Years of Service Awards

Recognize Your Employees For Years of Service

One of the most effective and established practices in HR is to recognize employees for their long-term service. And celebrating employees for their years of service is something that most organizations have in place.

So why do most employees feel inadequately appreciated for their work? The answer is, most companies aren’t doing it right. Even though their hearts are in the right place. Here are a few things you can do to implement an effective service awards program at your company:

Offer Something That Will Last

A lot of employers feel that when they recognize or celebrate their employees, they should offer them something useful. A gift card is a common offering, watches have been an achievement award for salesmen throughout the years, and so on.  But in the quest for giving something “useful,” employers can make 5, 10, or even 25 years of service feel like it’s only worth a dinner at a nice steakhouse. When it’s truly a timeless, and enduring contribution.  This is where employee recognition awards come in. When you offer something that lasts, you symbolize the lasting effect that your employee has made on your company.  You show them that their service will be felt, long after they’ve retired.

Choose an Award that Creates a WOW Moment

So how do you choose the right award? There are many ways to honor the moment for any employee, and make them feel celebrated. A crystal award is a good place to start.  High-quality crystal has a way of inspiring employees to achieve as well. The weight, and clarity of an award makes all the difference when using crystal to recognize your employee.

Give Years of Service Awards in 5-year Increments.

How often should you award your long-term employees? Do what feels right for you. Every 5 years are the most common anniversaries to celebrate. For some, less than 5 is too little, and years of service awards given in different intervals can sometimes feel out of the ordinary. Maybe an 8-year celebration is right for you. There are no set rules.

Personalize the Awards You Give

Make sure any award you give has the employee’s name on it. This might be obvious to some, but you’d be surprised how many employers will take the time to find the right award, and then miss this very important step. Most established awards companies will offer free engravings. If they’ve been in the business for a while, they won’t let you make that rookie mistake.

Plan an Awards Presentation or Ceremony

And last but not least, plan a ceremony to give your employee their award. If you present it to them with a glass of champagne in your hand–it will be a moment they will remember every time they look at their award.