Corporate Awards

We are now well and truly into the winter awards season, with many industries choosing to recognise their stars with a corporate awards ceremony. The end of the year gives businesses the chance to reward those who have achieved the most for a company or industry over the previous year and recognise achievement. While  awards ceremonies are a great way of rewarding those who have stood out over the year, they can also incentivise and motivate others to try and reach the same heights the following year.

Although awards ceremonies are popular events, they can sometimes provoke hostilities, and some who do not win may not treat it with the same wry smile and round of applause that you see on TV. While it is great to win an award and it can inspire others, care has to be taken to make sure any runners up do not feel put out. Offices can be competitive places which can lead to good results but bosses must ensure that this does not boil over into ill feeling.

Winning an award will be a great feeling for those that win, but it is important to remember that there will be many talented people in a team or workplace who won’t win an award for their efforts. While awards are an effective way of recognising the achievements of individuals, by their very nature they do not recognise the achievements of everybody.

A quick look at a list of Nobel Prize for Literature losers will show clearly that sometimes, for one reason or another, talent is not as recognised as it should be. Previous runners up include Leo Tolstoy, H.G.Wells, and Sigmund Freud, which just goes to show that sometimes, if the competition is fierce, those who are just as deserving might well miss out.

If you are planning a corporate awards ceremony this year, remember that it isn’t just the award winners that make a successful team, and consider how those that may have been just as deserving will be recognised for their achievements.

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For the die hard cricket fan, two months of bleary eyed mornings are almost upon us as England defend their Ashes trophy down under. While many of us will have to make do with watching England retain the famous urn (we hope) on the evening highlights show, many will brave the overnight coverage even if it means turning up to work a little worse for wear the following morning.

The levels of hype that are generated are almost second to none, with neither Aussies or Poms willing to give any ground in the mental battle that accompanies every series. The centrepiece of the whole tournament is the famous urn, with the many legends surrounding its contents ranging from burned bails to the ashes from a fireplace. One thing is particularly striking about the famous urn however and that is its dainty size.

Although the real thing is locked away safely in the MCC museum at Lords, the symbol of the Ashes urn is still fought for every two years, and it must count as being one of the smallest trophies in sport. As you can see from the worldwide furore the competition causes, it certainly isn’t size that matters.

At the other end of the sporting award scale is Ice Hockey’s Stanley Cup. This monster trophy is awarded to the winners of the NHL season in the US and Canada, and owes it huge size to the fact that it is engraved with the names of all winning players, coaches, management and club staff. It now stands at a massive 89.54 cm and weighs 15.5 kilos, giving the winning captain a weightlifting challenge when he hoists the trophy aloft at the end of the final.

Both of these trophies make the humble FA Cup or Premier League trophy look a little on the dull side, and it goes to show that no matter how big or small the trophy is, it will be eagerly fought for by those charged with the responsibility of winning it for their team or country.

Increasingly businesses have used trophies and corporate awards ceremonies to give their teams and individuals recognition for their achievements and these are often presented either at industry awards ceremonies or end of year awards evenings. Corporate awards try to conjure some of the passion and enthusiasm from the sporting arena and inject it into the workplace and achieve great levels of success when it comes to motivating and incentivising employees.

You only need to look at the Ashes urn and the Stanley Cup trophy to see just how different trophies can be and this is the same for corporate awards. Big, small, fat or thin, companies can have awards designed and manufactured to be brand consistent so that they are in keeping with the look and feel of the company.

When businesses decide to use awards to reward staff they often look to the world of sport for inspiration, so if you are considering using corporate awards in your business, look no further than the sporting world to see just how much choice there is available.

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The back pages have been literally filled with praise for the Tottenham Hotspur player Gareth Bale this morning after his heroics against Inter Milan, with journalists queuing up from London to Rome to praise his abilities.

It has been quite a month for the young Welshman, having scored a hat-trick against the same opponents in the San Siro two weeks ago, and his outstanding performances against the reigning European champions have left him with the world at his feet.

In the high profile world of European football the right performance at the right time will get you noticed on a worldwide level. With the cameras watching your every move, outstanding performances are there for the world to see, and are often rewarded by huge contracts, multi-million pound transfers and colossal bonuses.

