Employee Recognition Ideas That Don’t Cost Any Money

Employee recognition is saying ‘thanks’ to other team members for doing a great job. This is a big deal today because it makes people feel good about their work, keeps them motivated, and helps the company improve.

Table of Contents

• Wall of fame
• Additional day off as an Employee Recognition Idea
• Parking spot near the office entrance
• Haiku from team members
• Community Service
• Special nickname
• Job Shadowing
• Playlist build
• Special projects as an Employee Recognition reward
• Show Some LinkedIn Love
• Break with No-Meetings Week
• Conclusion

Every employee loves recognition after a job well done. A simple “thanks” or a small reward can go a long way in boosting morale and preventing feeling overlooked or undervalued.

Our best advice is to make staff appreciation fun, encourage participation, and reinforce positive actions within the team. You can also promote teams from different departments to recognize each other’s contributions – for example, marketing praising devs and devs not praising anyone until they have tried Asante Bot Recognition Bot.

Before we list employee recognition ideas that you and your team members can use, you will probably ask how you will organize a recognition program inside your team. If you use Slack, you can use our Asante Bot Employee Recognition Bot, which will help you with the employee appreciation program.

Slack Bot’s Recognition system brings fun to the workplace. Users can recognize and reward their colleagues with recognition points daily, which can be redeemed for exciting rewards selected by team admins.

We have listed recognition reward ideas you can use for your team members to boost their recognition and morale.

You can also find out more about the Asante Bot Rewards Program here.

Our current setup is 10 points per day, which clearly shows the points economy we use.

---

Wall of fame

Set up a special spot in the office or online to highlight employees’ milestones and contributions. Your team can exchange their earned points for the opportunity to be recognized on this Wall of Fame.

Recipe for Employee Recognition Idea inside Asante Bot

• Name of the reward: Wall of Fame
• Reward Description: Your image, name, and favourite quote will be displayed on our office Wall of Fame
• Reward description after reward claim: You can put the contact of HR that they can contact when they claim a reward
• Price: 25 points
• Redeem only once per user: Check
• Quantity: Depends on your team size, but we recommend numbers from 4-8

Add this reward to Asante Bot

---

Additional day off as an Employee Recognition Idea

You can use Asante Bot to host a fun contest where team members can win an extra day off! It’s a great way to motivate your team without spending a dime. Plus, research shows that extra rest can boost productivity and focus.

You can use the Asante Bot unique feature to limit the amount of this reward that team members can claim so you can create additional exclusivity.

Recipe inside Asante Bot

• Name of the reward: Additional day off
• Reward Description: Day off that you can use anytime during the ongoing month
• Reward description after reward claim: You can put the contact of HR that they can contact when they claim a reward
• Price: 75 points
• Redeem only once per user: Check
• Quantity: Depends on your team size, but we recommend numbers from 5-9

Add this reward to Asante Bot

---

Parking spot near the office entrance

A VIP parking spot is a great way to reward your team members. It’s convenient and inexpensive, but it can make a big difference. Team members can use their points to get exclusive access to a VIP parking spot for one month.

Recipe inside Asante Bot

• Name of the reward: VIP Parking spot
• Reward Description: VIP parking spot next to the office entrance
• Reward description after reward claim: Who to contact so they can get access to a parking spot
• Price: 95 points
• Redeem only once per user: Check
• Quantity: Depends on your team and parking size, but we recommend numbers from 2-4

Create this reward inside Asante Bot

---

Haiku from team members

A Haiku is a traditional form of Japanese poetry that consists of three lines. It often captures a moment and a feeling, so having your team write Haikus about you is a fun way to bond and get some laughs. Team members can set the stage and read Haiku about users who claimed this reward. This reward is good because it is creative and doesn’t cost additional time and effort from other team members.

