Employee Of The Month Templates: Download 15 Free Recognition Templates

Employee of the month programs will surely create competition. But, they will also help you build a supportive workplace and inspire other employees to strive for excellence.

If you want to go beyond simple forms of recognition such as verbally praising your employees, you can use our employee of the month templates. These templates will create a sense of pride and achievement in your award-winning employees.

Once you download our free employee of the month templates, you can continue to read our article to learn about the benefits of having an employee of the month program, how to reward your employee of the month, and how you can implement a rewards and recognition program in your workplace.

To drive engagement with ease…

Looking to build a culture of recognition? Employee of the Month programs aren’t the only way to keep your employees engaged. Real praise and appreciation are something leaders should be showing on a daily basis. The best way to do that is through the smoothest recognition software designed for Microsoft Teams, Teamflect! Give it a try! Use it to customize recognition badges that reflect your company values and boost productivity.

15 Free Employee of The Month Templates

1. Vibrant pink and blue employee of the month template

The eye-catching combination of pink and blue in this employee of the month template gives it a lively appearance. This employee of the month template skillfully combines the warmth of pink and the coolness of blue.

2. Formal green and yellow employee of the month template

This formal employee of the month template is ideal for recognizing the most outstanding employee of the month and creating a supportive workplace. Its high-resolution design and formal details convey professionalism as well as increase the impact of your appreciation.

3. Purple and minimalist employee of the month template

The words “Employee of the Month” is presented tastefully in a simple font which preserves a sense of professionalism and simplicity. With this purple and minimalist employee of the month template, you can offer a sophisticated and attractive way to honor exceptional accomplishments.

4. Professional blue and white employee of the month template

This professionally designed employee of the month template gives employee recognition a touch of elegance. Its beautiful layout creates a distinctive recognition experience while reflecting the style of your business.

5. Green and gold employee of the month template

The elegant color palette of dark green and gold is included in this employee of the month template. By striking the ideal mix between formality and acknowledgment, this dark green and gold template creates an aesthetically pleasing approach to present the accomplishments of your star employees.

6. Stylish red and gold employee of the month template

This stylish template for top performers takes praise to a new level. Its vibrant look captures the essence of your dynamic team. This template will inspire your employees to continue their outstanding performance.

7. Sophisticated blue and gold employee of the month template

Add a touch of sophistication to acknowledgment! Giving your employees this elegant employee of the month awards template is similar to giving them a prestigious trophy. The details of this template give the recognition a sense of exclusivity and inspire your employees to keep up their excellent work.

8. Simple white and gold employee of the month template

Use this employee of the month template word document if your winner prefers simplicity. You can show your appreciation for your staff members’ efforts and contributions with its elegant elements and minimalist arrangement.

9. Modest employee of the month template

Simple employee of the month certificate templates are great ways to express gratitude. It’s a modest but successful strategy for boosting performance. If your employees are fine with it, you should definitely consider including their pictures in your employee of the month certificates and templates. You can even use the template below for shout-outs on social media!

10. Elegant red and blue employee of the month template

This elegant and free employee-of-the-month template makes a statement for your employees who work the hardest. This employee of the month template conveys a sense of worth with its formal arrangement.

11. Modern grey and pink employee of the month template

You can give out this elegant and modern employee of the month template that blends pink, blue, and grey. This employee of the month template creates a visually appealing and modern picture of success.

12. Traditional black and white employee of the month template

You can try this traditional option to acknowledge outstanding accomplishments and raise morale at work. This employee of the month certificate’s classic style makes it look like a poster that highlights the accomplishments each month.

13. White and blue employee of the month template

This employee of the month template’s sleek lines and geometric patterns in gold give it a modern feel while still lending a sophisticated vibe. This template, which is a visually striking example of modern design in navy blue, gold, and white, is a stunning expression of acknowledgment.

14. Green and red employee of the month template

This work of art in green and red can improve the atmosphere of any professional setting in addition to acting as a symbol of recognition. This employee of the month template’s modest yet powerful style celebrates the great accomplishments of your employees.

15. Creative pink and black employee of the month template

Creative ways for employee appreciation can demonstrate your passion and dedication to employee growth. This downloadable employee of the month certificate’s modern aesthetic will reflect the creative attitude of your business.

What are the benefits of having an employee of the month program?

