Paper Plate Award Ideas for Employee Recognition
For Performance and Personality We’ve all got our unique quirks and personality traits, and sometimes, our coworkers get to see them up close and personal! Check out this list of awards for niche work habits and colleague characteristics that show your team really knows each other well. The “Always on Mute” Award: For the employee who can’t seem to find the microphone button on Zoom when it’s time to talk. Most Likely to Have 1,568,394 Tabs Open: For the employee who never closes a tab, ever (even when they’re screen sharing). Best Zoom Background: For the employee who never has the same background twice. Most On Time-Ish: For the employee who’s consistently a little late, but still gets their work done. The Jack-of-All-Trades: For the employee who can learn anything or jump into any situation. The Standing Ovation Award: For the employee whose work is so good, it deserves a round of applause! The Stairmaster: For the employee who takes the stairs, even when there’s a perfectly good elevator right there. The Fashionista Award: For the employee who treats the lobby like a runway. The Office Parent: For the employee who always has wise words of wisdom. Most Random Facts Shared in a Week: For the employee who can’t stop sharing tidbits that no one’s ever heard before. Meet the wikiHow Experts Jeffrey Fermin is an employee relations expert who works as Head of Demand Generation for AllVoices. Shannon O’Brien is a life and career coach who founded Whole U., a career and life strategy consultancy. Amber Rosenberg is a professional life coach, career coach, and executive coach with a background in corporations, tech companies, and nonprofits.
For Special Skills Highlighting someone’s unique talents or areas of interest shows that you genuinely acknowledge and appreciate their skills (whether they’re strictly work-related or not). Take inspiration from everyday work tasks, like sending emails, or something more casual, like recommending the best new restaurants in town. For example: The Spreadsheet Sorcerer: For the employee who actually does know how to program formulas in Excel. The Cc Champion: For the employee who keeps everyone in the loop. The Meeting Magician: For the employee who wrangles everyone’s schedules and somehow finds a time to meet. The Perfect Procrastinator: For the employee who never seems to be working, but miraculously hits every deadline. The Notorious Notetaker: For the employee who jots down every single word (and shares their notes later). The Budget Baddie: For the employee who puts together a flawless budget every year. The Gourmet Guru: For the employee who always has a great restaurant recommendation. The Social Media Supreme: For the employee who could quit and become a full-time influencer if they wanted to. The PowerPoint Prodigy: For the employee who puts together the most beautiful slide decks. The Interior Design Deity: For the employee whose workspace could be in Better Homes and Gardens.
For Team Players Teamwork makes the dream work, and that’s especially true in the workplace! Recognizing employees for great collaboration reinforces the value of working together to meet deadlines, fulfill goals, and implement new ideas. You could offer awards for anything from offering to help others to bringing positive energy into the office. Here’s some inspiration: The Hype Machine Award: For the employee who always raises the team’s energy. The Office DJ: For the employee who always has the best playlist. Bringer of the Ultimate Vibes: For the employee who brings a chill energy to the meeting room. Company Mascot: For the employee most likely to be wearing company swag or talking up the organization outside of work. The Motivation Maestro: For the employee who lights a fire under everyone’s butt to keep going. The “Got Your Back” Award: For the employee who’s always first to offer to help. The Swiss Army Knife Award: For the employee who can do pretty much anything. The Mission Impossible Award: For the employee who believes you’ll hit that deadline, no matter how close it is. The People Whisperer: For the employee who can diffuse any situation, no matter how tense. The Playground Award: For the employer who brings the most fun to the office.
For Communication Nothing can help a team succeed like clear and consistent communication. Whether you all chat together in an office, send nonstop messages on Slack, or draft emails as detailed as dissertations, there are plenty of unique communication habits and styles to reward (or have a laugh about). For instance: The Emoji Enthusiast: For the employee who says it all with a simple emoji ????. The Teams Titan: For the employee who can solve any problem with your office messaging system. The Meme God: For the employee who always has a funny or motivational meme to share. The Social Butterfly: For the employee who’s friends with the entire office. The Email Vigilante: For the employee who leaves no email unread or unanswered. The Human Megaphone Award: For the employee who says it loud enough for the back of the room. The Phone Tag Award: For the employee who never seems to be at their desk when you call. The “On a Call” Award: For the employee who always just needs to wrap up a call real quick before they answer your question. The Lengthiest Messages Award: For the employee who writes a novel to let everyone know the date of the next board meeting. THE ALL-CAPS AWARD: FOR THE EMPLOYEE WHO MAKES SURE YOU HEARD THEIR EMAIL.
