As a boss, you need to walk a fine line between being the boss and a friend. While you want people to smile when they see you instead of frowning and running in the opposite direction, you also want them to respect you and trust your leadership. The Office was such a hit show because many people had a boss like Michael Scott who wanted to make work fun. You might remember seeing him pass out The Dundies in a few episodes. While you may not want to invent an award of your own, you can try other funny trophy ideas for employees to let them know that you have a cool side and that you’re not always serious.
The Early Bird
Do you have one worker who always seems to get to the office before anyone else? They might even beat you to your desk. These workers often are the first ones to get a pot of coffee going and may handle some other simple tasks before you get there. Give a funny award called The Early Bird that thanks them for getting there so early. Earn bonus points when you add a clock to the award.
Most Likely Awards
Do you remember your school days when students voted on who were most likely to succeed, become president, and do other things? You can offer funny awards that are similar to your employees. The Person Most Likely to Open a Restaurant One Day or the Person Most Likely to Follow Lady Gaga on Tour are some fun options.
The Foodie You Trust
Every office seems to have that one person who is always on top of the latest food trends. They know which restaurants to visit and love talking about Gordon Ramsey’s shows. The Foodie You Trust is a cute award that you can dress up or down. An engraved crystal award lets them feel like they just won an Emmy for their own cooking show. For a lighthearted version, go with a spatula painted gold.
Most Embarrassing Moments
This is a tricky category because some people don’t like to talk about their embarrassing moments, especially when they happen at work. If you have a few employees who like to poke fun at themselves, feel free to hand out awards for the most embarrassing moments of the year or the month. You might give an award to someone who forgot to shave before heading to the office or someone who answered their phone as if they were at home. It’s helpful to let the employees vote on their favorite embarrassing moments, too.
The Walking Encyclopedia
Many offices have that one person who always seems to know everything about everything. Whether you want to talk about a new TV show or the chances of the home team winning their next game, your employee is ready to jump in with their opinions and can back up those opinions with facts. Treat them to The Walking Encyclopedia award. Make the award even funnier when you create it from an old encyclopedia volume.
Proud Parent Awards
One of the problems with handing out proud parents is that not everyone has kids. While 58% of those born between 1982 and 1986 have kids, only 27% of those born between 1995 and 1998 have children. You can reward parents of all types with different awards. Hand out Proud Dog Parent and Proud Pet Parent awards for employees who love to talk about their pets and share pictures of them. You can also pass out Proud Pet Parent awards for employees with green thumbs.
Creating Funny Trophy Ideas
As you come up with new funny trophy ideas for your employees, always think about their personalities and how they react. You don’t want to give an embarrassing moment trophy to someone who was mortified by what happened and never wants to talk about it. Make sure you stay on top of changes around the office to avoid giving awards to a cat owner who recently lost her pet. You can also look for ways to make the trophy even funnier such as adding a unique gift with it. These funny trophy ideas are just some of the ones that might work for your employees.
