State Employee Recognition Day is May 8, 2013

The thousands of dedicated individuals who make up the state’s workforce are individuals at all levels of state government who are making a difference for nearly 10 million Georgians every day.

It’s time to show your employees how much you appreciate their service to Georgia.  Anyone can recognize their fellow co-workers and employees, and it doesn’t have to cost much or anything at all.

Here are some low cost, no cost recognition ideas:

• Thank your employees/coworkers (Personal hand-written notes, Email that can be saved and forwarded, or a verbal “Great Job!” or simple “Thank you!”)
• Send e-mails to supervisors recognizing their employee (copy the employee)
• Keep a box of blank cards or cards for different occasions in your desk
• Establish “Extra Mile” Awards, “Applause” Awards, etc.  Give creative superlatives or titles – Best Phone Voice, Guru of Graphs, Team MVP
• Recognize birthdays and service anniversaries
• Give spontaneous high fives or fist bumps
• Donate goods or services to give as prizes
• Coordinate an after-work get-together
• Bring in homemade or store-bought goodies or organize a potluck to recognize a team’s hard work
• Put employees’ pictures on a bulletin board, or include an article about them in agency newsletters, intranet or internet sites
• Recognize employees demonstrating the agency’s values
• Recognize community service and volunteer work
• Reserve a special parking spot for a deserving employee
• Tie-in teambuilding activities to recognition
• Send reminders to employees to recognize each other
• Award coupons to dress casually
• Create an employee recognition suggestion box
• Announce activities across your organization – not just by section or location
• During team meetings, have members share one thing they value about each team member
• Give a deserving employee a challenging assignment they requested
• Consider opportunities for rotational assignments and job shadowing
• Create computer-generated recognition forms/certificates, signed by senior leader
• Share compliments from the public with an employee and put a copy in their personnel file
• Hold a recognition breakfast, lunch, ice cream party or pizza party. Have supervisors and managers set up, serve, and clean up
• Hold drawings for restaurant, books or music store and movie ticket gift cards
• Award a “traveling trophy” that is given to a different employee each year
• Invite a local dignitary or motivational speaker for an event at the office
• Invite your customers to visit your offices for an after-work drop in to get to know each other better

Recognition is a powerful motivator, and it contributes to higher employee morale, increases organizational productivity, and aids in recruitment and retention.