When an employee puts in additional hours on a project or goes out of their way to provide exceptional customer service, they likely feel proud of their work. By recognizing those high-performers through an employee of the month program, leaders can build on that sense of accomplishment and boost employee engagement.
Employee of the month programs are more than just a recognition tool — they can also serve as a powerful motivator. Publicly spotlighting outstanding employees for their hard work sets a standard for others to follow, incentivizing employees to go above and beyond their job description. In fact, a 2023 survey found that the most popular motivator for producing great work was recognition.
Employee of the Month Ideas
- Host a celebration lunch
- Publicize their achievements
- Encourage team recognition
- Create a traveling trophy
- Offer professional development opportunities
- Let the employee pick a team activity
Choosing the right employee of the month award will depend on an organization’s budget, company culture and whether employees work in an in-person or remote environment. With so many factors at play, it’s important to design a program that recognizes and motivates your employees properly, without alienating or embarrassing them.
12 Employee of the Month Ideas
1. Host a Celebration Lunch
If you host a monthly lunch — either on-site or at a restaurant — employees will be thankful for the free food and the chance to get to know their coworkers better. It’s also a great time to name the employee of the month and recognize them for their contributions to the company.
2. Publicize Their Achievements
Employers can also recognize their employees of the month on a more public level — either within the company’s communication channels or internal newsletter, or publicly on the company website or social media channels. Along with listing their job title, their time with the company and the contributions that earned them the award, you should also ask them to submit a photo of themselves and possibly some fun facts or a quote about why they like working at the company.
3. Encourage Team Recognition
Employees value recognition from their manager, but they also appreciate kind words from their teammates. When you name an employee of the month, encourage employees to shower them with praise on a digital recognition board like Kudoboard or on an existing workplace communication tool like Slack. You can make it feel fun and personal by including GIFs, emojis and pictures.
4. Create a Traveling Trophy
Another fun idea is to make a trophy that gets passed from winner to winner each month. There are plenty of opportunities to get creative with this idea, like crafting a homemade trophy from a household object, or encouraging winners to pass off the trophy in a clever way. These moments of levity bring employees closer together, which improves morale and collaboration.
5. Offer Professional Development Opportunities
Companies would be wise to invest in the professional development of their employees of the month, as they are high-performing employees with potential to grow within the organization. Ask the employee about their career goals, and provide them with access to online courses, conferences or mentorship programs that would support their growth. Online learning platforms like Udemy and Coursera offer an extensive catalog of courses for a wide range of careers.
6. Let the Employee Pick a Team Activity
If your company has a budget for team-building activities, let the employee of the month pick an activity that is most interesting to them. This could be a group art class, an escape room experience or an axe-throwing bar. If you work at a small company, this could involve the whole team. If you work at a large company, it could be limited to that employee’s team.
7. Award Them Extra PTO
A couple extra days of paid time off can be a strong incentive for employees to win employee of the month (unless your company already offers unlimited PTO). In addition to giving employees extra PTO, companies should also encourage employees to take their time off and find a healthy work-life balance.
8. Take Them Out to Lunch
Top-performing employees will likely jump at the chance to have lunch with the CEO or another leader of the company. In addition to the free meal, the employee will have an opportunity to learn more about the business, glean career development advice and share any ideas they might have about the business. The experience will make the employee feel valued and will contribute to their employee engagement.
9. Give Them a Gift Card
A gift card is another way to show your appreciation for an employee of the month. It could be a general purpose Visa gift card, or it could be specific to a retailer like Amazon. You could also make it feel a bit more personal by buying a gift card to their favorite restaurant, or a relaxing experience like a spa.
10. Create a Wall of Fame
A wall displaying framed photos of employees of the month is a tried-and-true way of recognizing their hard work. You could either hang a single photo that rotates every month, or you could create a larger wall honoring winners from every month of the year. In either case, employees will feel proud every time they walk by their photo on the wall.
11. Designate a Premium Parking Space
A prized parking space is another classic employee-of-the-month award. Designate the spot closest to the office with a special sign that says “Reserved for Employee of the Month.” This will make the employee feel like a valued member of the team when they arrive at work in the morning.
12. Award a One-Time Bonus
Nothing motivates people quite like money, so a one-time bonus will certainly incentivize employees to go the extra mile. A sizable bonus may not be feasible for your organization, but adding a couple hundred dollars to their next paycheck will be enough to get employees’ attention.
Common Mistakes in Employee-of-the-Month Programs
Giving the Award to the Same Employees
If you give the award to the same employee or small group of employees month after month, other workers may perceive this as favoritism. These workers may be top-performers who deserve the recognition, but it can make other workers feel insignificant. Determine what steps under-performing employees can take to improve their performance — and if there’s anything that’s holding them back. When their performance improves, reinforce that behavior by naming them employee of the month.
Only Allowing Nominations From Managers
Managers and other leaders may be aware of employee performance, but they may not be aware of other good deeds that happen behind the scenes. If you allow employees to nominate their peers for employee of the month, you might hear about coworkers helping each other or taking on a leadership role in a group project — things that would otherwise go unnoticed with a top-down nomination process.
Not Establishing Evaluation Criteria
An employee of the month program has the potential to turn into a popularity contest if criteria aren’t put into place. Decide who is eligible to win the award, how often they can win the award and which character traits and achievements are factored into the scoring system. If a company is transparent about the program’s criteria, employees will have more faith in the process.
Designing a One-Size-Fits-All Program
Several of the ideas mentioned in this article focus on public recognition, which may not be every employee’s cup of tea. Some employees may actually dislike the attention, so you might want to check with them in advance to see if there’s a different form of recognition they prefer (assuming it’s of equal or lesser monetary value).
Not Adopting Other Employee Recognition Programs
An employee of the month program is a great start to recognizing employees, but not adopting other employee recognition programs could actually demotivate some employees. Employees like to be recognized for their work more frequently than the program allows, and they may appreciate additional forms of recognition.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to pick the employee of the month?
You don’t want employees to think the employee of the month is selected due to favoritism, so you could invite all employees to nominate or vote on the employee of the month. To avoid making this just a popularity contest, employees should be evaluated based on criteria — like teamwork, leadership and customer service — and winners should not be selected multiple times within a short period.
How do you honor the employee of the month?
Leaders can honor employees of the month through public recognition, monetary awards or special experiences. The right answer for your organization will depend on your budget, company culture and whether you work in a remote or in-person environment.