1. Giving a morale boost

Let’s face it. We all love when people acknowledge us for a job well done. And when your peers nominate you as the best employee of the month, it sure is a source of motivation. The employee of the month initiative celebrates your achievements and serves as an inspiration for your team members to raise their performance to be the next month’s best employee.

2. Creating a positive workplace atmosphere

An employee of the month program can be a regular dose of recognition for your hardworking employees. Having an employee of the month program contributes to a positive working environment while creating a culture of gratitude and appreciation for your entire team.

3. Improving productivity

When your colleagues compete for the monthly title, it will significantly improve productivity. Being recognized as the top performer is a powerful incentive and it will drive your employees to push their limits.

Implementing an employee of the month program creates a win-win situation both for the winner and your company since your entire team will aim for maximum productivity in the following months as well.

4. Increasing employee retention

Here’s an important statistics from a Glassdoor survey: 53% of employees would stick around longer if they felt appreciated. Employee recognition not only reduces turnover by boosting employee retention which is important for long-term success in the highly competitive business climate. 

5. Boosting motivation

Employee of the month awards create friendly competition among your team since if you know that there’s a prize on the line, you will strive for excellence. Having an employee of the month program will also provide extrinsic motivation to your workforce. 

How do you reward the employee of the month?

1. Organize virtual award shows

You can organize virtual award shows to reveal the winners of the month. If you have multiple categories for the employee of the month award, you can give each winner a minute to express their gratitude.

To make the award show more spontaneous, you can allow live voting through the poll feature on your remote meeting software. But, don’t forget to keep the percentages discreet. Once you announce the winners, you can commemorate the achievement by sending certificates or digital badges to your recipients.

To make your award show more glamorous, you can encourage your employees to wear their fanciest outfits.

2. Create an employee of the month Microsoft Teams channel

To broadcast the appreciation of your winners you can create a dedicated Microsoft Teams channel. This practical way of recognition will allow managers or HR to easily share the accomplishments of your winners. Simply adding a photo and a brief description of employees’ monthly achievements can be sufficient to recognize them.

To keep things organized you can configure the channel as read-only. Or you can allow your employees to praise their peers with emojis. If you want to encourage peer recognition, you can permit teammates to share their positive comments or anecdotes about their experiences working with the winner.

3. Send care packages

Another way of appreciating your employees is another form of nonmonetary incentives, sending them care packages. You can include a mix of items that are both practical and delightful. For example, you can include trophies or medals as a symbol of their accomplishments. Add snacks or candies if you want your winners to indulge themselves for a little while.

To personalize the care package, you can write a card as a team which will strengthen your bond with the employee.

Including items such as a pencil or a notebook is a great idea as well, since these items can contribute to a more organized work space.

Pro tip: Remember to vary your rewards so you can express your appreciation while creating a sense of excitement among your employees.

4. Throw a party to honor your winner

Office parties are commonly practiced traditions in the workplace. The scale of these office parties can be modified to fit your budget constraints and time considerations.

You can prefer a more modest celebration or organize an upscale event depending on your organizational culture and financial resources. But, the core purpose of your party remains constant and that is to pay tribute to your winner and celebrate their achievements with your team.

5. Treat your employees with a team lunch

You can create a company-wide tradition by taking your entire department to lunch as a celebration of your winners’ monthly achievements. Opt for a catered lunch in your office or a small celebration at a local restaurant. Just remember to allow the award recipient to choose the restaurant.

6. Offer a personal parking space

Securing your personal parking spot is a special reward for many employees. You can take your recognition to the next level by reserving a parking spot right next to the entrance.

Another way of showing your appreciation through parking spots is covering the cost of the parking pass for your award-winning employees for a month.

Since parking spots are practical and highly valuable perks, employees might get used to the privilege of having them and this might create friendly competition among your employees. This means that your previous winners will be driven to secure their spot by going above and beyond with their work again.

7. Craft an employee of the month calendar

To honor your winners, you can craft an interactive employee of the month calendar. With this creative prize, you will encourage your employees to add a bit of lightheartedness into their working atmosphere.

You can announce the winner or winners after the third week of a month. Once you make the announcement, either organize a photoshoot or ask your employees to submit their pictures.

After collecting the photos, use design tools like Canva or Adobe Spark to create a customized calendar.

