How to Run an Employee of the Month Program

An employee of the month program is easy to start and easy to get wrong. The usual failure is not a lack of enthusiasm. It is a lack of rules: nobody wrote down what the award is for, who can win it or how the winner is chosen, so within a year it looks like a popularity contest or a matter of taking turns, and people stop caring.

This guide sets out the decisions to make before the first winner is named, in the order to make them. None of them are complicated. Written on a single page and shared with everyone, they are what make the award feel fair, and a fair award is one people want to win.

Decide what the award is for

Start with one sentence that begins “This award recognizes the employee who, this month, most clearly…” and finish it. If you cannot finish the sentence, the panel will not be able to choose and the staff will not know what to aim for.

Good purposes are tied to behavior people control: service to customers, help given to colleagues, improvements made, values lived. Weak purposes are tied to outcomes that depend on the role, such as revenue, where only some people can ever win.

If this is one award within a wider plan, how to build an employee recognition program covers how the pieces fit together.

Write the selection criteria

Three to five criteria is enough. Each should be something a nominator can give an example of and a panel can compare across very different jobs.

• Quality of work: accuracy, care and reliability in the role.
• Service: effect on customers, patients, clients or the people the role supports.
• Teamwork: help given to colleagues beyond the person’s own tasks.
• Initiative: problems noticed and solved without being asked.
• Values: a clear example of one of the organization’s stated values.

Avoid criteria that reward long hours or never taking leave. They penalize people with responsibilities outside work and can create problems you do not want; if you are unsure about a criterion, check it with your HR or legal team.

Set eligibility

Decide these before the first nomination, not when the question first comes up:

• Who is included: full-time, part-time, temporary, contract and remote staff. The more inclusive, the more credible.
• Minimum time in the job: many programs ask for a few months of service first.
• Managers: usually excluded, or given a separate award, so they are not competing with the people they supervise.
• Standing: whether someone under a current disciplinary process is eligible. Keep this rule simple and apply it consistently, and take advice from HR on how it is worded.
• Locations and shifts: one award for the whole organization, or one per site or shift.

Choose how winners are nominated and selected

For most organizations the third option is the best balance. Anyone can nominate using a short form, and a panel of three to five people from different areas decides against the written criteria. A form and sample nominations are in employee of the month nomination examples.

Rotate panel members every few months, and have a member step out of any decision involving their own team.

Rules for ties, repeat winners and empty months

• Ties: decide in advance. Either the panel chair has a deciding vote, or both are named. Two winners in a month is fine occasionally; as a habit it weakens the award.
• Repeat winners: the common rule is that a winner cannot win again for twelve months. It spreads recognition without making the award a matter of taking turns.
• No taking turns: say explicitly that the award is not given in rotation. The moment people believe it is someone’s “turn,” it means nothing.
• Months with no strong nomination: allow the panel to carry nominations forward, or to give no award. An award given for the sake of it is noticed.
• Unsuccessful nominations: pass them on to the nominee and their manager anyway. Being nominated is recognition too.

Decide what the winner receives

Settle the award and any perk once, so every winner is treated the same. Most programs use three things together:

• A perpetual plaque in a shared space, with a name plate added each month. Plan the number of plates before you order; perpetual trophies explains how.
• A keeper award the winner takes home, with their name and the month.
• A perk such as a parking space, time off or lunch.

The plaque and keeper options are on employee of the month awards, and the wording for the plaque and plates is in employee award wording. If a perk has a cash value, ask your accountant how it should be treated before you announce it.

Set a monthly calendar

A program survives on routine. Give each step a fixed point in the month and one named owner.

1. Nominations open on the first working day and close at a fixed point late in the month.
2. The panel meets in the last few working days and records its decision and reason.
3. The winner’s manager is told first, to confirm there is no reason to hold the award.
4. The award is presented at the first team meeting of the following month.
5. The name plate goes on the plaque the same day, and the announcement goes to everyone who was not in the room.

Ideas for the presentation itself, and for keeping the award varied, are in employee of the month ideas.

Write it down and share it

Put the whole program on one page: the purpose, the criteria, eligibility, how to nominate, who decides, the tie and repeat rules, and what the winner receives. Post it where the plaque hangs and include it in onboarding. Keep a simple record of each month’s winner and the reason given. Over time that record shows you whether the award is reaching every department, shift and site, or only a few.

Review the program once a year. Ask a handful of employees whether they think it is fair, and change the rules openly if it is not.

Mistakes that end programs

• No stated reason. A name with no explanation invites people to guess, and they guess favoritism.
• The same winners. Usually a sign that only visible roles are being considered.
• Rotation. Giving it to whoever has not had it yet.
• Skipped months. Once the plaque has a gap, the program is visibly optional.
• An out-of-date wall. A plaque months behind tells visitors and staff the award stopped mattering.
• One person running it alone. When they move on, so does the program. Give it two owners.
• Relying on it for everything. One monthly award cannot be a whole culture of recognition. Pair it with everyday thanks; see peer-to-peer recognition.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the criteria for employee of the month?

Most programs use three to five: quality of work, service to customers or colleagues, teamwork, initiative and living the organization’s values. Each should be something a nominator can give a specific example of.

Who should choose the employee of the month?

The most balanced approach is peer nominations with a small panel deciding against written criteria. It gathers broad input while keeping decisions consistent.

Can the same person win employee of the month twice?

Set a rule in advance. A common one is that a winner is not eligible again for twelve months, which spreads recognition without turning the award into a rotation.

Do employee of the month programs work?

They work when the criteria are clear, the choice is seen as fair and the reason for each award is stated. They fail when winners appear to be chosen by favoritism or rotation.

What should an employee of the month receive?

Typically a name plate on a perpetual wall plaque, a small award to keep and a perk such as time off or a parking space. Decide it once so every winner is treated alike.