1. Startups can effectively recognize employees with creative, low-cost methods that enhance motivation and performance even in chaotic work environments.
2. Personalized gestures such as a video message from the CEO, home-delivered favorite meals, or a team shout-out video can create meaningful connections and boost morale.
3. Thoughtful rewards like gift hampers, donations to a cause, paid leave, or a sponsored virtual party can make employees feel valued and appreciated.
4. Home-based experiences like beauty treatments or grooming sessions offer a unique and comfortable way to recognize employees’ hard work.
Today, startups are attractive for young professionals, primarily due to the learning and growth opportunities and exposure to new technologies and business models. However, working in a startup can be stressful, too, with its dynamic goals, unclear roles, and overall chaos. Hence, we have created eight creative ideas for startups to recognize their employees.
Many startups often do not invest in employee recognition programs citing lack of resources and low budgets.
These ideas are easy to implement, inexpensive, personalized, and work well even in a virtual work environment.
This can help startups to create a positive work culture where they recognize employees for their achievements.
The recognition, in turn, motivates them to perform at higher levels despite all the challenges. Here goes:
A personal video call or message from the CEO or one of the Co-Founders appreciating an achievement or performance can work wonders for motivating any startup employee.
Coming from the top boss himself or herself can be a huge confidence booster for the employee.
It can also create a personal connection between the top management and the high performers.
Another idea to recognize employees’ achievements would be to get their favorite meals delivered to their homes.
It could be anything from a great breakfast pack, pizza, mouth-watering desserts, healthy snacks, or even a game-night meal combo.
The organizer must know the employee’s food preferences directly or through the supervisor or coworkers.
Nothing works better than a team video that captures different team members appreciating a coworker on camera for a specific achievement.
Video clips of individual team members can be compiled using video editing software such as Spark or Openshot; possibly with some background music and special effects.
The video can be shared via email or WhatsApp or played during a team meeting via web conferencing.
This form of recognition certainly has a lot of social value.
Another effective way to recognize employees is by sending gift hampers to their homes.
These hampers could include snacks, health foods, beauty products, or grooming products, depending on the employees’ preferences and budget.
Once again, it’s essential to personalize the entire experience rather than following a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.
Donating to a cause that the employee supports or believes in, on his or her behalf is a great way to recognize them.
Contributions can be made online. This form of recognition is a significant feel-good factor for most employees.
As employees of startups often experience overwork and stress, some break in the tight work schedule might be welcome.
The startup can spice it up by giving employees a gift voucher for shopping or other activities.
This can make the entire experience even more satisfying for the employee.
This idea is a variant of the first one but involves other team members.
This could be in the form of a pizza party or a movie/game night, where employees can celebrate together from their own homes via web conferencing.
The food can be reached through home delivery while team members interact socially over web conferencing. Virtual party games can add more zing to it.
Another great form of recognition could be organizing a beauty treatment or a grooming session for the employee at his or her home.
This would be an excellent experience for the employee right from the comfort and safety of his or her home.
The choice of experience needs to consider the employee’s personal preferences.
These creative ideas for startups to recognize their employees should help them energize and drive them to even higher levels of performance despite the challenging, unstructured, and often chaotic work environments.
Lead author: Sagar Chaudhuri, the Co-Founder and CEO of HiFives. He is an HR Tech Evangelist with over 25 years of corporate and entrepreneurship experience. In the past, Sagar has worked in leadership roles with companies such as Genpact, Infosys, and ICICI Bank. He has an engineering degree from IIT Kharagpur and an MBA from IIM Lucknow. Connect on LinkedIn
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