself. A corporate award such as a trophy helps drive a sense of pride and appreciation and can motivate some employees to work even harder. When your award is customized with the recipient’s name and your company logo, it makes it even more meaningful, making them feel appreciated for their diligent work.

Customized corporate crystal awards are a great way to add a personal touch to employee awards and reward remote employees. Check out some of EDCO’s best employee recognition awards below!

Crystal Service Award Plaque

The Crystal Service Award Plaque is one of the best ways to honor an extremely dedicated employee and something they’ll be sure to have on their desk at home. The award is made from a strong crystal material that’s not only more durable than glass but also more transparent. Our crystal material also has properties that mimic those of a prism, meaning it’s more reflective than glass and sparkles beautifully in the light. Your employee will be reminded of how much you appreciate them every time it catches the light at the right angle.

Elemental Pyramid Award

Typically used to recognize employees that exemplify core values, accomplish certain goals, or is quickly rising through the ranks of your organization, the Elemental Pyramid Award is perfect for a variety of uses. It can be awarded to the remote employees that demonstrate your companies values even in a remote setting, a remote employee that consistently rises above and beyond expectations, or your best team leader that works remotely. The award is constructed with a beautifully clear optical crystal and accented with deep blue crystal risers that separate the three separate parts of the pyramid. It’s truly a sight to behold that your remote employees will cherish.

Ambient Gold Acrylic Hexagon Award

Even though it features a classic hexagonal style, this award is anything but traditional. This is mainly due to the injection of gold color that can be seen at the top and bottom of the award and its sub-surface mirror base. Both elements add some visual appeal to the award. Available in two different sizing options, the Ambient Gold Acrylic Hexagon Award is perfect for recognizing outstanding performance in an outstanding way.

Want to find more great award options for your remote employees? Check out our incredible selection of crystal awards, acrylic awards, art glass awards, plaques, and more today!

How to Host a Virtual Award Ceremony

Everybody appreciates some form of recognition for their hard work, so employee recognition programs should strive to include all employees, from those in entry level positions to supervisors, team leads, and others in managerial roles. While most companies are effective in making all their in-office employees feel included and appreciated with their employee recognition programs, remote employees can still feel left out.

Having a good remote work culture is just as important as a good in-office culture, if not more so, because there is none of the daily, face-to-face, in-person interactions that can build relationships, strengthen bonds, and build trust. This is not to say that those things cannot happen virtually or through a medium like Zoom, but it’s harder to do so. Additionally, it’s often much easier to plan in-office events than virtual events or incorporate a virtual element to in-person events. This shouldn’t deter businesses from looking for ways to include their remote employees in events and their employee recognition program because remote employees will understand the effort and truly feel appreciated.

One of the best ways to both include remote employees in company events and make them feel valued is to host a virtual awards ceremony. While most award ceremonies have a sense of spectacle and grandeur to them that may be hard to replicate virtually, there are a variety of benefits that will offset whatever technical troubles companies may associate with a virtual awards ceremony. Remote employees will be more productive, more engaged with the company and their co-workers, and less likely to look for employment elsewhere and leave the company. So, how do you host a virtual award ceremony?

Prepare for technical difficulties

While the entire world recently got a lot more familiar with video conferencing apps like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, it’s inevitable that technical difficulties will arise. Whether it’s a slow connection, audio that just refuses to work, an issue with screen mirroring, or something else, you should account for technical difficulties and have a backup plan. Have the host test things like the network connection and audio beforehand so any potential issues can be addressed. As a backup plan, we recommend you have a simple PowerPoint presentation that communicates the same information just without some of the frills ready to go. The meeting host can share their screen and go through the slides.

Keep Your Audience Engaged

To keep audiences engaged and not tune out the presentation or become distracted by something in their environment, we recommend you offer like polls or quizzes, ensure the medium you chose to host the ceremony has a chat feature, and assign a moderator to take care of comments or questions that may come up. You’ll also want to save the best awards for last to ensure the attendees don’t leave early. It’s also important to have an engaging opening sequence to make a good impression on attendees and grabs their attention from the start.

Keep the Show Short and Tightly Scripted

Having a ceremony that moves quickly with a fast-flowing script is another way to ensure attendees stay engaged and don’t tune anything out. It’s smart to write a script beforehand so speakers know exactly what they should be saying and run through the event a few times to practice and ensure there’s no confusion that will prolong it and make attendees lose interest. Pre-filming some of the content that will be included in the ceremony is also a good way to make an event tightly scripted because you can pick the best, most concise takes.

Determine how the Awards will be Distributed

You don’t want to be caught without an answer to how award recipients will get their award if asked, so work out whether awards will be shipped, personally delivered, or picked up. Give your award recipients multiple options so they can pick how they’d like to receive their award.

