Yes, you read right. Most Years of Service celebrations have very little meaning, for the employee and for the organization. They are referred to as Recognition Programs but in reality, they don’t recognize much other than the fact that the employee has stuck around for another five years. They are impersonal and hollow. Everyone gets the same speech and same treatment.




Harsh? Maybe, but see if you recognize this typical event:

The long-time employees get a nice certificate, a plaque and/or trophy, maybe a nice gift (or points to choose their own), hopefully during a special ceremony in front of their peers. At least the CEO rehearsed to make sure he gets each name right. Big bucks are spent on the event. Great photo op for the upcoming newsletter. Thanks for staying at this job for so long!

It’s better than a certificate in the mail (!) but it still leaves the celebrated employee feeling a little disappointed – even disillusioned about how much her employer really cares about her hard work during all these years. Did anyone even notice?

Contrast that with a celebration where the CEO, before she hands out the certificate, regales the audience with real stories of some of the employee’s accomplishments over the years, and talks of the impact she’s made on customers, colleagues and shareholder value.

The good news is that an increasing number of organizations are expanding their recognition programs to include everyday appreciation, which in turn can turbo-charge their Years of Service celebrations. Here’s how:

A well-planned, well-executed recognition program will involve everyone and encourage frequent activity, with employees providing detailed information about the reason for the recognition, hopefully relating back to the company’s core values. A solid online management system will track and save all of these positive stories and make them easily retrievable at any time.

Now, the smart organization has many, many success stories to draw from when celebrating an employee’s special milestone.

How much more rewarding to the employee and to the organization when the CEO publicly affirms how much the organization has benefited from the employee’s engagement, and how she embodies their core values?

Personal. Meaningful. Inspiring.

Is this how your employees would describe your company’s Milestone celebrations?


Taken from Johane Desjardins from the Rewards Nation Blog