Low Cost Recognition Strategies

• Treat Day - bring in treats/lunch for residents
  
• Food - reward residents for a job well done with a treat of their choosing.
  
• Take pictures - post resident pictures and list what wonderful things they do for their residence hall.
  
• Coupon Booklets - this is always a hit with residents! Insert coupons for a free can of soda, movie night at the SSM ’s room, one dozen home baked goodies, etc. Be creative in designing your own coupons
  
• Buy low cost, blank certificates and make up silly awards for residents: best singing voice, best web-surfer, etc.
  
• Bright Ideas - spray +paint a light bulb gold, screw into a jar of play-dough and make a label around the jar naming who is receiving the “Bright Idea” award.
  
• Good Egg Award - buy plastic Easter Eggs, fill with goodies and give out with “Good Egg” certificates. List what the student did to deserve this award.
  
• Handwritten notes on cards sent to on campus P.O. boxes.
  
• "Kudos" certificates attached to a Kudos candy bar.
  
• Traveling trophy - each recipient hands it off to the next recipient.
  
• Develop a token system to earn points for items.
  
• Surprise incentive - put a reward somewhere in a project that requires persistence (filing) to surprise the resident.
  
• Kudos candy bars for a job well done
  
• Housing lunch once a month after Friday meeting.
  
• Lend a bouquet of flowers: Bring in a bouquet of flowers to work and give it to an employee with instructions to keep and enjoy it for 30 minutes (or one hour) then pass it on to another employee with the same instructions.
  
• Give gift certificates for food at thanksgiving and Christmas rather than a turkey or ham.
  
• Secret SSMs – at the beginning of the year, each SSM anonymously draws another SSMs name out of a hat. Every month they secretly deliver them a little gift, (no more than $5), get them a winter holiday present, birthday present, all small gifts. Secret SSMs are revealed at the end of the year with a slightly more expensive gift.
  
• SSM of the week – at each staff meeting the SSM of the week from the week before gives an object to another SSM that they feel is deserving of recognition. No repeats are allowed until everyone has gotten it.
  
• Surprise coffee and bagels at morning meeting
  
• Post a thank you note on employees door
  
• Make a photo collage about a successful project that shows people that worked on it, its stages of development and its completion and presentation
  
• Find out a person’s hobby and buy an appropriate gift
  
• Design a “Stress Support Kit” that includes aspirin, a humorous trinket, stress ball, etc
  
• Give a Mr.Goodbar (candy bar) awards
  
• Sponsor a foster child in a third world country.
  
• Funny Notes - Keep a supply of appropriately funny notes that can be given as immediate rewards. Keep the supply visible – in a basket or box on your desk
  
• You’re a Lifesaver! Give a note reading, “Thank you. You are a ____!” Attach a roll of Lifesavers

Adapted from: College of Saint Benedict | Saint John's University, Student Employment resource. Available at http://www.csbsju.edu/se/Employee_of_Year/recognition_for_student_employee.htm

Hacker, Carol A. (2003) 450 low-cost, no-cost strategies for recognizing, rewarding, and retaining good people. Carol A. Hacker and Associates.