5 Dead Simple Tips To Instantly Level Up Your Long Service Awards Program

Wherever you are with your Long Service Awards Programme, if you are interested in taking it to the next level then there are some easy to roll out details that go a long way. You get the most value for money when your awards actually transmit the feelings that you are hoping to create in your employees- i.e. to make them feel happier, more valued and appreciated. Here are some wonderful ideas that you can execute right away to get that effect: 

1. Give Long Service Awards Monthly, not annually: I know, I know, you’re saying, that this would require more administrative effort. But it’s better to put in this effort than have an LSA programme that does not get the desired results. You see, the fun of an LSA is when it is actually given close to the work anniversary. It is a momentous day in anyone’s life when they start a new career in a new company. An LSA that actually hits those dates, or close to them, feels more personal. When an LSA is given too long after the work anniversary,  then it is a non-event really. Their actual day came and went unacknowledged and getting an award months later feels less genuine, more farcical.

We strongly recommend making these a monthly affair. Also, because most people post their work anniversaries and LSAs on LinkedIn, a well timed LSA keeps the celebration alive online as well. It’s great for a company’s image.
Another reason is that it keeps the celebratory feeling in the office all year round. This creates a feel-good, which is a major contributor to employee satisfaction and retention. 

2. Make it Personal : Think back to the recognition or award that you received in a professional setting. Which one was the most effective? I’m willing to bet with you that it would be the one that spoke directly to you, recognising your true self. Personalisation is paramount to an effective LSA programme. To really tell the person that they matter, that they are seen and to thank them for their presence.
To this end, either team members can collectively write a note or CEO or Team Lead or Manager can write a note. If you need some ideas for this, check out Leadership Cards by Pinnacle. This may seem like a small gesture, but if you can build a process around it then it goes a long way. 

3. Create an Occasion: Set a time and space where the award recipient can talk about their journey. Our lives are made of years and when these precious years are devoted to a company, then it feels wonderful when the Company and our colleagues care enough to want to know about our journey. In giving people their LSA, create a pocket of time and space, where they can openly express themselves, talk about their journey so far and their dreams for the future and for the company. Since Covid many people are operating from home, which is where they receive their Long Service Award kits as well. Even in those cases, create moments when someone talks to them about their journey, takes feedback and even shares it (with their permission of course) with the entire team or organisation. 

4. Include the family in the LSA Kit: Acknowledge the people behind your people. In celebrating the long service of your employee, include something in the LSA kit that touches their family as well. Even a humble picture frame works wonders. Something that brings the family into the celebration, acknowledges their indirect but significant contribution and truly makes the moment inclusive and meaningful.

5. Think Thank You and not Congratulations : Approach Service Anniversaries as a gratitude gesture and not congratulations. Everything you do from the words on the certificate or what is being said at the commemorative speech, should be expression of gratitude. For instance: ‘Thank you for giving your precious years to the company.’ ‘Thank you for sharing your expertise with us.’ ‘Thank you for making us a stronger team.’ ‘Thank you for being a role model.’ ‘Thank you for your consistency and hard work, you inspire us.’ ‘Thank you for your inherent goodness and decency, your presence contributes to the company culture and makes us feel like a family.’

When you celebrate a person, rather than the milestone, then that adds more heft to the occasion and most significantly, it greatly and positively impacts the psyche and productivity of the award recipient. 

Check out

5 Mistakes to Avoid while selecting a long service awards Partner in India and

7 Pillars of a Successful Long Service Award Program.

With this knowledge, I am sure that your LSA programme will reach the next level in no time! 

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