Creative and Fun Awards Who says that every award has to be directly related to your job? There are plenty of other joys that employees bring to the workplace besides their professional skills and goals. Here are some more lighthearted award ideas to help you brainstorm: Most Supreme Snack Stash: For the employee whose mid-shift nibbles could earn a Michelin star. The Lunchtime Legend Award: For the employee who treats lunch as the most important meal of the day. The Coffee Connoisseur Award: For the employee who runs on caffeine (and always brings coffee to share). Most Pizzas Ordered to the Office: For the employee who knows how to keep their team fed and happy. The PTO Royalty Award: For the employee who returns from vacation with the most amazing photos. Best Baker: For the employee who always brings a batch of their latest sweet treats or baked goods to work. The Wikipedia Award: For the employee who has an answer to everything (even if it’s wrong). The “Back in the Day” Award: For the employee who prefers how the company used to do things. The Dish Destroyer: For the employee who makes the most dishes in the break room (or, the employee who washes the most dishes in the break room). The Road Warrior: For the employee with the longest commute to work.
Why is employee recognition important?
Employee recognition is crucial for a healthy work environment. According to employee relations expert Jeffrey Fermin, “Showing appreciation to your employees is an important part of maintaining a positive work environment and fostering a culture of mutual respect and support.” The data supports this; research has shown that individual recognition that makes employees feel valued for their work boosts employee engagement, productivity, and company loyalty, ultimately leading to higher employee retention rates. It also models what a “successful employee” looks like and does, reinforcing the desired culture of your workplace. “Show your team that you recognize and appreciate their hard work by thanking them publicly, acknowledging their successes, and rewarding them for going the extra mile,” Fermin adds. “By taking these steps to show your appreciation for your team’s hard work and dedication, you can foster an engaged workforce that will help take your business to the next level of success.”
Some employees value recognition over other rewards or incentives. One Gallup poll says that only 1 in 3 American employees strongly agrees they received recognition or praise for their work in the past seven days. And while praise isn’t the only way to motivate employees, it’s an important one that many crave. “Some people really care about money, and some people, believe it or not, don’t,” explains career coach Shannon O’Brien, MA, EdM. For some, what matters is “public recognition, hearing their name in front of everybody, or acknowledging them in a group or meeting.” As it turns out, honest feedback that’s individualized to each employee makes a big impact on how they feel valued and seen. Praise is especially valued and memorable when it comes from direct managers and high-level leaders, like CEOs. Even small compliments and shout-outs are low-effort, high-yield ways to boost employee morale.
Planning a Paper Plate Awards Ceremony
Ask employees what rewards they’d value most at a recognition event. Paper plate awards are a fun way to provide recognition, and there are tons of ways to pair them with more materially or professionally impactful rewards to make your employees’ day. “Take the guesswork out of it and send out a survey asking what employees would most value in an employee appreciation day,” recommends career coach Amber Rosenberg, PCC. If you’re looking for inspiration on what to offer, Rosenberg offers these ideas to include in your survey: Gift cards (from where?) Self-care activities (what kind?) Donations to favorite charities (where?) A nice meal (where?) Fun team-building activities in-office or remotely (what kind?) Training on a topic of interest to employees (what topics?) A financial bonus Time off
Choose an award theme and encourage colleague nominations. First, brainstorm a theme for your paper plate awards ceremony. Maybe you want to focus on lighthearted superlatives (“Most likely to…” or “Best ___”), or perhaps there’s a themed event coming up you can base your awards on (a company anniversary, the end of a quarter or fiscal year, etc.). Then, ask your employees to nominate their peers and/or suggest awards that fit your theme. Encourage participation from everyone on your team or in your department so that no one feels excluded. Coworkers know each other’s work style well, and they can offer fun and specific insights to make each other feel truly seen.
Aim for unique, personalized awards (and not generic titles). Individualized awards make employees feel genuinely appreciated and seen (and make the paper plate award more memorable, too). Steering clear of generic awards like “Fastest Typer” helps you acknowledge each person’s unique skills and contributions, and reinforces the idea that everyone has something to offer the team. Unique awards and titles also foster a culture that embraces creativity and lightheartedness—both great things for a productive, healthy workplace. Remember to keep awards lighthearted and inclusive. Ideally, everyone on your team will get an award (and if they aren’t nominated for one by their coworkers, feel free to create one for them before your ceremony). While the awards are meant to be funny, make sure that they’re not crossing any professional boundaries, making light of sensitive topics, or outright mocking someone. The goal is to laugh and bond together as a team, after all!
Host your ceremony in-office or virtually. You can schedule a special employee recognition event, or just use the first or final few minutes of a team or department meeting to announce awards. How elaborate you get is up to you and your workplace culture. More social offices might enjoy separate events with coffee and snacks or music, while more traditional offices might prefer a short awards segment as part of a larger meeting or teambuilding day.
Making Paper Plate Awards
Customize your awards with stickers, drawings, or glitter. Making paper plate awards is easy! First, flip your plate over so it’s face-down, then write in the award or title you’re bestowing upon your employee or coworker (remember to use legible handwriting). Then, decorate the rest of the plate to match the award. For example, if you’re presenting “The Stairmaster Award” for someone who takes the stairs, you might draw a staircase, a sweating face, a crowd of onlookers watching someone dart up the stairs, or an elevator with a “Do Not Use” sign on it. There’s no wrong way to make or decorate a paper plate award. Just keep your images office-appropriate and recognizable.
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