How To Build Effective Employee Of The Month Programs For Today’s Workforce

A friend once told me her “Employee of the Month” certificate lived in a drawer—next to a broken stapler and a bag of expired almonds. 

She said it wasn’t symbolic of her best work. “It was just my turn.”

So I asked another friend, who’d never been nominated and had no ambition of doing so. “My manager only picks the people who stay late. Not the ones who actually move things forward, so why should I care?”

Two contrasting experiences, one shared sense of detachment. It’s time to ask ourselves: who is an Employee of the Month award even for? 

Traditional Employee of the Month programs may have started with good intent. But today, they’re relics—performance theatre in a workplace that’s evolved. These programs reward visibility over value, optics over outcomes, and status over sustained effort.

If your recognition strategy doesn’t drive clarity, connection, or culture, then it's not working. And if your people are checking out, it’s because you’re not checking in.

Employee of the Month programs may be better than doing nothing, but they’re just the tip of the recognition iceberg. If you’ve got one in place, here’s how to modernize it and make your recognition efforts matter a little more.

Why traditional Employee of the Month programs aren't working

We talk about Employee of the Month like it’s a given, but let’s be real: most of us aren’t even sure why the format is still around. To move forward, it helps to see exactly where it’s stuck.

The issue is in the design.

• ‍It’s rigid. Most Employee of the Month programs run on autopilot—same script, vague checklists. That approach doesn’t reflect how modern teams work—on agile timelines, shifting priorities, and diverse contributions that don’t always fit a single mold.‍
• It centralizes power. Recognition can flow down from the top, but it shouldn’t only move in one direction. When only leaders get to decide who’s “best,” it reinforces hierarchy and misses the impact felt by peers on the ground.‍
• It’s opaque. Few people know why someone won the aware or what made their contribution stand out. That kind of mystery makes it impossible for your team to understand what “good” looks like. ‍
• It’s episodic. Recognition shows up once a month and arrives like a train on pre-determined schedule. When it’s not built into daily workflows, it feels like a box to tick.

And worst of all? It’s performative. Nobody actually wants the certificate. More reward ceremony than feedback loop, Employee of the Month programs often present recognition with confetti and a cheap prize your team doesn't actually want.

How to upgrade Employee of the Month (without starting from scratch)

You don’t need to scrap your Employee of the Month program entirely, but you do need to modernize it for today’s teams. 

Let peers lead the charge by making space for team nominations, not just leadership selections. After all, the people closest to the work often see impact that others miss. You can also make it more flexible by considering multiple award categories, open nominations, or rotating formats that match your team’s unique needs. 

Additionally, clarity is key. If no one knows why someone won, the award loses meaning. Tie it to real outcomes and company values, and share that story when you announce the award recipients. As for the rewards, forget about pizza parties and plaques—think learning budgets, time off, or redeemable points that give your team access to rewards they would actually want in the first place. 

Don’t let Employee of the Month fade into routine. Transform it into a meaningful practice that sparks real conversations about growth, development, and what truly matters.

Your current program isn’t a failure. Modernizing it just means making it more frequent, more inclusive, and more relevant.

What to do instead: Real recognition, done right

Let’s zoom out. If Employee of the Month is the outdated model, what does a modern recognition strategy actually look like?

Recognition only works when it keeps pace with real work. Think weekly check-ins and real-time conversations, not monthly certificates. Gallup data shows employees who receive meaningful feedback weekly are 3.6 times more likely to be fully engaged.

Here are a few other signals you're on the right track:

• It’s peer-powered. Managers can’t see everything—but teammates do. While top-down recognition is certainly nice to have, peer recognition surfaces hidden impact and builds for better collaboration and culture.
• It’s values-based, calling out behaviors aligned to your mission, not just flashy outputs. Shouting out a team member for exemplifying a core value does more than highlight results—it anchors your culture in tangible work.
• It’s contextual. Recognition must be specific. Think: “Your Q2 project pivot saved us three weeks" instead of "hey, great job." It should be timely and include enough detail so that the recipient and their peers know why that behavior matters—and encourages them to make it habitual.
• Most importantly, it lives where the work happens. The recognition programs that work best are the ones threaded into daily routines, easily accessed alongside established workflows.

When leaders champion recognition that's aligned with values and tied to real work, it becomes part of the company's cultural rhythm rather than an afterthought.

Modern problems require modern solutions

Today’s workplaces move fast. Hybrid teams, shifting priorities, and digital tools have redefined how and where work gets done.  

Yet many Employee of the Month programs are stuck in a playbook designed for office cubicles and punch cards.

Too much to figure out on your own? Use tools that scale with you. Platforms like Bonusly help make this shift seamless. Our system democratizes nominations, tailors awards to the moment, gives employees a range of fun, digital rewards, and keeps recognition flowing so no one’s effort goes unnoticed.

Employee of the Month isn’t obsolete—it’s outdated. When recognition evolves to reflect real contributions, not just traditions, it becomes a lever for culture, trust, and performance. 

If your program doesn’t do that, it’s not really recognition. It’s noise. 

The time to do better is now. Get a demo of Bonusly to get started.