4 Ways BlueGrace Logistics Wins Over Their Employees

Employee recognition is the driver for motivation in the workplace. It makes people feel valued and respected. But we’re not talking about the typical employee of the month award.

Frequent shout-outs, peer-to-peer rewards, and tweet-centric honors are upping the recognition game.

BlueGrace Logistics, winner of TINYpulse's Happiest Company Award in Transportation and Logistics, can teach other organizations a thing or two about recognition. CEO Bobby Harris puts his employees at the top of his list by investing in their happiness. And we know that if a company wants an engaged culture, they have to pay to play. Here are the creative ways that this small business is changing how companies should look at recognition.

Weekly Winner

Teammate of the week: Dubbed the “coaches' choice award,” the recipient is chosen by the leadership team each week. Employees are recognized for exemplifying the company’s values, such as jumping on a last-minute project (#5 embracing chaos). The winner, who is announced by the CEO at the Monday Morning meeting, spins the prize wheel to win anywhere from $25 to $300.

Why it works: Frequency. According to TINYpulse’s internal data, nearly 30% of employees haven’t received recognition in the past two weeks from their boss. And because this award is based off of values, it encourages employees and managers to live by the company’s culture.

It Pays To Use Social Media

PowerTweeter: BlueGrace Logistics makes use of specific hashtags that employees can use on Twitter to share industry news or company events. Share the best, most impactful content, and you win a $25 gift card along with an announcement at the Monday Morning meeting.

Why it works: Socialization. An article by Gallup points out that socialization actually increases productivity. Employees that interact with one another collect more information than human silos.

Peer Recognition

Peer 2 Peer Award: Employees nominate their peers for BlueGrace to decide the winner. And the prize? A crisp $50 bill. Who doesn’t want extra pocket change?

Why it works: Peers are the greatest resource for recognition—they interact daily and have the best insight into their coworker’s work habits. So if you’ve got a program, they’ll use it because 44% of employees will use recognition tools if they have them.

The Grand Prize

TrueBlue Award: This big kahuna is only given out quarterly, and the winner is selected by the leadership team. Recipients receive an engraved crystal pyramid trophy along with a $200 gift card.

Why it works: Because more frequent rewards are given out in between, this rare prize works as a recognition tool in the company. Many organizations rely solely on quarterly or annual prizes, but the more time that passes between recognition, the less an employee feels valued.

BlueGrace Logistics uses small and large rewards to keep their employees engaged over time. So if you’re looking for new ways to recognize your employees, takes a few cues from this company. You’ll raise the bar for satisfaction, engagement, and motivation with just a few changes here and there.

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