Celebrating Success from Afar: 7 Creative Remote Employee Recognition Ideas for Managers and Teams

Your workforce is the heartbeat of your company and so is their well-being. With a vast portion of the workforce shifting from office to remote working, a cue for managers to spark employee engagement in remote teams simultaneously arises. It is a basic human need to feel appreciated when things go our way. Remote, or in-office work, making employees feel good about themselves is as much a part of the manager’s job. Additionally, it’s an exciting way to keep employee engagement high and retain employees who do their jobs well.

What needs to be done and how it needs to be done is what we are here to answer. So, prepare your notes and learn seven creative ideas to create remote staff.

Why Does Celebrating Remote Employees Hold So Much Significance?

Employees bend over backwards to get the job done and keeping them motivated especially in a remote work environment is hard but crucial. When working remotely from their homes, traditional recognition methods may not be feasible. It is thus important to acknowledge their hard work and contributions by employing virtual recognition alternatives to build meaningful connections, boost morale and reduce feelings of isolation.

How to Recognize Remote Employees Effectively?

1. Virtual Applause: Clap from Your Laptops

Who said remote recognition always has to be a tough job? It can be as simple as recognizing employee milestones during virtual meetings. Working from home involves a horde of virtual conferences daily, so calling out employees for going the extra mile is a fun way to celebrate them. Involve the team members as much as you can to lift remote employee’s morale.

1. Get creative and use fun emojis to engage in real-time.

2. Let different team members acknowledge the remote employee for their level of hard work.

3. Create short videos showcasing their achievements or make office employees sing special songs to applaud them.

2. Digital Badges and Certificates: Wear Your Badge of Honor Proudly

Employee recognition is vital for increasing employee productivity and retaining the workforce. To do that effectively, we recommend managers to cater to tangible recognition also. It can involve creating digital badges or certificates to acknowledge the good work. Managers can send them via email, company intranet, or create a special Zoom workspace background. By personalizing these badges for individual employees, or implementing a points system to collect these badges overtime, employers can bring up employee motivation to a whole new level.

3. Virtual Team Building Activities: Redefining Play Hard, Work Hard

Working from home can become exhausting and take a toll on the employee’s mental or physical health. Organizing engaging team-building activities can ensnare fun and recognition into a single game. Give them a chance to revitalize and reconnect from the life’s pandemonium. A joyful way to do that would be through games, virtual escape rooms, and trivia contests. Give prizes to top performers to foster healthy competition in remote and office teams.

4. Virtual Kudos Boards: High Fives All Around

Appreciating employees is simple. First, don’t wait for “the special moments” to thank employees. Second, make their day a positive one by sending out personalized kudos via Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Trello. Some days, even a small token of appreciation will get your employees through the rough sledding.

Consider these wondrous tips:

5. E-Gift Cards and Digital Rewards for Instant Gratification

Who doesn’t love tangible rewards? Well, your remote teams do for sure. Consider using remote rewards as a token of appreciation. Whether it's coffee on the company, surprise food deliveries or a subscription to a favourite service, these small gestures can be a holy grail to unlock employee engagement and productivity. Their birthdays, work anniversaries or crucial project achievements can be wonderful events to pamper your remote teams a little.

6. Personalized Video Messages for that Extra Homely Feeling

Again, employee recognition doesn’t have to be a massive gesture. It means a big deal for remote workers to get appreciation through video messages from supervisors they look up to. Let the inner creativity spark and send them thoughtful video messages that work like magic. These last for a long and can be shared on the company’s social media platforms to give everyone insights into your company culture.

Read our Quick Handbook for Remote Employees!

7. Breaking Bread Apart with Casual Appreciation

Simple can speak volumes. Indulge your remote employees by sending them food coupons or gift cards or by hosting virtual lunches to ease their minds off the work. Use these casual settings to recognize and celebrate achievements in a more informal atmosphere. Allow employees to order their favourite food and organize themed team lunches or coffee breaks to add an element of fun.

Remote Staff Recognition: Keeping the Spirit Alive!

Whether it's remote or office teams, it's quintessential to applaud their good work and dedication through fun and exciting ways that usher in a positive and collaborative environment even while working remotely. Have your company’s unique recognition rituals and make every employee feel valued and appreciated, no matter where they are.