Not every workplace is White Hart Lane or the San Siro however, and not every employee will get their achievements noticed on such a public stage. The rewards on offer for those talented enough to make their mark in the workplace will be constrained by tight budgets, but the same principles apply in that the star performers in any team need to be rewarded in order to stave off potentially lucrative offers from your rivals.

Just as Gareth Bale will soon be finding the biggest clubs in the World offering him tempting contracts, star performers in any workplace could also be tempted by the riches of your rivals.

So how do you ensure your staff stay motivated to work hard for your company and ignore any other offers of work that might come their way?

Football managers often receive all of the praise but in reality they are in a rare position to throw vast sums of money at their leading starts to reward their exploits (take Wayne Rooney for example). Back in the real world of business this is nowhere near being a reality, so managers have to be more resourceful when it comes to rewarding their staff.

Using incentives and motivational tools such as corporate awards is an effective way of rewarding staff for their efforts. In a situation where big bonuses are not always possible, awards can offer a cost effective solution for getting the best out of your team. By using highly sought after awards as an incentive for hitting a target or as a reward for special achievement, you can show staff that their efforts are truly appreciated and that their talent has been noticed.

We can’t all take up pages of newspapers and receive six figure bonuses when we achieve something extraordinary, but in the real world of business, using corporate awards is an effective way of keeping your star performers motivated.

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The end of year Christmas party has always been associated with the reputation of stationery cupboards and inappropriate relationships with photocopiers, but this has been changing through the years with the rise of the end of year corporate awards ceremony. They are ideal for a Christmas party as they allow employees a chance to enjoy a party atmosphere whilst rewarding the highest achievers and providing an incentive for the following year.

The end of year awards ceremony provides staff with something to look forward to throughout the year and also works as a year round incentive to produce work of the highest quality. Awards can benefit the workplace in many ways, whether it’s rewarding a team, individual or office and you can give out as many awards as you see fit. They can be an extremely effective way of motivating staff throughout the year and providing a fun festive celebration.

The size of your awards ceremony is also entirely up to the company involved, with some opting to go the whole hog and inviting a celebrity host and putting on a three course meal, but it is perfectly possible to do this on a smaller scale and still have a successful awards ceremony.

The awards that you use can also be completely bespoke, meaning that they can be brand consistent and have a professional appearance. There are many designs of award to choose from made from a variety of different materials so there will be a good selection available that will suit your requirements.

If you are still wondering what to do this Christmas, think about a corporate awards ceremony to recognise the achievements of your staff. They don’t have to cost the earth and will be something a little bit different, creating a buzz around the office. Stationery cupboard liaisons and relationships with photocopiers are, of course, entirely optional.

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It’s a season that seems to get longer every year, but the entertainment awards season got underway last night with a Lady Gaga dominated MTV Awards. These glittering ceremonies are always a hub for conversation and intrigue, let alone a great chance for celebrities to turn out in their finest designer gear.

Awards ceremonies in any industry are always an opportunity to reward the brightest lights in the workplace and acknowledge those who have achieved great things over the last 12 months. In an increasingly austere business environment, those who have achieved great things and enabled the company to grow should be rewarded for their efforts, and industry award ceremonies enable companies to do this in style.

Corporate awards can be a valuable tool when it comes to recognising achievement, giving hard working staff valuable recognition but also inspiring employees throughout the year by providing an important incentive. Awards can be used to recognise achievement in any industry, and an awards ceremony will provide staff with an opportunity to get dressed up and become a celebrity for the evening.

The awards themselves come in all shapes and sizes and can be customised to suit any industry. Branded awards can be designed to show recognition from any company or industry body, giving the awarding company additional valuable presence as well as rewarding staff.

With Christmas just around the corner and with it the end of the year, corporate awards ceremonies can be a great way to celebrate the achievements of the year whilst also enjoying the spirit of the festive season. Awards ceremonies would make a unique Christmas party idea or would be an appropriate way to start the new year by celebrating the successes of the one just past.

Visit Corporate Awards and find some inspiration for your own corporate awards ceremony.

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Once a company has decided to give out corporate awards, it can be tricky to know which path to go down. With many companies offering different things there are plenty of options out there, but one early decision that will have to be made is whether to go down the awards or vouchers route.

