What could feel better than when your coworkers recognize all the hard work you've done? Only when it happens consistently. Imagine building a community within a company where everyone looks beyond just their work and sees the bigger picture of all the different jobs and tasks that get everyone to the company goal. It's a beautiful way to structure a company. A key ingredient - consistent recognition that managers, peers, and leadership bring forward. 

There are many ways to show recognition in the workplace: an easy one to incorporate with a high return - monthly employee nominations. Allow employees to highlight their coworkers' contributions, managers to realize the value their team is bringing to the table, and leadership to notice the potential that is in their organization. 

5 easy ways to employee nominations program success: 

1. Start small. Sometimes implementing new ideas and programs can be daunting so start small. Employee nominations can be done within a department or team, which would make for a smoother and easier implementation. Most likely, when the rest of the company sees how much more pride people have in their job, they will quickly get on board as well. 
2. Make it fun. Employee nominations can be as elaborate or as simple as you wish, but making it fun is key. Decide what departments should participate, what the questions can be, and the categories to spotlight people who make the wheels turn. Add humor, incorporate core values and key milestones along the way. 
3. Attach rewards. Make employee nominations something worth being proud of and make it tangible. Things like company bucks or additional PTO, or even lunch will make people excited to participate. 
4. Add a personal touch. Customization and personalization are key. Avoid the bland and standardized templates that do not have the feel of your company. Make the language, the questions, and the process match the company voice. 
5. Put on repeat. Go beyond a one-off event and automate nominations to be weekly, monthly, or quarterly events. Employees will know what to expect, look forward to it and remember that their work doesn't go unnoticed. 
   

Don't forget: doing monthly employee nominations is only one of the avenues for internal recognition and appreciation. However, having something on a cadence is a great foundation for a more robust employee recognition program.  

Not sure of where to start or how to implement employee nominations in your organization? We've got you: here is an easy to automate Employee Nomination Flow that can be customized to fit your company. No excuses for not bring some of this recognition culture into your team now.