Companies all over the world try to develop creative and unique ways in which to reward their employees for a job well done. Some companies offer vacation packages, corporate perks like free car rental, or even gift cards to a local restaurant. Many companies prefer to develop a recognition program that utilizes keepsakes that employees can collect or keep for the rest of their careers and in some cases, the rest of their lives.

Thinks like key chains, paper weights, baseball caps are common items given to employees who have exceeded the expectations of their superiors, but there is one item that truly stands out above the crowd; lapel pins.

Lapel pins are an extremely versatile product. They’re small, attractive, and shiny. Who doesn’t like to wear something shiny? The coolest thing about using lapel pins to reward employees is that they’re customizable. That’s right, you can literally create anything your mind desires! When I owned my own business (yeeeeaaarss ago) I had 14 employees and one of them recommended using lapel pins to reward employees and develop a type of ‘recognition program’ if you will. The idea took off! The guys (and gals) loved the idea so much, they started collecting them and some even wore vests showcasing all of the pins they had accumulated over the 7-10 years they worked with the company. If you look around you’ll see a lot of companies using lapel pins as employee recognition awards. Some of these places include Friday’s restaurant, Denny’s, Publix, The Home Depot, Lowes, etc. The list goes on, and some of the pins are truly awesome!

Recognizing employees needs to go beyond a pat on the back

I think I speak for the bulk of employees out there when I say a pat on the back is good, but a lapel pin is even better! A keepsake like a lapel pin constantly reminds an employee of his/her achievement in the workplace. Sure you can give out a gift card to Friday’s, but seriously, once the Jack Daniel’s chicken and shrimp is gone, they’ve completely forgotten about what they did to get the free meal. Out of sight, out of mind.

With a lapel pin, the employee who receives it constantly reflects back to the day they received their first, second, third, etc etc etc. pins. They continue to improve and better themselves, and they continue to strive to be the best, and earn recognition (pins) along the way. Think of employee recognition pins as miniature trophies, I know I’d sure like to receive a trophy for doing a good job.

Anyhow, I just wanted to write a little bit about the recognition side of lapel pins for those of you who are interested. It’s a great way for any company to start recognizing great accomplishments within their organization and it’s a surefire way to boost confidence and morale in, and outside of the office.