Employee Recognition

• Day to Day Recognition: Expressed as appreciation or positive feedback occurring daily or weekly. It is intangible, often verbal, and involves no cost.
• Informal Recognition: Described through performance or goal achievement, supported by monthly leader or peer interactions. Occasionally, a low-cost incentive or prize may be awarded.
• Formal Recognition: Organized and structured through criteria-based programs or outstanding annual achievements, typically recognized by UTA leadership. Rewards may be monetary or provided through other tangible means.

Here are a few ideas on how you can recognize your peers beyond giving formal awards. Almost anything can be meaningful recognition if it is sincere, specific and timely, and creative.

No-Cost or Low-Cost Ideas for Management and/or Supervisors.

• Have a potluck staff meeting to celebrate employee achievements, birthdays, etc.,
• Praise immediately and specifically.
• Ask someone else to pass on the thank you, e.g. “(Your name) asked me to tell you thank you for ___. Good Job!”
• Write a letter that goes into personnel file.
• Monthly, display photo of award winner with comments from co-workers about why this person is a good colleague.
• Suggest great staff member when management asks for representation on a committee or task force
• Send a letter of praise to significant other or family member
• Call an employee to your office to thank them (don’t discuss any other issue)
• Encourage and recognize staff who pursue continuing education
• Post a thank you note on an employee’s office door or cubicle

Moderate to High Cost Ideas

• Allow an employee to attend a work related conference
• Bake/bring a gift
• Create a hall of fame wall with photos of outstanding employees
• Design a “Stress support kit” that includes items that will make an employee laugh
• Give a framed certificate of appreciation
• Have weekly breakfasts with groups of employees
• Provide a token of appreciation to employee such as a UTA pen, mug, paperweight, etc.,
• Serve ice cream to all of your employees at the end of a project

Educational Articles

• Using Copilot as a Writing Assistant for Employee Recognition
• The Importance of Employee Recognition: Low Cost, High Impact (Gallup Resource)
• Is our Employee Recognition Really Authentic (Gallup Article)
• Want to keep your good workers? Praise them, a new study finds (NPR Article)
• Building Blocks of Effective Recognition (Gallup Document)
• Is your industry delivering on employee recognition (Gallup Article)
• 4 Keys to Authentic Recognition (Gallup Article)
• Employee Retention Depends on Getting Recognition right (Gallup Article)
• Gallup: The Human Centered Workplace (Gallup Article)
• Bucketlist Appreciation Quotes (Bucketlist Article)
• SBI Feedback Model (SBI Article)
• 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace Website (Languages Article)

Reading Materials

• The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Work Place - Gary Chapman & Paul White (Northfield Publishing, 2019, ISBN: 978-0-8024-1840-1)
• 1001 Ways to Reward Employees - Bob Nelson, Ph.D. (Workman Adult, 2005, ISBN: 978-0761136811)

Relevant LinkedIn Learning Videos

• Recognizing and Rewarding Your Workers (Link)
• How to Build a Culture of Appreciation as a Manager (Link)

We are shaping a thriving culture driven by our shared values. Our values unify our students, faculty, and staff in a common purpose.

• Collaboration: Building authentic partnerships to leverage access, skills, talents, and knowledge to achieve desired results.
• Engagement: Creating a thriving community that demonstrates appreciation, value, and respect for all individuals.
• Excellence: Approaching all actions with high standards and exemplary service.
• Innovation: Consistently striving to think and act in new and creative ways.
• Integrity: Demonstrating honesty, transparency, and ethical behavior.