10 Frightening Fails in Employee Recognition (and How to Avoid Them!)
October 28, 2024
Here are ten chilling examples of recognition gone awry. Remember—effective appreciation isn’t just about saying “thanks.” It’s about creating an environment where people feel genuinely valued, and recognition drives growth, morale, and connection.
Employee recognition is one of the most potent ways to build a thriving, motivated team when done right. But when it goes wrong? Well, it can be the stuff of nightmares! From thoughtless gestures to missed milestones, mishaps in employee appreciation can backfire spectacularly, leaving employees feeling unseen, undervalued, and even frustrated.
As you dive into these ten chilling examples of recognition gone awry, remember—effective appreciation isn’t just about saying “thanks.” It’s about creating an environment where people feel genuinely valued, and recognition drives growth, morale, and connection.
1. “I'm a cook at a hospital. For employee appreciation day, we got 4 meal vouchers that can only be used in our kitchen... so we got to make our own food for employee appreciation. We're literally drowning in appreciation.”
2. “I worked for a spa and got a Starbucks card. I was only part time so I actually thought it was ok. There wasn't an amount on it so I assumed $20, that felt like a standard gift amount. When I used it, it was only $5 and didn't even cover the amount of one drink.”
3. “We were tasked with finding inefficiencies in our physical infrastructure. We came up with a plan that would save us so much money, it would pay for my team's salary 2000 times over every single year. As a thank you, they bought us lunch at about $15 per person and then fired our only electrical engineer. Long story short, everyone was either fired or quit over the the next 3 months.”
4. “Socks. Not like anything fancy or special. Not with company logo. Not wool in the winter. Silk socks, or dress socks, not funny ones. Like a pair of giant, knee high, white athletic socks. HR bought a bunch of multi-packs and passed out a pair to everyone, because, you knock my socks off.”
5. “This wooden photo display, accompanied by branded, inspirational cards to display on it. A BLOCK OF WOOD INSTEAD OF A BONUS.”
– u/Htoof
6. “In 2020, rather than a giftcard for coffee like we received the last couple of years, my employer decided to give us a company branded backpack. We were 100% remote at this time (prior to the pandemic it was about 50%). What was I supposed to do with that? Where was I supposed to go?”
– u/juliejujube
7. “This is our "employee appreciation" gift. a first aid kit, complete with a children's activity book, and CRAYONS. I work at a factory.”
8. “Since we’re sharing holiday gifts from work… my entire company received this. Felt like a joke. It was not.”
9. “4 of my coworkers quit last week, so corporate handed out gift bags. Corporate clearly thinks we're kindergarteners.”
10. “Our company is giving us gifts instead of holiday pay.”
While these examples are scary, the good news is they don’t have to be the norm. At Chocolate Soup, we believe in authentic, meaningful, and consistent recognition. We’re here to help you transform employee appreciation from obligatory gestures into empowering experiences that resonate. Let’s build a recognition culture that values the whole person, bringing out the best in your team.
Ready to give your team the appreciation they deserve? Connect with Chocolate Soup to craft a recognition program that makes a difference.
Photo by Karly Jones on Unsplash
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