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275 Creative Employee Award Titles for Recognition [2022]

Managers often focus their energy on ensuring employees live up to customer expectations and facilitate movement in the needed direction. But, exceeding their employees’ expectations of management? That’s the real challenge.

90% of HR respondents said that an effective recognition program improves business results. 91% of them also agree it has a positive effect on retention. 

Why? Employee recognition awards go deeper than gift cards and trinkets. It’s an opportunity to make employees feel appreciated and valued. It assures them their hard work and good behavior is being recognized, creating a sense of belonging and improving engagement.


A huge aspect of meaningful employee award titles and awards is to get the wording right. In this piece, we share some of the most innovative employee award titles you can add as a part of your employee recognition program.

Looking for a recognition software? Check out our list of best employee recognition software.

Award Titles for Employees’ Performance

Every company has its own culture and office dynamics. Employees are different too, which is why not all employee award titles and employee recognition awards will fit your workplace structure.

That said, there are some universal employee recognition award categories, as well as categories with some similarities that may apply to your own recognition system for employee performance.

For Employees’ Performance in Sales

Sales is one of the more challenging jobs crucial for your company’s growth. That’s why when a sales professional successfully closes profitable deals and brings more leads to your sales pipeline, you should recognize their efforts.

Here’s a list of sales employee award titles to make your sales team feel respected and valued.

1. Sales Attainment Award

2. Sales Frontrunner Award

3. Exceptional Salesmanship

4. Gold/Silver/Bronze Sales Attainment

5. Chief Closer

6. Unmatched Sales Dedication

7. Unparalleled Sales Performance

8. Surpassing Everest

9. High Five Award

10. Spotlight Award

11. Ace of Initiative

12. Best in Sales

13. Outstanding Accomplishment in Surpassing Sales Quota

14. Outstanding Performance in Territory Sales

15. Cruising and Crushing It

16. Pillar of Sales Achievement

17. Sales Wrap of the Month/Year

18. Outstanding Sales Performer

19. Best Sales Performer

20. The Upcoming David Ogilvy

21. The Erica Feidner Sales Award

22. Big Kahuna Award

23. The ‘Most Sales Made’ Award

For Employees’ Performance in Marketing

Although sales and marketing go hand-in-hand, you still need a separate set of awards to show special appreciation for your marketing team.

Your marketing professionals are creative people, so they’ll appreciate creative employee recognition award titles. Also, as marketing is an expansive stream, covering digital, content, offline, and branding, among others, you should have awards acknowledging each applicable area.

Source: Reward Gateway

Below are a few employee award suggestions that may apply to your marketing team:

24. Marketing Genius

25. Most Effective Use of Data or Insights

26. SEO Star

27. Stand Out Marketer

28. Rookie Marketer of the Month/Quarter/Year

29. Best Content Writer

30. Most Dependable Marketer

31. In-Person or Virtual Meeting Star

32. Company Influencer

33. Marketing Campaign Maestro

34. Star Social Media Marketer

35. Sidekick Salute

36. Top Performer in Digital Marketing

37. Top Performer in Offline Marketing

38. Ultimate Team Player

39. Always at 110% Marketing

40. People’s Marketer

41. Best Relationship Marketer

42. Superstar Marketer

43. The Market Whisperer

For Employees’ Performance in HR

The human resource department is hands down the very backbone of your company. While the value of HR in business may not immediately be apparent, HR professionals carry out several critical tasks — from building a thriving company culture to making employees feel comfortable, employee recruitment and training — that make them indispensable.

Here are some employee recognition award ideas to appreciate your HR executives in a meaningful manner:

44. People’s Champion

45. The Most Dependable

46. Best HR Strategist

47. A for Talent

48. Best Communicator

49. The Problem Solver

50. Eye for Talent

51. People Expert

52. Chief Happiness Director

53. Most Efficient Team Planner

54. Always Ready to Help

55. The Employee’s Advocate 

56. Always Gives Excellent Feedback

57. Always Keeps Us Safe

58. The Pillar of Strength

59. Best Team Player

60. The Best Advice Giver 

61. Driving Success

62. Recruiting Specialist

63. Top Talent Hunter

64. Top Negotiator Award

65. Consider it Done Award

66. Positivity Queen/King

67. Culture Champion

For Employees’ Performance in Finance

Your business needs money to operate, and the finance department ensures you have sufficient funds for each of your operations. This is a fairly technical and nuanced job covering equity management, risk management, tax management, payroll, and daily accounting.