While your award ceremony will be virtual, you’ll need physical awards to make it all come together. At EDCO, we offer a wide selection of customizable corporate awards that help you show your gratitude for every employee’s hard work. We have an award for everything you can think of and more, so shop our collection of employee recognition awards, Corporate Awards, and trophies today to begin rewarding remote employees!

Custom Engraved Corporate Awards and Employee Recognition

Corporate gifts are a thoughtful way to say your company has noticed an employee’s hard work and wants to say thank you for the dedication. A personalized gesture, like a custom engraved corporate award from EDCO, helps promote happiness, fulfillment, and loyalty among employees.

Following the receipt of custom corporate awards, don’t be surprised to see your employees working even harder than they were before. When employees are singled out and specially recognized in this way for what they bring to the company, you can bet they will continue to be top-notch employees. Sometimes tangible recognition means more than a paycheck ever could.

Offer your employees gifts that are custom printed. Awards like these can include the individual’s name along with their achievement engraved beside your company’s logo. Anything from simple engraved plaques to obelisk structures in the form of crystal awards are great ways to show employee achievement. Companies also have been known to host entire dinners where these awards are presented to the employees.

However, how you choose to present corporate gifts to employees most likely doesn’t matter. In this instance, it’s more the gesture and what that means. When you single out each employee to present the custom engraved award, you’re also giving her, or him, a moment of glory to bask in.

Corporate Award Buying Tips

EDCO Awards & Specialties has prepared a list of 7 tips to help any business develop a successful corporate recognition awards program. Order awards online after checking out these helpful tips for custom corporate award selection:

1.        Look for quality: Above all, it’s important to consider the quality of the product. Pricing will give you a good idea when comparing employee awards vendors. A $35 corporate award, while perfectly suitable in a lot of situations, will not be of the same quality as an award that costs $135.
2.        Buy like you’re shopping for a diamond: Clarity, color, finish, and weight all have meaning when shopping for quality corporate awards. The difference between a glass award and crystal award is the clarity of the material. Glass awards will typically fall into a lower price range as a result. The weight of the award is important as well. You want a good quality glass or crystal, one-half to three-quarters inch thick, so it’ll have good weight.
3.        Go for the sizzle: You can buy a nice crystal award that is very traditional, but don’t do that till you’ve checked out the newer selections that combine colors and materials. We have several new optic crystal awards that combine optical glass, crystal, black glass, or colored glass. EDCO’s line of Contemporary Crystal Awards features several new styles that offer traditional glass designs with vibrant colors including blue and red.
4.        Appreciate custom engraved awards: The impact of a nice award can fall flat if it’s not engraved in a way most suitable for the material. Many local trophy shops will laser engrave crystal, which is inferior to the more state-of-the-art sandblasting process. Sand engraving or carving uses aluminum oxide as the blasting medium, which is a very fine material that does a very good job on detailed artwork and which delivers a precise, deep etch. Laser engraving doesn’t cut deep, so it doesn’t look as crisp and can really compromise the intricate details of a company logo. Depending on the material, color, and design, EDCO uses one of five different engraving methods: sand carving, laser etching, UV printing, sublimation or deep edge and color fill.
5.        Ask for help: Work with a trophy or awards vendor whose customer service department has in-depth knowledge of its product line. Time is of the essence. Most companies will order their awards 3-5 days before they need them and some request a 24-hour turnaround. As a result, you want to ensure that the staff member you are talking to understands how much time each step takes, what’s involved in the art design process, and how those affect the timing schedule.
6.        Buy from a manufacturer: Most local trophy shops lack expertise in corporate awards. Working directly with a manufacturer, like EDCO of Fort Lauderdale, enables companies to ensure they are receiving the highest quality product possible for their budget in a timely manner. Understanding time constraints, it’s important to work with a leading awards vendor that has the product in-stock, offers quick service and turnaround, and can individually work with the customer on art design. 
7.        Talk to a person:  The Internet has made it easy for businesses to purchase most of their office and production supplies without ever having to talk to another person.  But, when it comes to your corporate awards program, the outcome is too important to rely on a faceless and cheap Internet site. Economy sites don’t offer the quality craftsmanship, custom corporate award selection, or customer service of a traditional manufacturer like EDCO. Our team can do a lot more for our clients to make their corporate awards programs very meaningful. Because we stock all our items and do our art design and engraving in-house, we can create custom pieces for our clients and meet short turnaround times and tight budget constraints.

Corporate Awards and Employee Retention

A good employee recognition program with corporate awards has always been an important part of maintaining a successful business, but even more so considering today’s job turnover rate. Since 2010 the turnover rate has increased by a staggering 88% every year, and this is even though the number of people in the US workforce gets higher every year. On average, employees only stay with a company for a little over four years – managers about six and a half years – and this lack of talent retention has proven to be costly. By 2030, current data estimates predict that the US will lose $430 billion annually because of employee turnover rates. Granted, that loss is split up between hundreds of thousands of companies, but it’s still a staggering amount. Finding ways to retain talent should be a top priority for your company, assuming it wasn’t already.

