In the age of COVID-19 and social distancing, many companies are surprised to learn how effective they can be with a remote team. However, while many companies are doing a great job of managing remote workers, it can be difficult to ensure that remote employees feel appreciated for their efforts and accomplishments.

If you're wondering how you can recognise your remote employees and celebrate their success, you're in the right place. Below we'll tell you how you can get creative with remote recognition in your company.

The Importance of Employee Recognition

A big part of creating a great company is ensuring that there is also a great community and company culture surrounding it. Employees tend to work more efficiently and have greater job satisfaction when they believe that their contributions matter, so it's important that employees feel a sense of belonging and that they feel appreciated for their efforts.

While recognising an employee's efforts is pretty straightforward when employees are coming into the office on a regular basis, it's a bit trickier to recognise an employee who is working from home instead. Expressing genuine appreciation and recognition isn't as simple as walking into an employee's office and telling them "Well done". 

Recognising remote employees requires a bit more planning, so it's important to think outside of the box to give your remote employees a bit of extra recognition when they've earned it.

Employees can often feel isolated when working remotely. Because of this, any appreciation you can express to them will be even more impactful, helping them to boost their confidence and feel more valued by your company.

How to Recognise Your Remote Employees

So how do you recognise your employees and give them the recognition they deserve? While it may be a bit easier to do in person, here are a few ways you can recognise employees who are working remotely.

1. Thank Them Directly

One of the simplest ways to thank an employee for a job well done is to simply express your appreciation directly in whatever way you usually communicate with them.

A personal workplace chat message from a manager, or even the CEO of a company, can be pretty effective at helping any employee feel appreciated. To take it one step further, you may even want to have a personal video chat with them to express your thanks instead of sending a written message.

While you can express your gratitude privately, you may also want to consider thanking them in a public setting instead to ensure that the entire team recognises the employee's hard work.

2. Host a Virtual Party

If you want to recognise your entire remote team for their efforts, one of the best ways to do it is to host a virtual party in celebration.

Using video call platforms, you can easily plan a party and give your employees a chance to unwind. Simply plan a time for your team to all join a video call together and let them know in advance what to expect.

Encourage your employees to eat a slice of cake or partake in their favorite drink during this special video meeting where they can relax and socialize. You may even want to play some music during the event or play a few party games such as trivia as well.

3. Send a Gift Card

One of the best ways to congratulate an employee who is working remotely is to give them a gift card. Giving your employee a gift card will send a clear message to them and is a great way to show your appreciation to them for a job well done.

Especially impactful is if you give out gift cards that are personalised to the employee and based on their own preferences. Consider giving them a more personalised gift card, if you know what their favorite restaurant or store is.

4. Buy Them Lunch

Another simple but effective way to show an employee your appreciation is by buying them lunch.

While you may not be able to sit down with them one-on-one to have a meal with them in-person, you can send them lunch from their favorite restaurant. Simply tell them that you'll be buying them lunch and ask them what they would like to have.

With delivery services such as Ubereats and Deliveroo being so widespread these days, you can easily get an employee's favorite meal delivered right to their door.

5. Offer Extra Vacation Time

One of the best things you can do to celebrate the accomplishments of a remote employee is to give them a little bit of extra time off. If you can afford to do it, consider giving an individual employee or your entire team some extra vacation time.

Particularly if they have just completed a particularly tough project, a little time off will be appreciated. It will give your employees the time they need to de-stress and rebuild their energy before the next big task comes along.

6. Pay For Development Courses

If you want to recognise a remote employee, another great thing you can do is offer to pay for a professional or personal development course that they would like to take. You may want to give your employee a small stipend that can be used towards an online course or a certification of their choosing.

Offering professional development of some kind can be a great idea if you know that an employee has a desire to move up in their career. However, helping them take a class related to personal skills and interests outside of work can also be a great way to show appreciation as well.

7. Give Them a Physical Award

One of the best ways to recognise an employee is to give them a formal award or plaque. Consider sending them a physical trophy or plaque that celebrates a specific accomplishment or a period of time where they performed their duties well.

While a wall plaque can be a great option for giving your employees, there are other options. You may even choose to give them a commemorative item that they can use, such as a coffee mug or desk clock.

Making the Most of These Remote Recognition Tips

If you want to celebrate the successes of your employees while they're working remotely, there are many ways to do it. Make sure that you consider some of the remote recognition ideas listed above if you want to form a better company culture and ensure your employees know how much you appreciate them.

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