Companies typically implement employee ID badges for two purposes: effortless identification and enhanced security. And these reasons are certainly well justified.
If employees wear ID badges, they can be easily identified as they make their way around company premises. This also helps to prevent intruders or individuals outside the organization from entering the establishment. Additionally, employee ID badges can be used to grant or restrict specific staff members from accessing certain areas that, for instance, hold sensitive information or confidential materials.
But another benefit of these badges that may get overlooked is the fact that they can help boost company morale as well.
Here are four ways employee ID badges can enhance employee confidence and team morale.
Connecting Names to Faces
In organizations with hundreds or thousands of staff members, it’s highly unlikely that employees will know the names of everyone on campus, even if they’ve met them before.
After all, there’s a cognitive limit to the number of individuals with whom a person can maintain relationships with. According to Robin Dunbar, a professor of evolutionary psychology, the number of faces with their corresponding names that a person is able to remember is approximately 150. Essentially, these are the faces and names of people you can remember without a prompt.
This makes it virtually impossible for employees in a big company to remember every single person who works there. ID badges help take away that awkwardness of a coworker calling out your name, and you responding with something along the lines of, “Hey! Buddy...”, or a colleague calling you by the wrong name for years and you not having the heart to correct them.
By giving employees the prompt they need to put a name to a face, ID badges help to keep team members connected and relationships personable, making it easier for them to grow authentic friendships at work.
Improving Performance Reviews
ID badges can be used to track the achievements of individual employees, making it easier for HR departments to assess their performance and recognize them for their outstanding behavior, like consistent punctuality.
How? Well, ID badges can be scanned when an employee arrives or checks in at work. This is typically used for security purposes, but HR departments can use this feature to monitor the times when employees check in. If, for example, an employee is at work on time every day for three months in a row, you can offer them a reward for their punctuality and commitment.
And you can even increase the value of rewards for every milestone they reach. For instance, employees might receive a gift card to their favorite coffee shop for a three-month streak, and a one-year streak could earn employees an extra vacation day.
Beyond helping to enhance company productivity, incentivizing employees with incremental performance-based rewards can also help keep employees happy, as well as possibly drive a sense of dedication in their work.
Showing Some Love for Loyalty
For many, loyalty is a badge of honor in and of itself. But people love to showcase their loyalty to others as well.
Team members who have been with an organization for a long time are proud to showcase their dedication to the company and experience a sense of personal victory when their loyalty is recognized through a change in their employee ID badges.
At Amazon, for example, employees who have been with the company for five years trade in their blue ID badges for yellow ones.
And these trade-ins are about much more than just the badge: They can create meaningful milestones for employees, as well as an opportunity for both employee and manager to reflect on the employee’s time with the company. Perhaps most importantly, badge trade-ins are an ideal chance for the manager or employer to formally thank the employee for their years of service and show their appreciation in a tangible way.
Recognizing Team Contributions
Did a department or group of employees play a critical role in a major project? Did they cooperate well with other departments or employees? Perhaps they exhibited leadership qualities during a significant time?
You can recognize the contributions and dedication of these employees by adding unique customization to their ID badges. This could be done by giving them a specially created “Badge Buddy” that they can adhere to their badges, or printing out a uniquely designed badge exclusively for them.
Acknowledging the contributions of employees through a distinctive ID badge customization is a great way to boost their confidence.
Although employee ID badges are ideal for enhancing an organization’s security and ability to easily identify authorized personnel, they also serve as a great way to improve employee morale. They can help to build better employee relationships through name recognition, reward good performance, show appreciation for loyalty, and recognize company contributions.
If you’re looking to add some creative customizations for your company’s employee ID badges, Specialist ID offers a wide range of products and accessories, from badge holders and lanyards to blank card stock and printer ribbons.
Check out our full line of products here!