Source: Reward Gateway

Here are a few employees award titles ideas to help you show appreciation for your finance department:

68. The Master of Numbers

69. Lord of the Numbers

70. Outstanding Service in Finance

71. Favorite Banker

72. Banking With Integrity

73. Always Comes Through

74. Chief Treasurer

75. Human Calculator

76. Finance MVP

77. The Finance Commander

78. The Alpha of the Finance Department

79. Consistent Finance Performer

80. Customers’ Favorite Financial Advisor

81. Best Risk/Asset/Equity Manager

82. Best Project Financer

83. Investment Whisperer

84. Accountant of the Month/Year

85. Bookkeeper of the Month/Year

86. Rising Financer of the Month/Year

87. Financial Advisor of the Month/Year

For Employees’ Performance in Customer Support

A solid and dependable customer support team is the ultimate magnet for more marketing and sales opportunities. They help your customers get the most out of your product and resolve any queries and problems. 

From answering customer questions to troubleshooting and upselling, a customer support executive does it all! But for a team to do their best, you need to keep them engaged and make them feel valued. 

Here are a few employee award title ideas to express gratitude to your customer service reps:

88. For Always Reaching Out

89. For Dedicated Service To Our Customers

90. Calmer of Storms

91. Customer Whisperer

92. Customer Comforter

93. Five-Star Customer Service

94. Customer Success Champions

95. Peace in the Chaos

96. Distributor of Smilies

97. Super Satisfy-ER

98. Client Care Champ

99. Winner of Hearts

100. Customer Hero

101. First-Class Service

102. Customer Kudos

103. Star Customer Support Giver

104. Excellence in Customer Support

105. Always on Time Customer Support

106. Highest Rated Customer Support Executive

107. Satisfied Customer/Client Assurity

108. The Best Troubleshooter

109. Customer’s Favorite 

110. The ’10/10, Would Buy Again’ Award

111. Customer Comrade Awards

112. Hospitality Hero

Award Titles for Employees with Great Communication Skills

Employees with excellent communication skills can deliver unparalleled buying experiences to customers. With prompt and effective communication, employees can ensure customers are on the same page as them and can collaborate harmoniously with each other to ensure better results, resulting in improved customer retention and increased word-of-mouth referrals.

Got an excellent communicator in your team? Below, we’ve listed employee recognition award suggestions they’ll surely love.

113. Master of Words

114. Always Has a Way With Words

115. Can Convince Anyone

116. Convincing Power 100

117. Knows What They Are Talking About

118. Mr/Miss Eloquent

119. Expert Communicator

120. Verbal King/Queen

121. Calk Their Way Out of Any Situation

122. The Social Butterfly

123. Skilled With Words

124. Gift of the Gab

125. The Silvertongue Employee

126. The Facilitator of Speech

127. The Smooth Talker

128. The Word Charmer

Award Titles for Employees with Punctuality and Attendance

Punctual and attentive employees are one of the most valuable assets of your company. These are people who show up, are always on time, and don’t skip work, making a good impression on customers and setting a good example for other employees.

Giving awards for punctuality and perfect attendance also sends a subtle message to employees with poor attendance to buck up and respect their alarm clock.

Here are a few award title ideas to recognize punctual employees:

129. Always on Time

130. Go That Extra Mile 

131. Most Zealous

132. The Ace Employee

133. The Frontrunner

134. Mr/Ms. Consistent

135. No Missed Opportunities

136. Always Dependable

137. Perfectly Present/Always Present

138. The Dedicated Employee of the Month/Quarter/Year

139. Best Attendance

140. The Loyalty Royalty

141. Immaculate Attendance/Perfect Attendance

142. All Day Everyday

143. Everyday Hero Award

144. Most Committed Employee

145. On-Time Award

146. The ‘Fewest Sick Days Taken’ Award

147. Bringing It Beyond

148. Tip Your Hat

Award Titles for Employees Giving Creative Ideas

Companies today have to respond and adapt to increasingly complex organizational issues. Sometimes, these issues can be solved by applying a standard formula or following an established set of procedures. Other times, you need creativity.

With their broader outlook and approach, creative employees enable organizations to respond to challenging situations innovatively. The fact they can also identify and proactively explore new growth opportunities is another reason why they are a great asset to global workplaces.

