12 Fun End-Of-Year Awards to Recognize Your Remote Employees

“People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.” – Theodore Roosevelt.2021 has been a tough year for everyone, but especially our remote workers. There has been a lot of uncertainty and sacrifice thanks to the pandemic. Employees have up and moved to cities, then only to be told they are working remotely again. Almost two years into the pandemic, we’re still not sure of the future of remote working. With all of this in mind, virtual employees need a boost or some token of appreciation. So, how do we make our employees feel appreciated? We need to organize end-of-year awards for employees. We all know that making your employees feel valued is a key part of the success of your company. But, if you want to show your employee gratitude, a simple thanks won’t make the cut.After all, no one wants to work a thankless job or feel unappreciated. Naturally, that’s why we need creative end-of-year awards for employees. Companies that don’t value employees generally experience high turnover and burnout. According to Glassdoor, 53% of employees say recognition attracts them to stay in a job for longer. Of course, not just a statistic. We all know how good it feels to get a pat on the back for a job well done.

Why is employee recognition even more important in remote teams?

Needless to say, team building is the key to successful virtual teams. Furthermore, showing appreciation for your staff is even more important for remote employees. In fact, the Harvard Business Review says remote workers are often forgotten about. It’s the age-old saying – ‘out of sight, out of mind’. End-of-year awards for employees are important for virtual management. Well, now we know the benefits of rewarding your virtual team. It’s time to discuss the gifts you can give to your top-performing employees.

Our Top 12 Awards to Recognize your Employees:

At the end-of-year awards have a virtual ceremony to commend your remote workers. You could ask everyone to dress up and even send out some packages to make them feel appreciated. Of course, you can give out the traditional awards like the highest performer or most improved. But here are some different award ideas that you could give out:

And the award goes too…

1. Netflix Buff Award: Most likely to have watched everything on Netflix. This winner is always sending in excellent recommendations. The Netflix Buff often provides a summary at the start of catch up meetings.
   
   
2. Excel Whiz Award: This award is for the employee most likely to know every excel function. The office Excel Whiz is a master of formulas.
   
   
3. Giphy Award: Most likely to reply with the best GIF, no matter what the conversation. This is one of the most prestigious end-of-year awards for employees.
   
   
4. Proud Pet Award: This award goes for the employee who shares the cutest pet pics. Everyone knows that a cute pet picture brightens up the mornings.
   
   
5. Muted Award:  This funny award goes for the employee who is most likely to talk with a muted microphone. We've all been guilty of that sometimes.
   
   
6. Awkward silence award: We’ve all been on an uncomfortable video call where no one will unmute and talk. This end-of-year award goes to the savior who unmutes and cuts the awkward silence.
   
   
7. Dodgy Connection Award: Most likely to cut in and out during a video call. One of the amusing end-of-year awards, this could be a prize for your rural living employees.
   
   
8. Coolest Mug Award: This award is most likely to have the best mug for the virtual morning cup coffee.
   
   
9. Chill Award: Most likely to stay calm even during times of stress. This chill award is one of the coolest end-of-year awards for employees.
   
   
10. Night Owl Award: The Night Owl award goes for appearing as “active” during the strangest hours of the night.
    
    
11. Early Bird Award: The early bird catches the worm. This award goes to the employee most likely to be online before sunrise (and coffee).
    
    
12. Social butterfly award: We all love a good online event to come together and make some memories. Some people are better at organizing these events than others. This end-of-year award goes to the person who organizes the best virtual events of the year.

And that’s a wrap…

To end, virtual end-of-year awards for employees can be as imaginative, and delightful as you’d like. Just make sure they’re entertaining and relevant to your virtual team. Why not ask employees to dress up as if they were going to a real-life ceremony. Go one step further and assign an MC and provide live entertainment.A spectacular end-of-year awards ceremony party shows employees how much you value them.

Looking to host a virtual award ceremony for your remote employees? Why not book a free demo with one of our team to enhance your virtual event. Or, check out our online product tour for a glimpse into how Remo can help.