Vouchers make a popular award item because they take all of thinking out of it. Instead of deciding on an award that will recognise the efforts of the recipient, vouchers can offer an easy way out, meaning that an award can be given without any of the thought attached.

As with most things in life however, you get out what you put in. It is the effort and the thought that goes into giving an award that provides the feeling of achievement and knowledge that hard work is being rewarded. Whereas giving vouchers can feel like a token effort with a lack of personalisation attached, awards are everything that vouchers are not.

Bespoke awards can be personalised to meet the requirements of both the company that are awarding them and the recipient. Awards can be given that either reflect the reason for giving the award (something to reflect the theme of a project, for example) or a gift that appeals to the interests and hobbies of the recipient (like golf awards or car inspired awards). It is this personalisation that gives awards the advantage, providing a memorable item that will be valued and appreciated.

A bespoke award will be greatly appreciated by the recipient but they can also be advantageous to the company that are awarding them. If awards are being given to customers, they can be branded with the awarding company’s logo which will add an extra marketing angle to the award. As well as giving the customer something that they will enjoy, they will have a reminder of the givers brand and company every time they look at it. It could also be seen by anyone the recipient does business with, helping to spread the word of a company.

There is so much more added value attached to awards when compared to vouchers. If a company has a price per recipient in mind, there are more benefits that will be gained from spending that money on giving awards rather than vouchers, and this added value alone should make them the obvious choice.

We also have a number of corporate gifts websites that contain a wide range of awards to suit all styles and tastes. Click on the links below to visit them and select your corporate gifts.

Promotional flash drives from The Business Gifts Company, Promotional Gifts from The Promotional Gifts Company and also our Corporate Awards and Corporate Jewellery websites.

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Here in Britain we are slowly returning to work after the extended weekend that comes around every August. The Bank Holiday gives everyone a chance to enjoy a bit of extra time in the summer sun which should get us all ready for the build up to the next break we’ll get at Christmas. In Britain we face the very unusual situation of offices being either depleted or completely empty for much of August and the week over Christmas, but do our holidays make us more motivated at work?

An interesting article on the BBC website explores the freedoms we have with our holidays in Britain compared with the much shorter, and in some cases non existent holidays employees are granted in the USA. It would appear from reading the article that the US is the only country out of the top 21 richest in the world not to impose a legal mandate on employers granting time off. But what does this do to employee motivation? Do us Brits find ourselves more motivated as a result of our holidays or does the time they take up interfere with overall productivity?

There will be many views from many quarters arguing the merits or otherwise of employee holidays, but their effect on motivation should not be ignored. The idea of holiday allowance being awarded on merit or as a result of long service is one that may appeal to some companies as a way of offering an incentive to workers. But rather than motivating junior employees, could this approach just lead to staff resenting those co-workers who have holiday allowances that they don’t?

Burnout is also a factor in employees’ holiday as a well deserved break from work can ease stress levels and allow staff time away from the stresses and strains of work. Although work levels may be hit while employees take holiday, there is surely an argument that productivity levels out when compared with stressed, tired and unmotivated staff who have not been granted holiday.

There is no doubt that employees in Britain are lucky when it comes to their holiday allowance, and changes in the law over the years have made it a much fairer working environment for employees with rights and privileges that have never been seen before.

Employee motivation is now key, with bosses realising that they will get more out of a happy and rewarded workforce than by cracking the whip. Indeed, employee motivation is now big business, with strategies and award schemes being established to offer employees incentives and rewards for improving their work.

This British approach to working practices has done well to survive given the increasing use of American corporate motivation practices by UK firms. It would appear that whatever practices are adopted over here, there’s nothing that will ever stop us from enjoying our holiday.

Corporate Awards offer a wide range of bespoke awards for corporate use that can be used to improve motivation. They can be designed specifically to the individual company’s requirements to offer a completely bespoke corporate award. Visit Corporate Awards to get inspiration for your bespoke award.

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I know I know. It’s still August so what am I doing talking about the end of the year? Time has a habit of flying past once summer is out of the way. Gone are those lazy days in the Sun and pre holiday excitement as the lead up to Christmas which seems to get longer every year rears its head.