Recipe inside Asante Bot

• Name of the reward: Haiku time
• Reward Description: Team members will write Haiku about you
• Reward description after reward claim: HR should send an email to team members so they can prepare haiku about you
• Price: 35 points
• Quantity: Unlimited

Create this reward inside Asante Bot

---

Community Service

Let’s brainstorm some meaningful ideas within your team. A team member can claim this reward and organize community service. Team volunteering is always a good thing. So, imagine the impact you could make as a team by planting a tree or doing a local park cleanup.

Recipe inside Asante Bot as an Employee Recognition reward

• Name of the reward: Community Service
• Reward Description: A team member gets to pick community service for the whole team
• Price: 45 points
• Quantity: 2

Create this reward inside Asante Bot

---

Special nickname

A team member gets to pick a unique office nickname. It’s a fun way to recognize their hard work and unique qualities. Think of it as a superhero title but for the office.

Recipe inside Asante Bot

• Name of the reward: Special office nickname
• Reward Description: A team member gets to pick their office nickname for a month
• Price: 55 points

Create this reward inside Asante Bot

---

Job Shadowing

Level up your team’s skills with a unique perk: shadowing a leader of team members’ choice. This hands-on learning experience lets your team members pick the brains of a seasoned pro, learn new tricks, and gain fresh perspectives. It’s a fantastic way to show your commitment to their growth and development.

Recipe for Employee Recognition inside Asante Bot

• Name of the reward: Job Shadowing
• Reward Description: Team members get to pick a person from them for Job Shadowing
• Price: 150 points
• Quantity: 4

Create this reward inside Asante Bot

---

Playlist build

Let’s get creative! Reward someone with the power to curate the office playlist. They can choose the tunes that set the mood and keep everyone energized. You can put some rules in place just in case someone doesn’t like Turbo Folk.

Recipe inside Asante Bot as an Employee Recognition Idea

• Name of the reward: Playlist build
• Reward Description: Team members get to pick an office music playlist
• Price: 80 points
• Quantity: 1

Create this reward inside Asante Bot

---

Special projects as an Employee Recognition reward

Team members could earn a spot on a special project team. It’s a chance to work on something new, learn from experts, and add a major accomplishment to their skillset – it is a form of job shadowing but with some additional practical work.

Recipe inside Asante Bot

• Name of the reward: Special project
• Reward Description: Team members get the chance to work on special projects
• Price: 160 points
• Quantity: 1

Create this reward inside Asante Bot

---

Show Some LinkedIn Love

Want to make your employees feel like superstars? Join LinkedIn and show them some digital appreciation!

Here’s the deal – a thoughtful recommendation on LinkedIn is pure gold. It’s like giving your team members a permanent high-five that:

• Boosts their professional street cred
• It shows you notice their hard work
• It helps them shine in their career
• It costs absolutely nothing!

Remember to focus on their standout skills and actual achievements. I love adding a personal touch—maybe mention how they always help others or bring positive energy to meetings.

Pro tip: Write one recommendation each week. Before you know it, you’ll have a team of LinkedIn all-stars who feel valued and appreciated! 🌟

Recipe inside Asante Bot

• Name of the reward: LinkedIn Love
• Reward Description: Team members will get employee recognition on LinkedIn
• Price: 120 points
• Quantity: 3

Create this reward inside Asante Bot

---

Break with No-Meetings Week

Ready to make your team jump for joy? Try this game-changing idea: no-meetings week! You heard that right – an entire week without a single “quick sync” or “touch base” in sight.

Back-to-back meetings can turn even the most energetic employee into a zombie. No-meetings week is like giving your team the gift of:

• Uninterrupted focus time
• A chance to get work done
• Mental breathing room
• Zero Zoom fatigue!

You will love seeing people light up when they check their calendars and see a whole day without meetings. It’s like permitting them to do their best work! 🎯

Recipe inside Asante Bot

• Name of the reward: No-Meetings Week
• Reward Description: Team members will get no-Meetings Week
• Price: 90 points
• Quantity: 3

Add this reward to Asante Bot

---

Conclusion

At the end of the day it all depends on how creative you are in using Asante Bot and creating Rewards your team would love to use.

We would love to include some of your Reward ideas so freel free to leave a comment and let us know.