You can maximize the visibility of your calendar by hanging its pages in communal areas such as hallways, breakrooms, and supply rooms.

8. Include travel incentives

Your employees will be even more excited for the employee of the month title when you promise them a travel incentive. Travel incentives can be in different formats including access to events, memberships, and subscriptions. But, as you may guess, the most popular among them is trips to exciting locations.

Travel incentives can boost productivity by giving a tangible goal to aim for. On top of that, these incentives might create competition among your team members. But, don’t worry! This friendly competition will improve their performance and engagement levels.

9. Upgrade their equipment

You can boost productivity at work by offering your winners upgraded equipment. Either cover the costs of the equipment to a certain extent or you can let your employee of the month choose their devices or accesories from a catalog.

This reward will excite your tech enthusiasts as well as the employees who use loyal but old technology. On top of that, this reward shows your willingness to support your employees as they try to advance in their careers.

10. Offer them a lunch with the CEO

Having lunch with the CEO will be exciting because your winners will be able to bond with the executives while communicating their new business ideas to them.

You can still create this special experience even if your company works remotely. Instead of virtual lunches your employees and the CEO can meet up to enjoy activities like video games.

How to implement a rewards and recognition program?

1. Make the Case for Recognition

To kick things off, you should help your leadership see the value of implementing a rewards and recognition program. You can achieve this by communicating the benefits of these programs.

Next, you need to roll up your sleeves and do some research. A quick online search will reveal data that supports the positive impact of these programs on engagement, morale, productivity, and job satisfaction.

Once you’ve done your research, take these findings and make your case by backing it up with real-world examples.

2. Identify your goals

After you lay the groundwork with your research, it’s time to outline the goals of your rewards and recognition system. Start with identifying the specific improvements you aim to make for the company and your employees.

Ask yourself: what measurable results are we targeting? These outcomes can be increasing employee engagement, boosting morale, or boosting productivity. You can also collaborate with your leadership to identify your goals and create alignment with your organizational vision.

3. Use the best recognition software: Teamflect

Why complicate things with separate software? Teamflect allows your employees to express their appreciation and motivate each other without leaving Microsoft Teams. You can use its customizable recognition badges to reward your employee of the month.

You can assign points to each recognition badge and create leaderboards. These leaderboards are a simple and objective way to determine who the employee of the month will be.

You will upgrade your recognition with Teamflect’s employee recognition module. With Teamflect you will be able to:

• Celebrate your winners’ contributions by feeding Teamflect recognitions directly into your desired Microsoft Teams channels.

• Use Outlook add-ins which allow you to frequently recognize your employees and make recognition a natural part of your company culture.

• Use powerful insights via rich and flexible reports in Microsoft PowerBI and more!

And the most delightful aspect of using Teamflect is that you can access its full functionality for up to 10 users without any time limit!

4. Ask your employees about their preferred way of recognition

Think of employee recognition as gift-giving. If you gift your friend something that they are not enthusiastic about, you will feel a bit deflated once you see the lack of excitement on your friend’s face. Employee recognition works similarly. You need to ask your winners what would be a great way of appreciation for them.

5. Introduce your recognition program and measure its effectiveness

You can reveal your new recognition program during the company-wide meetings and highlight how important it is for your shared culture. You also need to train your employees and the leadership while keeping an eye on the important metrics such as recognition index, leader participation, activation rates, and recognitions sent.

You may also take a more direct approach and ask your employees how impactful your recognition program is. To do this use interviews, survey tools, and feedback sessions.

Closing words

We provided you with 15 free employee of the month templates which will help you create a positive workplace culture and boost morale. However, you can level up your recognition by using Teamflect which offers you convenience and efficiency.

Use Teamflect and put recognition at the fingertips of your employees!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of having an employee of the month program?

1. Giving a morale boost
2. Creating a positive workplace atmosphere
3. Improving productivity
4. Increasing employee retention 
5. Boosting motivation

How do you reward the employee of the month?

1. Organize virtual award shows
2. Create an employee of the month Microsoft Teams channel
3. Send care packages
4. Throw a party to honor your winner
5. Treat your employees with a team lunch
6. Offer a personal parking space
7. Craft an employee of the month calendar
8. Include travel incentives
9. Upgrade their equipment
10. Offer them a lunch with the CEO