The fact is that in business, the lead up to the festivities begins in September, so even though the temperatures are still in the twenties and the clocks have yet to go back, end of year plans are already being drawn up.

So with budgets still tight and cutbacks still being made, how do companies mark the end of the year? Despite the fact that the economy is still on shaky ground it is still important for businesses to mark the holiday period for the sake of staff morale and motivation. Although cash bonuses might well have gone out of the window, there are other ways of marking the holiday period whilst improving staff motivation.

If your company has had a tough year it is even more important that the Christmas period is marked with some sense of ceremony. After all, it is the staff who are working for the companies that are struggling that often face the toughest jobs of all, with worries over job security and future pay. That is why it is important to mark the occasion in order to retain employee motivation.

One way of doing this is by using awards and corporate gifts in an end of year celebration. Corporate awards can be used to congratulate those who have achieved the most over the year and as well as rewarding their efforts it will also provide and incentive for the year to come.

By using bespoke awards, companies can also put on an end of year awards ceremony which will also serve as a unique Christmas party idea. In this way, employees can be rewarded with corporate gifts and corporate awards in a party atmosphere that will effectively show that staff’s efforts are valued.

To get yourself organised for the Christmas period, visit Corporate Awards or The Corporate Gifts Company to start planning for your company’s festive period.

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Employee motivation is key not only to growing and developing a business but also just maintaining it at a consistent level. Without employees a company really is nothing, and rather than the Dickensian view of the mill owner breaking his workers with a rod of iron, the employee is now king (or queen!).

So how can employers make sure they are keeping their workforce motivated? What techniques can they utilise to make sure their workers are happy to put every effort into helping the company progress?

Corporate awards can be used in a number of different ways to keep staff motivated and reward achievement. Awards not only provide a reward to those who have earned it, but also provide an incentive for staff as something to work towards.

Despite the end of the recession, times are still pretty tough for some companies and financial rewards aren’t always possible. Awards mean that companies can still motivate staff through rewards and incentives without breaking the bank.

There are a wide range of different bespoke awards available, so visit the Corporate awards website to see what options are available.

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Unlike other business sectors, charities depend on donations and hard, often unpaid work to raise the funds they need to be able to make a difference. Whether it’s voluntary workers in a charity shop, regular donors or someone with a high profile giving their time to increase the charity’s popularity, they often owe a great deal of gratitude to people making the effort on their behalf.

People often don’t expect to be rewarded or thanked for the work they do for charity as the effort they make is often for a cause that means a lot, so merely participating is enough. But charities, like every other business sector, need to maintain a motivated and inspired team in order to make sure their targets are met, and sometimes incentives and awards can help charities to improve even further.

Using corporate gifts and corporate awards to reward voluntary staff and principal donors can be an effective way of keeping charity supporters motivated and willing to continue to support the charity.

Corporate Gifts To Incentivise Staff

Whether staff are paid or voluntary they need to be motivated to perform to the best of their ability. When volunteering their time to help out charities they will often be driven by their support for the work the charity does, but once the reality of the work involved sets in it can be a challenge to maintain that level of motivation. By using corporate gifts to reward staff for their efforts it can help them to continue to feel motivated to work hard for the charity. Items such as branded
cufflinks and photo
frames can provide a wonderful keepsake that people will be proud to display, which will have the joint effect of motivating the staff and raising the profile of the charity. By rewarding volunteer staff with branded corporate gifts there will be more people showing off the logo of the charity and displaying their name, giving valuable visibility for the cause concerned.

Corporate Awards To Recognise Achievement

In every business sector there will always be individuals who exceed expectations. By hosting an awards ceremony or even handing out a trophy in the office, hard working individuals can be rewarded for their achievements. Corporate awards can be especially useful for charities as the amount of good work undertaken for the charity opens up a huge amount of possibilities for award categories, with staff, volunteers and even users of the charity eligible for an award. An awards event can also bring with it much press interest, giving the charity concerned valuable exposure.

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Corporate Awards Sites

• Branded Flash Drives
• Business Gifts
• Corporate Gifts
• Cufflinks UK
• Promotional Flash Drives



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