10 employee recognition ideas that help retain top talent
8 December 2025
Following on from our blog, ‘Employee recognition: The ultimate guide for employers’, we’re branching out with a series of articles on recognition ideas for employees. Starting here, with a variety of employee recognition examples that will translate across multiple businesses, then moving on to get more specific with the rest of the series. Embedding employee recognition into your business is one of the most impactful ways to create a positive workplace culture. Read on for 10 employee recognition ideas you can embed today.
In a hurry? Here are our top takeaways from a blog that's full of employee recognition ideas.
1. Recognition must be personal, flexible and employee-centred: One-size-fits-all recognition doesn’t work. Employees value different things at different stages of their lives, meaning recognition must be personalised, flexible, and grounded in what matters most to each employee, shifting recognition away from generic rewards towards human-centred appreciation.
2. Meaningful recognition drives culture, wellbeing and retention: Recognition isn’t ‘nice to have’, it’s a culture and retention lever. Examples like VIP learning hours, time-off for life events, and peer-to-peer appreciation show that you understand that recognition improves wellbeing, strengthens connection, and encourages behaviours that fuel long-term, sustainable growth.
3. Effective recognition is intentional: Recognition becomes a strategic tool, not a transactional perk. Recognition works best when it’s specific, timely, authentic, values-driven, and embedded in everyday life.
Got time to stick around? Let's dive a little deeper.
If you haven’t yet done so, dive into our blog, ‘Employee recognition: The ultimate guide for employers’, to learn why employee recognition is so important and how to get your programme off the ground and flying.
10 employee recognition ideas that truly add value
Recognition is personal, so there’s never a one-size-fits-all, but you’re bound to find something that will appeal to your employees within our ten examples of types of employee recognition below.
1. Personalised development plans
Instead of giving a cash reward, some employees would prefer you invest the value in their development. Learning opportunities ought to form part of your Employee Value Proposition (EVP), but this will often link to role-based learning for career progression.
Personalise the recognition further by offering a small budget that your employees can use on anything that helps them grow professionally or personally.
This type of employee recognition works because it delivers timeless value, builds skills, supports passions, and shows you care about their future.
2. Time off
Don’t underestimate the gift of time. Our Annual Leave Purchase Scheme is one of our most popular employee benefits for a reason. You can also get creative with how you use this idea.
Don’t just limit it to workplace achievements and wins; evolve it to include personal milestones like birthdays, house moves, parents settling their children into university, and their graduation ceremonies. Be inclusive by recognising child-free colleagues, such as settling-in days for pets.
This type of recognition works because it acknowledges real-life responsibilities, boosts wellbeing, and proves you’re an employer who takes work-life balance seriously.
3. Spotlight stories
Bring your people and their achievements to life. Feature wins and acknowledgements in internal newsletters or intranets. Give praise at town halls and on social media, highlighting their personality, achievements, and unique strengths.
We bring this to life at Pluxee UK by sharing our monthly ROAR winners internally and on social media alongside our quarterly On Hand Heroes, who have done great things within their community or for the environment.
It’s an authentic employee recognition idea that creates belonging, visibility, and authenticity.
4. Experience-based rewards
eVouchers are diverse, giving your employees a chance to redeem them against products or experiences. However, if you want to ensure your rewards go towards an experience, you could fund anything from a cooking class to theatre tickets, a spa trip to a driving day – this list is endless.
Experiences create memories and emotions, amplifying a sense of connection to the company.
5. Milestone moments boxes
Surprises can be very delightful, especially when they show that you’re paying attention to your employees’ lives and accomplishments. Whether it’s a work anniversary or promotion, a new baby or an engagement, a personalised gift box tailored to the employee’s interests will guarantee they feel seen and accepted.
It may be a gift box, but when you’ve taken time to include items unique to that person, it definitely won’t feel like a tick in a box.
6. Peer-to-peer appreciation
Made even more impactful with our Pluxee Employee Experience Platform, colleague appreciation or peer-to-peer recognition creates cultures that retain talent and boost engagement.
We encourage our clients to give their managers a rewards budget so they can issue rewards when a member of their team receives recognition. Wouldn’t it also be brilliant if you allowed all employees to gift an appreciation token, such as treats, time off, or a donation to their favourite charity?
Peer-to-peer appreciation builds recognition into everyday culture and empowers peers to reward contributions.
7. Wellness subscriptions
People are often experts at not making time for themselves, putting self-care at the bottom of their to-do list. You can change that with employee recognition gifts like wellness subscriptions that help them take care of their mind, body, and money.
These could include access to meditation apps, fitness classes, nutrition coaching, financial wellbeing sessions, or therapy subsidies.
Employees will love these employee recognition ideas because they improve their quality of life and can reduce stress, teaching them valuable lessons they can use every day to enhance their wellbeing.
8. The gift of choice
Types of recognition for employees will resonate differently depending on what’s happening in their lives. Let employees choose their own reward based on what matters most at that time. Give them access to a menu of meaningful reward options, like home-office upgrades, travel support, green-commute perks, a weekend away, a meal out, or even an eVoucher they can redeem as they please.
This level of flexibility is particularly impactful when your workforce spans multiple age groups and demographics. The value isn’t just in the reward itself, but in the fact that they could choose.
9. VIP learning hours
It’s one thing to fund a personal development project, but giving them the time to participate during working hours takes employee recognition to the next level. Funding the course isn’t always the problem; it’s finding the time to do it.
Giving employees dedicated time each month while ‘on the clock’ to work on personal development, creative projects, or personal development plans shows that you’re mindful of their busy lives and are willing to go the extra mile to help them bring their ambitions to life.
10. Donate on their behalf
Socially driven employees may not want anything for themselves and would prefer you donate to their chosen charity. It could be that they regularly support a particular charity, or that they have an affinity with one due to personal circumstances.
Knowing what matters to them and giving them the option to select a donation over a personal reward when they go above and beyond or hit a personal milestone will have a significant emotional impact.
Top employee recognition tips from Pluxee UK
Employee recognition works best when it’s:
- Specific: Say what they did and why it mattered.
- Timely: In-the-moment magic! Don’t wait 3 months to say thank you.
- Personal: Tailored to the individual or flexible enough to give them a choice.
- Authentic: Employees can sense insincerity. Ensure the recognition is authentic and meaningful.
- Values-driven: Align recognition with your values, not just results, to ensure it’s inclusive of everyone.
- Integrated: Recognition should be part of daily culture, not saved for an annual event.
Visit our blogs section for more content on employee recognition ideas to create an employee-retaining culture and drive the behaviours that nurture sustainable growth.
