Loyal employees are the foundations upon which every successful business is built upon. Without experience members of staff to guide newer employees, things can soon become messy. That is why when you do have long-serving employees, they deserve to be recognised.
Recognising long-serving members of staff comes with numerous positives as not only does the employee that is being recognised feel valued, but it also provides a lift to everyone else as they see how the company treats their staff. Some employers provide a little something, such as a box of chocolates, every anniversary (sometimes referred to as work birthdays) while others prefer to save recognition for landmark years (five, 10, 15, 20, 25 years of service etc…).
Choosing what a long service award looks like for your company is down to you and it could be led by the business you are in. For example, the industries where employees are most likely to remain in their jobs the longest are government, aerospace and media, according to this Forbes article, while in other areas the average tenure is considerably shorter.
What is a Long Service Award?
A long service award is exactly what it says on the tin, it is a way of recognising an employee’s loyalty to the business. This is commonly in the form of a 10 or 20 years long service award when a member of staff has reached a significant milestone in their employment.
How businesses recognise their long-serving staff differs from company to company, but it usually consists of a keepsake, some sweet treats (such as a box of chocolates) and, perhaps, another gift and/or vouchers. Some businesses outline what benefits are offered to employees should they remain with the company for a specific time, while others choose to recognise on a case-by-case basis.
Here at Fen Regis Trophies, we often produce glass awards for long service awards for employers to present to their staff members. Glass awards, including plaques and paperweights, are the popular choice for corporate presentation due to their refined and stylish design.
Long Service Awards Gifts
Gifts that come with awards should be as personal to the member of staff as possible – after all, if they are a long-serving employee, you should know quite a bit about them by now. As well as something shiny they can place on their desk or keep at home, a long service award is a good reason to push the boat out a little bit further.
For example, if you know that the employee is a big football fan, then why not buy tickets to a game, a stadium tour or their favourite team’s shirt (with however many years of service as the number). Those are just some ideas off the top of our heads with the point being that something personal to the employee lets them know that they are valued and that they are not just a number on the payroll.
Needless to say, the more years of service the award is for then the more extravagant the gift should be. Gifting an employee of 25 years a £20 gift voucher probably won’t quite hit the tone you are looking for and could potentially be deemed as insulting. Think about what a suitable gift looks like in conjunction with the number of years your employee has been with you.
Why Loyal Employees Deserve Recognition
Staff that stay with their employer are golden and should be recognised. Talented employees that stay for the long haul grow with the company and progress their career (or at the very least recognise the opportunity to progress). For senior positions, hiring internally is best as you don’t lose time where someone unfamiliar with the business and its culture beds in over a few months – internal hires tend to be able to hit the ground running.
With long-serving employees, operations run smoothly with members of staff drawing on years of experience to solve problems, as well as helping to train newer colleagues. Your business would be much poorer without them and, if your team fails to hold on to talented employees for more than a few years, this could raise red flags to new starters who may question the staff turnover rate.
Some companies do fall into the trap of taking their long-serving employees for granted, believing that they don’t have to go out of their way to keep them. The fact is that when someone feels part of the furniture it can go one of two ways – either, they can feel as though they are comfortable and a valued member of the team with no reason to look elsewhere, or they may feel as though a change is due. If they begin feeling like the latter, then there may be an issue that needs addressing.
Not all long-serving employees feel a change is needed because they feel undervalued and/or underutilised, it may just be that they harbour ambitions of a change and that is fine. However, if after a discussion it becomes apparent that there are reasons that could have been addressed, that is when questions need to be asked.
Recognition is one of the main things that employees look for, whether it is a simple pat on the back or a long-term service award for their years of service. Companies that recognise their loyal employees have a much better chance of keeping their most valued members of staff.
For more information on our range of glass awards, please do not hesitate to get in contact with a member of our team today.