From virtual rewards and recognition ideas to gifts, check out our top 10 list.
The best rewards for employees to motivate them to continue working hard as well as show your appreciation don’t have to blow your budget or all of your time trying to find a special gift. Checkout these 10 creative ways to recognize remote employees in conferences which also include rewarding employees in conferences.
1. Cash Giveaways and a Self Care Swag Bag
Recognize your remote employees at a conference with cash giveaways and a branded self care swag bag they can use throughout the event. By recognizing them at a conference, they can enjoy the limelight as well as all the extras!
While the cash giveaway can be dictated by your company’s budget and the type of work they are being recognized for, a self care swag bag, while small and inexpensive sends a personal message that you care about them.
Some ideas to consider for your Self Care Swag Bag are hand sanitizer, eco friendly wipes, lip balm and a canvas bag for easy traveling. Discover Summer Swag Ideas for conferences too.
2. Give them a shout out on social media!
Then present them with great swag that works as hard as they do! If you’ve been wondering how to recognize employees virtually, don’t overlook the power of social media! The beauty (and the beast) of social media is two fold. First, your employees will get lots of love and attention since anyone who comments will help the post gain momentum. Plus, by doing this, not only will your employees be rewarded but your company will gain a lot of exposure as well. Hello, marketing power!
For swag that gets major kudos for their high quality and style, you can’t go wrong with brands like North Face, Timbuk2, Corkcicle, and Carhartt.
3. Give them a break in the form of a vacation day or two with pay!
For hard working employees who never let you down and always seem to go the extra mile, an employee reward idea they’re sure to love is time off! This is also the perfect way to show your appreciation after big conferences.
Ready to dole out a vacay day or two? Why not add in employee rewarding kits to help them kick up their feet? You can’t go wrong with swag like candles, diffusers, tea, and a savory sweet! And, if you’ve ever wondered how to incentivize employees, these three little letters are a shoe in: PTO!
4. Host a fun team building event and add an employee reward bag pack for each participant!
The chance to get away from the daily grind for a day of adventure, surprises, and fun with coworkers? Count us in! Even your remote employees will enjoy getting out of the house for some IRL excitement! Can’t meet face to face? You can also host a virtual team building event.
Throw in a gift card to your company’s online swag store so employees can show up in style and ready to play! Don’t have an online swag store? Gemnote can help you get started stat!
5. Celebrate remote employees virtually on your next team call then gift them fabulous finds for their home office!
Zoom fatigue? Not when you’re celebrating your fabulous team! Give them a fun shout out on your next team call. This is a one of the best virtual recognition ideas since everyone on the call can join and help sing their praise!
When you are ready to let the kudos fly, you can’t go wrong with hi tech gifts to give their office an insta boost! Think bluetooth speakers, a leather desk tray, universal charging cable, and a sleek notebook.
6. Give them a swag basket filled with gear that supports their favorite hobbies.
As far as rewards for employees, when you make it personal to what they like it automatically makes it more special and shows you care. Afterall, they are so much more than just their job title.
For lovers of fitness, yoga or just the great outdoors, you can’t go wrong with great gear like this State Franklin Weekender Bag, yoga mat, Larq Bottle, or a Nike sweatshirt.
7. Recognize your remote employees in your company newsletter and shower them with something they’ll love to wear.
There’s just something about seeing your name in print that makes you feel special, and with everything moving to digital these days, it’s even more so. After you recognize them for all to see, lavish them with fantastic swag like athleisure that they can wear any day of the week!
Tip: Customize your swag with your company’s logo so it’s perfect for working at home and dubs for conference attendee apparel. You can’t go wrong with a Marmot zip pullover, Champion sweatshirt, Marine layer tee and ArcTeryx jacket.
8. Treat them to a swag bag full of gourmet treats!
When it comes to celebrating, keeping it fun— and sweet— are the types of employee rewards we can all appreciate. Besides, no one ever says congrats with a bag of kale. That said, look for unique treats you won’t find in your average vending machine.
For employee rewards ideas that are just as pretty as they are tasty, you can’t go wrong with Sugarfina Champagne Bears, The Yes Bar, Jacobsen salty caramels,
and K + M Chocolate.
For real bonus points get them a monthly subscription to high end chocolate, coffee, nuts, fruit etc.
9. Give them a special care package with essentials they can use at home.
Rewards for employees come in all shapes and sizes, but those they’ll use on repeat are the ones they’ll appreciate again and again.
Wondering what makes great essentials? Choose items like this Native Union Wireless Drop charger for convenience, a SAD lamp, a custom webcam cover because privacy is never overrated, and a cable charger organizer for mega convenience.
10. Host a virtual party to recognize the team in front of their peers and send swag before the event so they can arrive (virtually) in all their gear.
Wondering how to recognize employees virtually? Throw a virtual party and let the kudos fly! Company’s have gotten really good at throwing virtual events for their corporate events. Now take all that know-how and use it for celebrating for your A team!
Be sure and mail out your swag before the big so your team can be geared up and ready to party! Fun items to include, Public Goods Chocolate Almonds, Icemule Cooler, Miir Camp Cup, and a Brandwear United Vintage jersey tee.
Keep your reward system for employees fun and unexpected!
Examples of rewards and recognition for employees shouldn’t just be doled out once a year on an annual schedule. In fact, once that happens, rewards start to feel more expected than something that’s special and tailored to a job well done. Don’t worry, that doesn’t mean they have to be a huge production either.
Employee rewards examples that won’t hurt your marketing budget could be as simple as a personal letter from the CEO. This is a great way to recognize someone for their hard work and dedication. And having it come from the big boss is still extra special for remote employees who probably don’t have face to face contact with upper management. If you do decide to go this route, make sure the message is sincere and written on a card or corporate stationary. For an extra perk you could add in business cards or even a nice pen set so your employee knows they are still valued from afar.
How important is having employee recognition programs in place?
Investing in your employees goes a long way toward creating a positive culture for your company and reducing turnover. It can cost companies thousands of dollars to replace just one employee. And, a recent study in 2021 by Robert Half found that of professionals working from home due to the pandemic, 1 in 3 remote employees would look for a new job if asked to start working out of the office again. That’s definitely something to consider if your long term goal was to have all of your employees return to the office.
In addition to employee incentive gifts and putting some of your creative employee recognition ideas into action, employers should be diligent about setting aside time on a continual basis to talk about expectations and goals, as well as candid conversations about plans to return to the office or not. Some companies have even set up a hybrid schedule where employees can be in the office part of the week for important meetings and updates and still enjoy working from home as well.
Between identifying ideas for rewarding remote employees and keeping the lines of communication open on future remote possibilities, you can create a company culture that’s appreciated by both managers and employees alike.
