If you want people to engage within your company and stick around for the long haul, consider an employee recognition and service awards program. After all, your employees are your most valuable commodity. Recognize their hard work and you’ll see increased productivity, improved morale, and ultimately, a better bottom line. According to one study, 78% of U.S. workers report that being recognized motivates them at their job. (If you’re still thinking that all of this recognition stuff is just another way to spend money, these statistics might change your mind.) You don’t have to spend a fortune or even get super fancy with it. Just decide what milestones you want to recognize, and choose appropriate gifts for each reward. Typical programs honor years of service (for example, 5, 10, 15 years and so on) as well as retirement. However, since millennials tend to change jobs more frequently, you might want to consider recognizing other milestones early and often. A few ideas include on-boarding gifts, birthday gifts, and awards for specific achievements. Take a look at some of our bestselling employee recognition and service awards. #1: Classic awards, like plaques, crystal or glass awards. You can’t go wrong with a beautiful award that’s personalized and presented in a meaningful way. For a traditional gift, gravitate towards crystal  or plaques. If you want a more modern spin on the classics, look to full color and art glass pieces instead.

#2: Custom watches. This may seem a little old school, but custom watches still make great gifts, especially for longer years of service. You can easily incorporate your brand into a custom watch design, and make it as subtle (or flashy) as you like. Fossil remains our most popular watch brand, but we carry a host of other recognizable brands and private label options, too.

#3: Clocks. Time seems to be a theme with service awards, doesn’t it? Our clients still favor desk and mantel clocks with either a custom logo or a personalized, engraved plate. (If you want maximum connection with your brand and mission, go with a desk clock. Once you snag a spot on someone’s desktop, your gift will likely be there for years.)

#4: Pins and emblems. Use custom pins, coins and emblems to celebrate specific moments with your employees, and include years of service, or even key elements of your company mission and vision. We like these custom medallions, too. (Tip: Turn them into a beautiful display with a set of coasters or a decorative frame or base.)

  #5: Selection of high-value gift options. People like variety, so you can create a print or online catalog of lifestyle items (i.e. stuff you can use outside of the office) and allow employees to choose the award that means the most to them. This is where we really shine. (For more on creating a custom program, click here.)

Our most popular gifts in programs include apparel, electronics, outdoor items, and home/kitchen items. Whether or not you choose to include a logo is entirely up to you. (Tip: It’s much easier to add a logo to a cooler or a piece of luggage than to a TV or a BBQ smoker. Keep in mind that we CAN include big name brands in your program…even without a logo. Just ask us how.)

If you’d like to start a program (or tweak the one you’ve got), we’d love to help.

Contact us to get started today!