30 Catchy, Creative Names For Employee Recognition Awards

Employee recognition is incredibly important in the modern workplace. There are many benefits associated with its use, and even more ways that companies can thank their employees for their hours of hard work.

For many companies, employee recognition awards are a fun way for companies to say thank you for all that goes into being a great employee. However, sometimes, coming up with creative and catchy names for employee recognition awards can be tricky! There are many different types of awards for different situations.

Whether you’re looking for award names with alliteration or funny titles for employee excellence, Kudoboard has got you covered with our favorite creative names for employee recognition awards.

What Is An Employee Recognition Award?

An employee recognition award is a tangible or intangible form of recognition that companies give to employees to award them for something specific. Different types of awards include awards given based on experience, excellence, top sales, service length, or quality. Additionally, companies can run their program with peer-to-peer awards, top-down awards, and down-up awards.

Employee recognition awards are an excellent way to foster employee appreciation and ensure that employees feel seen and valued for their hard work. Employee recognition awards are also a great way to boost employee engagement, reduce turnover, and create a happier workplace.

Peer-to-Peer

Employees don’t only have to be recognized by their managers or other leadership; their peers can also acknowledge them. Peer-to-peer recognition is a great way to create a culture of recognition in the workplace. Companies can foster this peer-to-peer recognition by encouraging employees to give recognition through shout outs and strong collaboration. While there can be room for healthy competition, a workplace where recognition is prominent among peers is a healthier and happier place to be. 

Top Down 

Another form of employee recognition is “top-down.” This is when leadership or management recognizes team members, and is the most common form of employee appreciation. Companies can easily encourage top-down recognition by building an employee recognition program and taking the time to train leadership on how to recognize employees effectively. Organizations can also sponsor celebrations for corporate holiday like Administrative Professionals’ Day or Employee Appreciation Day to bring the team together.

Bottom-Up

The final form of recognition comes from employees recognizing management and leadership. Bottom-up recognition is another crucial step in forming a culture of recognition in the workplace, and companies should not overlook it.

A pro tip is to take advantage of holidays such as National Boss’s Day. Remember, management and leadership can get just as burnt out as employees, so recognizing their hard work is also crucial. 

30 Creative Names For Employee Recognition Awards

The award names should be chosen carefully to ensure that the awards are well-received and appreciated by employees. Not only do fun and catchy employee appreciation awards help employees feel valued, but they also boost employee engagement and reduce turnover.

The following creative appreciation award names are fun, catchy, and can align with organizational goals and values. Think Dundie Awards (Office fans, anyone?), Many are also alliterations, which are just plain fun to hear!

Career Anniversary Awards

Remember to highlight your employees who have served the company for many years. Shine the spotlight on some employees who have stuck through the various bumps in the company road. 

1. Timeless Talent Award
2. Workforce Warrior 
3. Milestone Maverick 
4. Loyalty Legend
5. Standing Ovation Award

Excellence Awards 

Companies can spotlight employees who have gone above and beyond by giving an excellence award. Since the idea of “excellence” may vary, it is important to identify the criteria for the award beforehand and give specific examples of why the employee deserves it when giving the award. 

1. Service Star
2. Pinnacle Performer
3. Stellar Performer 
4. Exceeding Expectation Awards 
5. Crushing Work Award

Teamwork Awards 

The following awards can be modified to be given to a whole team or to one who embodies the idea of teamwork and collaboration. Teamwork awards are an excellent way to spotlight employees who work together to achieve company goals and encourage others to do the same. 

1. Collaboration Champion 
2. Crushing Collaboration Award
3. Chief Collaborator 
4. Inspiration For All Award
5. Team Player Award

Innovation Awards

Companies can reward employees with an innovation award to foster a culture of creativity. Innovation awards also celebrate excellence, inspire other employees, and promote best company practices. 

1. Innovation Trailblazer
2. Ace of Initiative 
3. Creative Mind Award 
4. Idea Dynamo Award
5. Creative Catalyst Award

Leadership Awards

Honoring leadership is essential to creating a culture of recognition and appreciation within a company. Companies should give leadership awards to execs who promote company core values, encourage initiative, offer respect, and inspire the team. 

1. Mentorship Maestro
2. Leadership Luminary Award 
3. Exceptional Executive Award 
4. Stellar Director 
5. Company MVP Award 

Customer Service Awards

Recognized employees often create the best customer experience, so don’t forget to celebrate your support staff with a customer service award. These recognize individuals who are professional and committed to customer service. 

1. Customer Whisperer 
2. Client Calmer 
3. Customer Hero 
4. Chief Happiness Director 
5. Customer Care Award 

Creative Employee Recognition Do’s and Don’ts

Implementing employee appreciation awards involves careful planning and consideration to ensure effectiveness. Here are a few key steps to remember and things to avoid when making employee awards:

The Do’s of Creative Employee Recognition Awards

Involve employees in the nomination and selection process. 

Involving employees in the nomination of awards helps foster a sense of peer-to-peer recognition, which is essential in creating a workplace recognition culture. Additionally, involving employees helps give awards to employees who might seem less apparent. 

Organize memorable award ceremonies to honor recipients

Employees will find a recognition award more meaningful if it is received at an award ceremony. These award ceremonies can also act as an employee appreciation night, where employees can bring guests (significant others or other family members), which can help balance work-home life.

Establish clear criteria for award eligibility

Establishing clear criteria for recognition awards helps to make them attainable to all employees and prevents favoritism when choosing the recipient. Everyone in the company should be eligible to receive recognition, and it is important to never exclude employees based on anything except possibly not being qualified for the award. 

The Do Not’s of Creative Employee Recognition Awards

Recognize employees inconsistently

Employee recognition is effective and makes a difference when done consistently. While recognition can be spontaneous, employees will feel more valued when the recognition is consistent. Consistency is especially important with employee awards, which should be done annually (or semi/quarterly if your company finds that more useful). 

Only recognize achievement 

When it comes to employee recognition, employers should remember and consider the qualities they would like to see in their employees. Qualities such as punctuality, teamwork, integrity, and leadership are all important as well and should be rewarded accordingly. Focusing only on performance sends a message that that is the only quality your company cares about.

Choose Favorites 

A final significant employee recognition faux-pas would be only recognizing “favorite” employees. Remember, anyone who meets the criteria for recognition should receive a reward. Recognizing the same employees repeatedly does not create a culture of belonging and recognition. 

Keep Employee Recognition Creative

Employee recognition is incredibly important in today’s workplace. Companies can make employee recognition fun by having award ceremonies and fun appreciation awards based on anniversaries, excellence, innovation, and more. Giving these awards is a fun idea, and it creates a culture of appreciation within the company.

Whether it’s the “Innovation Trailblazer Award” or “Customer Service Star Of The Month,” these creative names for employee recognition awards are fun, but only the start. Combine your award program with an employee recognition platform like Kudoboard to make appreciation easy, seamless, and fun for your entire org. Celebrate occasions, recognize wins, and increase engagement with group cards, event boards, and more, and watch your employee recognition take off internally.