Running a successful employee recognition program doesn’t have to drain your time, energy and resources. Some companies get caught up in the details and logistics of their program, but the fact is that is something as personalized simple as a letter works to recognize employees. Rather than spending thousands of dollars on expensive gift cards, bonus checks or other ‘costly’ awards, you can fire up the word processor on your computer and write a letter thanking your employees for their hard work and dedication.

Why Employee Recognition Is Important

If you’ve spent any time reading through the AsapAward.com Blog, you’re probably all too familiar with the importance of employee recognition by now. According to a study published at The Social Workplace, a staggering 52% of employees are unhappy with the amount of recognition they are receiving at work. And 49% of employees surveyed said they would switch jobs to another company for better recognition.

The bottom line is that each and every company should incorporate an employee recognition program into their business dealings. This will keep employees happy, which in turn reduces turnover rate and improves productivity.

How To Create an Employee Recognition Letter

The best employee recognition letters are short, sweet and to the point. You don’t have to write up some long essay to recognize your hard-working employees. Instead, write a brief paragraph personally thanking the employee for their performance and dedication. If he or she excels in a certain area, make a note of it in their recognition letter.

The secret to writing an effective employee recognition letter is to personalize it towards the employee. Printing up 100 of the same generic letters and sending them out to all of your employees isn’t going to have much an effect (if any). On the other hand, however, a personalized letter which states the employee and his or her accomplishments will have more of a positive effect. Besides, it only takes a few minutes to craft up a personalized recognition letter, so don’t try to take the easy way out by sending the same generic letters to all of your employees.

Another important tip for creating employee recognition letters is to sign your name at the bottom using a pen. Don’t use some generic corporate stamp or printed signature, but instead sign your name at the bottom in ink. This is a subtle detail that really has an effect on employees.