Here is a list of ideas that you can use to recognize and show appreciation for individuals/employees/community members that support the NMSU community. It does not cost much to say thank you, but the reward keeps on giving. Here are some examples of no / low-cost ideas to get you started.
Recognize During Meetings
- Include recognition and appreciation as a staff meeting agenda item.
- Create an award for the “Employee of the Month,” and have members of the team share why the person is deserving of the award during a staff meeting.
- Recognize work anniversaries during meetings.
- Request leadership to attend a staff meeting where you give thanks to individuals and groups for their specific contributions.
- Attend a sub-department, council, or committee meeting and express your appreciation for their involvement.
- Acknowledge individual achievements by using employee names in status reports.
Recognize During Special Events
- Hold one-on-one meetings at a local coffee shop, so it’s casual and relaxed. As a little treat, pay for your employees’ drinks.
- Send birthday/get well/sympathy cards to employees’ homes.
- Organize a team celebration for a birthday or other special day.
Pass Appreciation Around
- Develop a “Pay it Forward” award that employees pass among each other as an expression of recognition.
- Pick a recognizable symbol (e.g., stuffed animal, old trophy, toy) as a traveling award that can be displayed on an employee’s desk for a day/week.
- Express an interest in employees’ career development goals.
- Nominate an outstanding employee for a formal award.
- Acknowledge individual achievements by using employee names in status reports.
- Send an employee to a meeting in your place.
- Send an employee to a training or conference.
- Post a large “celebration calendar” in your work area. Tack on notes of recognition to specific dates.
- Place a Shout-out on the Hotline news feed to publicly recognize someone worthy of recognition.
- Feature employee recognition in the department newsletter.
- Publish a “kudos” column in your newsletter and ask for nominations.
- Create and post an “Employee Honor Roll” in the reception area.
- Create a wall of fame with photos of outstanding employees.
- Feature employee recognition in the department newsletter.
- Publish a “kudos” column in your newsletter and ask for nominations.
- Create and post an “Employee Honor Roll” in the reception area.
- Submit a NMSU System Shout-Out to recognize an employee for exceptional work
- Nominate an outstanding employee to a formal award
- Establish a place to display memos, posters and photos recognizing progress towards goals and thanking individual employees for their help.
- Post a large “celebration calendar” in your work area. Tack on notes of recognition to specific dates.
- Place a shoot-out on the Hotline news feed to publicly recognize an someone who worthy of recognition.
- Create a wall of fame wall with photos of outstanding employees.
- Acknowledge individual achievements by using employee names in status reports
As a public entity, there are guidelines on how university funds can be spent for employee recognition. If you plan on purchasing a gift with university funds please visit ARP 9.81 Employee Recognition to learn more about what is allowed. If you choose to use personal funds, be reasonable and consider how this will be perceived by others.
- Give tickets to an NMSU event, like a football game, concert, or dining event.
- Buy an appropriate and inexpensive gift related to the person’s hobby.
- Give an item from the campus bookstore for their desk.
- Make a photo collage about a successful project that shows the people that worked on it, its stages of development, and its completion and presentation.
- Cover the person’s desk with balloons.
- Create and string a banner across the work area.
- Give a roll of life savers or make a lifesaver necklace and send a card, “For being the ‘lifesaver of ____.’
- Give a mug filled with treats.
- Acknowledge and celebrate birthdays with a cake or treat.
- Provide an “indoor food cart” and serve employees ice cream treats (hot days) or hot cocoa (cold days).
- Treat an employee to lunch or bring them a bagged lunch.
- Bake a gift (cookies, bread, etc.) and share with an employee or team.
- Organize a potluck on a special day.
- Recognize work anniversaries that fall between Service Award milestones every-five-year University Service Award recognitions.
- Create an award for the “Employee of the Month” and have members of the team share why the person is deserving of the award.
- Send birthday/get well/sympathy cards to employees’ homes.
- Organize a team celebration for a birthday or other special day
- Encourage employees to participate in community volunteer efforts.
- Encourage and allow employees to attend University events.
- Establish a “Behind the Scenes/Unsung Hero” award specifically for those whose actions are not usually in the limelight.
- Encourage and give release time for employees to participate in professional development opportunities and in campus activities/committees.
- Recognize employees who actively serve the community.
- Send a letter to all team members at the conclusion of a project, thanking them for their participation.
