Free policy template · Word

Recognition Program Guidelines

Recognition program guidelines are an employee-facing handbook explaining how the company's recognition programme works day to day: award calendar, who can nominate, how winners are selected, the committee's role and how results are communicated. HR publishes it alongside the rewards policy.

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[Company Logo][Company Name]

RECOGNITION PROGRAMME GUIDELINES

Programme Name:: [Recognition Programme Name]
Version:: [Version]
Effective From:: [Date]

1. Purpose

[Recognition Programme Name] exists to make sure that good work and great behaviour at [Company Name] are noticed, thanked and celebrated, every week and not just once a year.

2. Scope

All employees at every location can give and receive recognition. These guidelines should be read along with the Employee Rewards Policy, which sets the reward values and approval limits.

3. Recognition Calendar

Recognition	Frequency	Nominations Open	Announced
Peer thank-you notes	Anytime	Always open	Instantly
Spot awards	Anytime	Always open	Within 7 days
Employee of the Month	Monthly	1st–7th of the month	Monthly meeting
Quarterly Value Champions	Quarterly	First 2 weeks after quarter end	Town hall
Annual Awards	Yearly	[Month]	Annual day

4. How to Nominate

Choose the right recognition from the calendar.
Fill in the Recognition Nomination Form or Award Nomination Form.
Describe a specific example: what happened, when and the result.
Submit to HR at [HR Email] or through [HRMS / Portal] before the deadline.
HR acknowledges every nomination within three working days.

5. Selection

Periodic awards are decided by the Recognition Committee, made up of an HR representative, two business leaders and two employee representatives, rotated every year. The committee scores nominations against impact, values and evidence. Members do not score nominations from their own team.

6. Celebration and Communication

Winners are announced in team meetings, on notice boards and by email.
Certificates are presented in person wherever possible.
Winners' consent is taken before photos are shared externally.

7. Responsibilities

Managers: recognise regularly and nominate fairly across the team.
Employees: recognise peers and give genuine, specific examples.
HR: run the calendar, maintain the tracker and report participation quarterly.

8. Feedback and Concerns

If you have a concern about how a recognition decision was made, write to [HR Name] at [HR Email]. Concerns will be reviewed by the committee chair and answered within fifteen working days.

9. Review

HR reviews these guidelines every year based on participation data and employee feedback.

Issued by
[HR Name]
Head – Human Resources
[Company Name]

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What this template includes

Programme name and objectives
Award calendar by month and quarter
Step-by-step nomination process
Selection criteria and committee composition
Communication and celebration norms
Grievance or feedback route

When to use it

Launching a new recognition programme to employees
Relaunching a programme that lost momentum
Onboarding new managers into recognition practices
Answering repeated employee questions about selection

How to customise this template

1Give your programme a name employees will remember
2Fill the calendar with actual award dates
3Name committee roles rather than individuals
4Link to the nomination forms and rewards policy
5Launch with a town hall and a manager briefing

HR tips

Keep guidelines in plain language; the policy holds the legal detail
Publish results and criteria to build trust
Rotate committee members every year
Train managers to give recognition weekly, not only at award time

For HR & hiring managers

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between recognition guidelines and a rewards policy?+

The rewards policy sets formal rules, limits and approvals. The guidelines explain to employees, in simple terms, how to take part in the programme.

Who should be on a recognition committee?+

A mix of HR, business leaders and employee representatives from different functions and levels, rotated periodically.

How do you keep a recognition programme alive?+

Stick to the calendar, celebrate publicly, share stories, and make peer recognition easy and frequent.

