Employee recognition is definitely a good thing to do, and is a way to communicate appreciation for good work. Employee recognition motivates the employees to performance effectively. Many organizations believe and say that employees are their best asset and therefore,they put in a lot of effort to retain better performing employees. But it is difficult to find new and creative ways to recognize employees which are effective and long lasting.

Here are 10 best practices to recognize employee. 

1. Pass on the info : Keep your employees informed about the "Job well done". Appreciation is all time, the best motivator that works well for the managers. Pat your employees back in front of the team and tell them that you are pleased with the performance and you are looking for more good performances to come. 
2. Have an "Employee of the month" slot: Set a particular date to recognize employees' and announce the Employee of the month and highlight it. Select an employee every month based on their performances and award them with this tag. Post their name on their desk, notice boards and digital scrolls to gather other employees' attention.
3. Have creative give away's: Announce vouchers or goodies for every outstanding performance. For example: Give away gift/dinner/shopping vouchers for employees who crack a cross sale.
4. Added benefits: A great way to recognize employees' is by providing them a little extra something. Little extra something could be small bonus and attractive incentives which would make employees feel that their hard work is paying off.
5. Foster open communication: Communicate the state of the company in an open meeting every quarter and allow your employees to ask questions . Also use the meeting to appreciate the good work of the employees.
6. Encourage employee driven committees: Let your employees form and lead committees that are outside their usual job responsibilities. For example: Encourage them to form a runners/walkers group, a trek group and coordinate  a committee interested in social services.
7. Educational opportunities: Introduce different educational and training programmes that could enhance your employees'knowledge and efficiency. Bring in the concept of sponsorship for better performing employees to pursue higher degrees if interested.
8. Organize an event to identify and reward: Host an event especially to highlight and reward the outcomes of employees' hard work. This could be an annual affair with lunch, some games and lots of rewards. This is to let the employees know that the company they work for takes time out to value their efforts.
9. Let the world know: Make use of the social media to high spot the employees' achievements. Post a simple message with the employees' name and a nice picture allowing  the other employees to congratulate.
10. Higher position: Advance their position at the work place according to their ability and performance. Give them an opportunity to work towards the higher level and award them with the advanced designation when they render deserving performance.