Regardless of their position or level of responsibility, any employee who has worked for your small business for a significant period of time deserves to be rewarded for their loyalty. Long-serving employees often are the bedrock of success for a small company and recognizing this through gifts and rewards is important.

While you have probably seen older employees given an engraved watch or similar gift as they retire, it would be a mistake to think that long service awards should only be distributed to those approaching the end of their career. Indeed, it is important to recognize an employee’s efforts on a regular basis throughout their working life. Even a one-year anniversary can be recognized, along with five years, ten years, etc.

Giving such recognition can help foster a sense of loyalty among workers and ensure they remain keen to stay at your organization for many more years to come. Indeed, using such awards could prove to be a more efficient and cost-effective way to reward staff in comparison to issuing financial incentives.

While there are many ways that the efforts of long-serving workers can be recognized, here are a few of the options that may be worth giving particular consideration.

Experiences

Surveys have shown that people increasingly value experiences as gifts over material goods. This is especially true among employees in the millennial generation. Experiences can vary from something small like tickets to a movie to a weekend getaway. The possibilities are endless and, depending on the employee, may include experiences such as parachuting or zip-lining.

Gift certificates

Alternatively, you may want to look at distributing gift certificates to loyal workers. The amount selected can be directly linked to the period of time they have worked at your organization (or a multiple of that length of service) and that way they will have the freedom to get something that they know they will like. Selecting gift certificates for a particular store that you know an employee shops at can make for a more personal touch than just giving out money. In a small business where people get to know each other really well, this can add a very personal touch to the giving.

Gifts

Last, but definitely not least, promotional gifts are a fabulous way to thank workers for their efforts, partially because they are a visible token of your appreciation. The sheer fact they are being given a present means the recipient is certain to value the item and, with any luck, they will want to hold on to it for many months.

Although you should always choose products that are suitable for the particular recipient, it’s worth bearing mind that the likes of clocks, picture frames and engraved executive pens have proven popular gifts among many companies in the past.

No matter what items you select, it’s worth looking into personalizing them. Whether this is done by engraving your company’s name on to the product or by printing a message of thanks, this should help to instill a positive impression of your business into the recipient. Should they choose to remain working for your organization, the gift could also act as a reminder to other employees that your company is keen to reward loyalty and continuous service.

How does your business reward long-serving workers? We’d love to hear from you so please share your experiences by leaving a comment below.

Today’s post was written by Ashley King. As a copywriter, Ashley has been writing on a vast range of subjects, including business, finance and travel, for a number of years.