One of the best episodes of the American iteration of the TV series “The Office” is the one where office manager Michael Scott hands out his meaningless but hilarious Dundie Awards, where strange and often offensive things are celebrated with the awarding of trophies to employees. While we don’t recommend that you award Kevin from Accounting the “Don’t Go In There After Me” award, presenting employees with funny and clever engraved trophies detailing their superlative awards at your next office year-end party can not only be funny, but it can also help build a team and bridge the gap between management and employee. Here are some great ideas for fun corporate awards you can present to your team at your year-end party.
The Afternoon Warrior Award
You know the type. They always look like they didn’t sleep the night before when they walk into work, but when they get back from lunch it looks like they’ve mainlined caffeine for the entire hour lunch break. The Afternoon Warrior does all their best work in the afternoon just before it’s time to go home. To find the perfect trophy to award the afternoon warrior, look at the huge range of engraved trophies available from Joblot Trophies and Gifts, a trophy store that provides awards for just about anything you can think of, including corporate awards and presentation cups. They also offer trophy engraving! When you invest in engraved trophies and medals, you are also investing in your staff.
The Deforestation Award
Some people just prefer to work on paper and those people are the recipients of the Deforestation Award. No matter how accessible a document is digitally or how easy it might be to record meeting minutes on a laptop, this person insists on printing everything and consumes notebooks faster than the stationery company can deliver them.
The Candy Store Award
Keeping a jar of sweets on your desk can encourage your colleagues to pop over under the guise of a chat but really, they’re there to pick up a couple of treats and the small talk is the price they pay for it. The recipient of the Candy Store Award is the person with the best treats on offer in a jar on their desk.
The Artistic Merit Award
Glancing across the table during a meeting at what others are doing will almost certainly mean spotting someone doodling or drawing on their notepad while the latest strategy or figures are presented. The Artistic Merit Award should be presented to the most prolific meeting doodler who produces doodles at an impressive rate.
The Tabloid Award
Of course, every office has the one person who knows all the gossip and goings-on of everyone else in the office. The trophy engraving displaying The Tabloid Award is given to that person, who can probably actually write a monthly magazine dedicated to all the relationship changes and disagreements around the office.
The Human Encyclopedia Award
What would we do without the person who just knows everything about how the office should run? You know, that person who knows all the policies and procedures by heart and who can recite every part number that is listed in your company catalogue? That’s the recipient of the Human Encyclopedia award.
The Electricity Bill Award
Most people have a computer and maybe a mobile phone charger plugged in at their desk, but not this person. On this desk, you’ll find a desk lamp, mini-fridge, fan, heater and any number of other power-burning devices, and that’s why they’re the winner of the Electricity Bill Award.
The Courier’s Friend Award
This person can usually be found at reception signing for a package being delivered. Whether it’s something they’ve bought or a lunch delivery, they’re signing their name so often they need extra pens. The Courier’s Friend Award is theirs for the taking.
The Office Dad Award
The Office Dad tells the worst, most corny jokes in the entire office. If there’s a groan coming from somewhere, it’s probably thanks to another one-liner from the holder of the Office Dad Award.
The Fire Extinguisher Award
Fire extinguishers put out fires quickly and efficiently, and so does the winner of the prestigious Fire Extinguisher award. No matter what the problem is, this staff member can find a solution and solve the problem, putting out any fires that might have started. This one should be sought after!
Having trophies and medals displayed in your office or on your desk are a good talking point and a fun reminder of the efforts and recognitions of management. Adding a hint of humour makes them more memorable and that’s why superlatives are so popular as presentation cups. Presenting thematically (and politically) appropriate awards is far more fun than dry ‘employee of the month’ awards, and even though they’re grounded in humour, your employees will still feel recognized for their efforts during the year!