Let’s take a look at a few award titles to express your gratitude to your creative thinkers:

149. Above and Beyond

150. Bestower of Creativity

151. Prime Creator Award

152. Shining Mind Award

153. Amazing Idea Machine

154. Non-stop Creativity

155. Creativity Enforcer

156. The Creative Visionary

157. The Idea Generator

158. The Brainiac

159. Ace of Creative Initiative

160. The Unstoppable Creative Force Award

161. The Brilliant Groundbreaker Award

Award Titles for Employees with Leadership Skills

To “lead by example“ and inspire a forward-thinking workplace culture is easier said than done. That’s why leaders, or employees that are willing to take up leadership responsibilities, are arguably the most vital asset in your company. They promptly and effectively solve problems, improve employee morale, and inspire others to check charge, serving as the very pillars that support the rest of the workforce.

Giving them an employee recognition award to thank them for their immense contribution is a small gesture that counts. Here are a few ideas:

162. The MVL Award (Most Valued Leader)

163. Leadership Impact

164. The Inspirer of Doers

165. Key Differentiator

166. The Jedi

167. The Sensei

168. The Lead Helping Hand

169. Makes Everyone’s Day Award

170. Precious Gem Award

171. Alpha Player

172. Mover of Mountains

173. Difference Maker

174. Leading by Example

175. Phenomenal Leadership

176. Role Model of the Year

177. Standout Chief

178. World-Class Director

179. The Growth Driver

180. The ‘Lead From the Front’ Award

Award Titles for Employees’ Years of Service and Retirement

Employees who have been with your company for many years matter more than most people think they do. These are loyal employees — individuals who are genuinely invested in your company’s success and work towards meeting organizational goals. 

The easiest way to ensure employees stay with you for the long run is to give them what they want in return. And since 44% of employees want more recognition for their efforts, here are a few employee award titles to show your appreciation:

181. Leaving a Legacy

182. Heroes are Remembered, Legends Never Die

183. Evergreen Superstar

184. Exceptional Dedication and Commitment

185. Goodluck and Goodbye

186. Going Out on Top

187. Paramount Achievement

188. Permanent Recess

189. Platinum Service Award

190. Outstanding Service Record

191. Incomparable Service Award

192. Standing Ovation

193. Circle of Excellence

194. Hall of Fame

195. Honor Club

196. Exiting in Excellence

197. Departing Dignified

198. Fun with 401k

199. The Nickel Award (5 Years)

200. The Dime Award (10 Years)

201. The Icosahedron Award (20 Years)

202. The Platinum Star Award (25+ Years)

Award Titles for Employees with Good Behavior and Values

Appropriate workplace behavior and alignment with a company’s values are key to building and maintaining the company’s stellar reputation. Studies go as far as to suggest that poorly behaved employees are the greatest liability companies face because of the potential harm the former can do, including spreading false information, refusing to follow orders, and disregarding company policies.

If you have employees with good behavior and values in your company, make sure they know they’re valued by awarding them with any one of the following titles:

203. The All-Star

204. Ultimate Team Player

205. Caught in the Act of Caring Award

206. Highest of High Fives

207. Guts & Grit

208. Shining Star Award

209. Exceeding Expectations

210. Cloud 9 Collaborator

211. Exceeding Everest

212. The Guiding Light Honor

213. The Tip of the Spear Award

214. Mr./Ms. Beyond Expectations

215. The Attainer of Targets

216. The Holy Heart

217. To The Moon and Back

218. The ‘We Thank You. Our Customers Thank You’ Award

219. The Social Contributor Award

220. The Moral Hero

Award Titles for New Team Members

New team members feel confident and thrive when they feel part of a workforce that values and appreciates their contributions. In turn, they work tirelessly to ensure your company meets its organizational goals, has a loyal base of engaged customers, and hone themselves into becoming an asset to your company.

Below, we’ve listed a few employee award titles you can use to appreciate top-performing new hires (employees that have done remarkably well within their first month, quarter, or year of joining the company).

221. Rising Star

222. Bright Beginner

223. Fresh Skills

224. New Kid on the Block

225. Amazing Addition

226. Rookie Rockstar

227. Dashing Debut/Superstar Debut

228. Rookie of the Month/Quarter/Year

229. Budding Star

230. Exceptional Hire

231. Fast Starter

232. Here to Ace it

233. Recent Treasure

234. Better Every Day Award

235. Emerging Leader

236. Notable Newcomer

Award Titles for Employees Who Mentor Other Employees

Office mentors help other employees reach their full potential while promoting their personal and professional development. They are supportive and friendly individuals (usually at the higher level) whom employees can turn to for advice; thus, making fewer mistakes and gaining more confidence while working on the job.