All 50 employee recognition & rewards →

[Company Logo][Company Name]
LETTER OF RECOGNITION
Ref. No.:
[Reference Number]
Date:
[Date]
Programme:
[Recognition Programme Name]
To,
[Employee Name]
[Designation], [Department]
Employee ID: [Employee ID]
[Work Location]
Subject: Formal recognition of your achievement – [Achievement]
Dear [Employee Name],
On behalf of [Company Name], we are pleased to formally recognise your achievement during [Period]. The recognition committee reviewed your nomination submitted by [Nominator Name] and confirmed the following results:
Measure Target Achieved
[KPI 1] [Target] [Result]
[KPI 2] [Target] [Result]
[KPI 3] [Target] [Result]
Letter · Word
Employee Recognition Letter
Download .docx
[Company Logo][Company Name]
CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION
Certificate No.:
[Reference Number]
Programme:
[Recognition Programme Name]
Period:
[Quarter / Year]
[Company Name]
This is to recognise that
[Employee Name]
[Designation], [Department], [Work Location]
has demonstrated our core value of [Company Value] through [achievement, e.g. leading the migration of the billing system with zero downtime] during [Period]. This contribution has strengthened our team and our commitment to the customers we serve.
Certificate · Word
Employee Recognition Certificate
Download .docx
[Company Logo][Company Name]
RECOGNITION BONUS LETTER
Ref. No.:
[Reference Number]
Date:
[Date]
Award Certificate No.:
[Certificate Number]
To,
[Employee Name]
[Designation], [Department]
Employee ID: [Employee ID]
Subject: Recognition Bonus – [Award Name], [Period]
Dear [Employee Name],
Congratulations once again on winning the [Award Name] for [Period]. The award recognises [short reason, e.g. your role in bringing three new enterprise customers on board and the care you showed in onboarding them]. As announced under our recognition programme, the award carries a recognition bonus, the details of which are given below.
Award Gross Bonus (₹) Your Share (₹) Payroll Month
[Award Name] [Amount] [Amount] [Month YYYY]
Letter · Word
Recognition Bonus Letter
Download .docx
[Company Logo][Company Name]
RECOGNITION EMAIL
Subject: Shout-out: [Employee Name] for [Achievement]
To:
[Team Distribution List]
Cc:
[Skip-level Manager]; [HR Name]
From:
[Reporting Manager]
Hi team,
I want to take a moment to recognise [Employee Name], [Designation], for [achievement, e.g. leading the GST e-invoicing rollout across all our billing locations].
What [Employee Name] did:
- [Action 1, e.g. mapped every invoice type and tested each one with the tax consultant]
- [Action 2, e.g. trained 25 billing staff across four branches in a week]
- [Action 3, e.g. set up a daily exception report so issues were fixed the same day]
Email template · Word
Recognition Email
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[Company Logo][Company Name]
PROJECT COMPLETION RECOGNITION
Ref. No.:
[Reference Number]
Date:
[Date]
Project Code:
[Project Code]
To,
[Employee Name]
[Designation], [Department]
Employee ID: [Employee ID]
Subject: Recognition for the successful completion of [Project Name]
Dear [Employee Name],
We are pleased to confirm that [Project Name] for [Client / Business Unit] was formally signed off on [DD/MM/YYYY]. On behalf of the project steering committee, I want to recognise your role in this success.
Project Detail Planned Actual
Start date [DD/MM/YYYY] [DD/MM/YYYY]
Go-live / handover [DD/MM/YYYY] [DD/MM/YYYY]
Budget ₹[Amount] ₹[Amount]
Key outcome [Target] [Result]
Letter · Word
Project Completion Recognition
Download .docx
[Company Logo][Company Name]
CUSTOMER APPRECIATION – RECOGNITION LETTER
Ref. No.:
[Reference Number]
Date:
[Date]
Feedback Ref.:
[Ticket / Feedback ID]
To,
[Employee Name]
[Designation], [Department]
Employee ID: [Employee ID]
Subject: Customer appreciation received for your service
Dear [Employee Name],
We are delighted to share that on [DD/MM/YYYY] we received written appreciation from [Customer / Client Organisation] regarding the service you provided on [DD/MM/YYYY].
In their words: "[Short extract of customer feedback]"
Letter · Word
Customer Appreciation Recognition
Download .docx

Measure	Target	Achieved
[KPI 1]	[Target]	[Result]
[KPI 2]	[Target]	[Result]
[KPI 3]	[Target]	[Result]

Award	Gross Bonus (₹)	Your Share (₹)	Payroll Month
[Award Name]	[Amount]	[Amount]	[Month YYYY]

Project Detail	Planned	Actual
Start date	[DD/MM/YYYY]	[DD/MM/YYYY]
Go-live / handover	[DD/MM/YYYY]	[DD/MM/YYYY]
Budget	₹[Amount]	₹[Amount]
Key outcome	[Target]	[Result]

[Company Logo][Company Name]

INNOVATION RECOGNITION FORM

Form No.:: [Reference Number]
Date of Submission:: [Date]

Section A: Innovator Details

Employee Name
Employee ID
Designation
Department
Work Location
Reporting Manager
Co-contributors (Name, Employee ID)

Section B: The Innovation

Idea Title
Problem or opportunity addressed
Situation before the change
Solution implemented
Date of implementation
Area / line / process where implemented
Is it replicable in other locations? (Yes / No – details)

Recognition Program Guidelines

Preview of the policy

1. Purpose

2. Scope

3. Recognition Calendar

4. How to Nominate

5. Selection

6. Celebration and Communication

7. Responsibilities

8. Feedback and Concerns

9. Review

What this template includes

When to use it

How to customise this template

HR tips

Frequently asked questions

Subject: Formal recognition of your achievement – [Achievement]

Employee Recognition Letter

[Company Name]

[Employee Name]

Employee Recognition Certificate

Subject: Recognition Bonus – [Award Name], [Period]

Recognition Bonus Letter

Recognition Email

Subject: Recognition for the successful completion of [Project Name]

Project Completion Recognition

Subject: Customer appreciation received for your service

Customer Appreciation Recognition

Section A: Innovator Details

Section B: The Innovation

Section C: Benefits

Innovation Recognition Form

Who are you recognising?

Who is nominating?

Which value did they show? (tick all that apply)

Recognition Nomination Form

Recognition Program Guidelines

Preview of the policy

1. Purpose

2. Scope

3. Recognition Calendar

4. How to Nominate

5. Selection

6. Celebration and Communication

7. Responsibilities

8. Feedback and Concerns

9. Review

What this template includes

When to use it

How to customise this template

HR tips

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Frequently asked questions

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