Thank you for joining me at today's Recognition TV webisode to talk about year end awards and recognition! You can watch the complete recorded version on Baudville.com or Baudville’s Facebook page. Several of my tips, ideas and best practices are below, but I recommend you watch the entire video (it’s only about 15 minutes!) to catch everything.

Watch the Recognition TV websiode here:

At Baudville, we advocate for organizations to practice day-to-day recognition, the every day expressions of appreciation that reinforce and reward desired behaviors. Day-to-day recognition makes recognition on-going and accessible to everyone, contributing to a more positive work environment and better results.

We also teach our customers that recognition holidays and certain times of year deserve special recognition, too. The end of the year is an important time for recognition. Recognizing individual accomplishments from the year improves loyalty, dedication and commitment in your star performers, and team recognition improves camaraderie and belongingness, strengthening team member connections.

So how will you recognize your staff this year? There are many reasons to recognize at the end of the year. Some of the most popular awards:
 Perfect attendance
 Top sales
 Team awards
 Exceeding goals
 Employee of the year (nominated by managers)
 Manager of the year (nominated by employees)

Celebrating Year End Recognition

Once you’ve determined what you will recognize, it’s time to turn your attention to how you will celebrate. Before you begin planning, determine your budget and the size of your celebration. I have three suggestions for year end recognition celebrations that can be adjusted to fit the scope of your party.

Formal Award Ceremony
The most common form of recognition at the end of the year is a formal award ceremony. These events typically occur in the evening and allow employees to bring a guest for dinner and entertainment. The most important part of this event, however, is the award presentation.

For memorable and effective recognition, recognize your milestone service anniversaries, and take time to give a special thank you to the spouses and guests for their support of your valued employees at your event.

If you’re presenting formal awards, use our Award Presentation Guide to collect all the information you need for a memorable presentation. Be sure you have the trophy or award certificate ready to hand out at the event, too. Your presentation won’t have the same impact if you have to give the trophy to the recipient at a later time.

For more award presentation tips and ideas, watch Kurt's Recognition TV webisode on Award Presentations and review these blog posts.

Informal Office Party
If a formal award ceremony isn’t in your budget, you can host a very nice event at your office. The important part of year end recognition is getting the team together and presenting public recognition. You don’t need a ballroom for that!

Many offices close for an afternoon and hold a holiday lunch for their team. You can have lunch catered or throw a potluck. Use a theme to make this event just as special as a formal award ceremony. Download our Employee Event Planning Checklist to remember all the little details that go into a great event.

You can have a little more fun with an informal party by encouraging employees to wear tacky sweaters or hosting a white elephant exchange. Since you’re not throwing an extravagant affair, plan to give each employee a small gift as a token of your appreciation.

I recommend having gift bags prepared ahead of time, one for each guest. Some ideas of items you can include in your gift bag:
 Holiday greeting card signed by the President
 Chocolates or a tasty treat
 Travel mug and cocoa
 Note Cube & Pen Gift Set

Personal Team Recognition
Your organization may not have a party or a gathering for the entire team, but you can still make your team feel appreciated. Managers can recognize their employees at their own small gathering or even a team meeting.

When you’re recognizing your team, I recommend you do something small and personal for each individual. For example, have an item engraved with the individual’s name and the year, or present a unique Character Pin as an award to each person.

Our Spinner Ornaments are very popular for year end recognition, too. Or choose one of our personalized gifts, and add a character story for each recipient. Award certificates are an affordable option, and you can use create award titles to make the awards fun. Download our Sample Employee Recognition Award Titles for ideas.

Year end awards and recognition can be as creative and fun as you make it. What are some of your favorite year end recognition traditions?