Custom Corporate Award Quote Ideas and Inspiration

So, how do you go about ensuring talent stays with your company? The saying goes “actions speak louder than words.” So, rather than just telling your employees how much you value their efforts, show them with a custom engraved award! Thought should put into the kind of awards you give out and what they say. Perhaps you want a company motto, a personalized thank you message, or maybe a quote.

Quotes are a popular choice for customizing a corporate award. Here are five powerful quotes to consider adding to corporate awards for valuable employees:

“Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.” - Vince Lombardi

Longtime Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi’s team won five NFL Championships in seven years and won the NFL’s first two Super Bowls in the 1966 and 1967 seasons, so it’s safe to say he knows a thing or two about leadership. This Lombardi quote is perfect for a leadership award that recognizes the great managers, supervisors, and those who set a great example for others in your company!

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle

While the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle lived well before today’s corporate world, his words are still applicable and still ring true today. This quote is perfect for achievement awards that honor those who always go above and beyond and turn in excellent work day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year.

“To win in the marketplace you must first win in the workplace." – Doug Conant, Fmr. President and CEO of the Campbell Soup Company

Conant’s quote underscores the importance of positive work environments and office culture, both of which should be considered “winning in the workplace.” Thus, it’s a great fit for awards given to those who make the biggest contributions to office culture by making work a fun and exciting place to be.

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs delivered this timeless bit of wisdom in his 2005 Stanford commencement speech, and it’s a great quote to put on a retirement award to honor someone who was loyal to your company for some time and clearly loved what they did.

“Management is doing things right, leadership is doing the right things.” – Peter Drucker, Management Consultant and Author

Like the Lombardi quote, Drucker’s quote about leadership is a perfect fit on a leadership award that acknowledges those who lead by example and are always doing right by your clients, customers, and employees.

Crystal Corporate Award Examples

EDCO has the best selection of unique crystal awards on the market. Our high-quality crystal awards are made with pure K9 optical crystal. Our unique designs capture light to create colorful prisms offering a stunning presentation. No other medium captures light and color quite like crystal, and it is sure to highlight your top employee’s excellence for years to come. Our unique and custom corporate awards are crafted by our artisans, who have over 50 years of experience creating beautiful pieces to help our customers celebrate excellence. If you are ready to create a memorable recognition experience, check out some of our finest unique awards below.

The Majestic Eagle Crystal Award is a one-of-a-kind trophy that will become a centerpiece wherever it is displayed. Like the majestic bird itself, this trophy captures feelings of courage, strength, and freedom. This award is perfect for those on your team who exhibit these traits. The Majestic Eagle award is crafted with stunning crystal that will offer an impressive presentation when light shines upon it. This award sits atop a black crystal base where your recipient’s name, company logo, and personalized message can be added. Show your appreciation for those who soar above and beyond with the Majestic Eagle Crystal Award today.

The Crystal Torch Trophy is a stunning award that features a triple-flame design resting atop a clear crystal torch. This design is crafted with our stunning amber crystal in the flame and an impressive clear optic crystal for the torch handle allowing for a beautiful presentation. This timeless design was crafted to embody the spirit of the Olympic Torch and is perfect for awarding your team’s best employees. At the base of this unique award, there is room for your company logo, recipient name, and a short message to show your appreciation. Use this award for the leaders who guide your team to victory.

The Vulko Flame Art Crystal is a phenomenal piece of art that will celebrate your team’s achievement. This extraordinary award is constructed from glazed crystal and sits atop a jet-black crystal base. This base can be crafted with your company logo, recipient name, and customized message. The flame on this award will change color from deep purple in natural light to attractive blue in fluorescent office lighting, allowing for excellent presentation in any setting. This handblown design is sure to provide a wow factor to your next awards ceremony. This award is perfect for those who strive for excellence every day.

The Achievement Ovation Art Glass Award is a unique design that can be given to those who are paramount to the company’s success. This award features a hand-blown sculpture mixed with deep blue hues sitting atop an optic crystal base. This base offers ample room for your company logo, recipient name, and offers room for a short message, all etched deep into the base. Next time you need a unique award for an impressive victory, this award is for you.

Custom Engraved Corporate Awards – Order Awards Online

EDCO America’s leader in recognition and is your home for unique awards. Our high-quality crystal corporate awards will show your employees how much you appreciate them every day. Shop our selection today and order awards online at EDCO to get what you need to build a great office environment and keep talent with your company.

For help with your corporate award program, call 800-377-8646.