If you have a system where you assign mentors to employees, check out our top award title recommendations to recognize their efforts:

237. The Strongest Shoulders Award

238. The Outstretched Hand Award

239. The Most Mentees Promoted Award

240. The Most Compassionate Colleague Award

241. The Formidable Foundation Award

242. The BTS Performer

243. The Silent Shoulder to Lean On

244. You Inspire Us All

245. Mentor with the Most

246. The Mentor Band-Aid

247. Mentoring Champion

Award Titles for the Best Teams

Healthy teamwork enables team members to share ideas and responsibilities. In turn, this reduces any undue stress, allowing everyone to focus on completing their tasks meticulously and quickly. Teamwork builds morale, and appreciating successful teams makes each team member more engaged at work. 

Here are our top suggestions to recognize the best teams at your company:

248. Force to Reckon With

249. The Super Squad

250. The “Here to Win It” Squad

251. Ace Alliance Award

252. Dream Team Award

253. League Of Superheroes

254. The Dream Team

255. The Fist Bump Award

256. Ace Alliance

257. Synergic Force

258. Force To Reckon With

259. Squad Goals 

260. Champion Club Award

Top SSR Tip: You can use employee engagement software to track the goals of teams to identify your top-performing teams. What’s more, this tool can help you determine which teams have higher flight risk and which team members need more guidance to meet company expectations.

Funny Award Titles (Just for Laughs)

Your employee recognition program doesn’t have to be all serious. You can add a few awards for fun, celebrating the eccentricities of employees and commemorating inside moments. This can be an excellent move to build a healthy company culture, where employees feel comfortable with each other and are free to be themselves.

Here are a few examples of funny employee award titles:

261. The Lifesaver/Team Lifeguard Award

Got someone on your team who constantly reminds employees about deadlines, double-checks the food, is paranoid about missing documents before a meeting, or anything similar? Give them the Lifesaver or Team Lifeguard award.

262. Walking Encyclopedia 

For the employee who knows everything—from trivia to fun facts—or at least thinks they do.

263. The “Should’ve Been in the Music Industry” Award

Give the award to the music buff of your company who’s always sending the latest songs on the company Slack channel and is ever ready to be the in-house DJ for any office party.

264. Company Parent

For the employee who remembers every little information and celebrates every occasion. From celebrating birthdays and anniversaries to always having a first-aid kit when needed, this person is your caring office parent.

265. Wizard of Words

The Wizard of Words is the employee who knows all the synonyms and acronyms and has never failed a round on Wordle.

266. Mr/Ms. Never On Time

Share some laughs with everyone by putting the spotlight on that one employee who’s never on time.

267. Snacker Supreme

From cookies to candy to munchies, the Snacker Supreme is the employee whose drawer is always full of delicious snacks.

268. The Epic Chef Medal/The Office Masterchef

Say thanks to the employee who’s always cooking and baking delicious food, and is more than ready to share their tasty treats.

269. The Fastest Email Responder Award

For the employee who (probably) holds the world record for responding to emails faster than anyone. 

270. The Iron Man/Woman

Got any gym buffs in your office? Felicitate their muscles and strength with this title.

271. Galactic Gratitude Award of Yoda

For that employee who cannot stop saying thank you. 

272. Hyper Helper Award

This award is perfect for the employee who lives to help others. Whether it’s fixing a project problem, talking to the CEO, or carrying documents, this person is always happy to extend a helping hand. 

273. Best Victory Celebrator

Got someone who loves to celebrate victories, big or small? Have them do their fun victory dance when they receive this award.

274. Running The Marathon

Give this award to employees who have been working with your company for five or more years and are still an integral part of the team.

275. The Collared Diamond

Time and pressure turns coal into diamonds. In the same way, time and the work pressure endured by employees eventually make them incredibly good at what they do. Identify such skilled employees, and give them this award acknowledging their growth.

Also Read: Employee Retention Statistics and Trends

Conclusion

Recognition awards acknowledge and add value to an employee‘s efforts and works. They’re also proof for employees that they can later show off to their peers or friends, but more importantly, the titles create a positive working atmosphere and elevate your company culture.

Source: Reward Gateway

We hope our (very) extensive list of employee recognition awards and employer award titles is enough inspiration to help you get started. If you want to enhance your company culture and improve employee retention further, choose from the best employee recognition software options that let you personalize your employee recognition system.

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