Guide to Long Service Awards: How to Recognize Employee Loyalty Meaningfully

In a world where job-hopping is the norm and the average employee tenure barely crosses four years, loyalty is no longer expected—it’s earned. And when employees choose to stay, grow, and contribute over the long haul, that commitment deserves more than a passing “thank you.”

Long service awards aren’t just ceremonial—they're strategic moments to reinforce trust, celebrate contribution, and strengthen your culture. But here’s the catch: traditional plaques and cash bonuses no longer resonate with today’s workforce.

To build lasting impressions, companies need to reimagine service anniversaries with recognition that’s personalized, timely, and meaningful. From automation to experiences to global reward choices, the modern approach is about making every milestone feel special—not just marking time.

That’s where Empuls comes in—bringing together AI-powered automation, deep personalization, and a global rewards ecosystem to transform your long service awards from routine to remarkable.

What is a long service award?

Employee long service awards vary from organization to organization. Long service awards are a way of saying thank you to the employees and recognizing their contributions over a period of years.

Employees are no more rewarded with gold watches or carriage clocks. Instead, the new trends are the use of gift vouchers, electrical goods, experience gifting, etc. Long service awards have become an essential recognition offering.

Today most of the companies offer them. Studies tell us that such employee recognition improves employee engagement, boosts productivity, and increases profits too.

Why are long service awards important?

The idea of giving long service awards, trophies, mementos, etc. is not about recognition. It’s something far beyond that.

1. Employee recognition and appreciation

Long service awards serve as a great way to thank your employees. It’s more like appreciation awards for employees.  It’s an occasion where you can appreciate their commitment level towards your company.

2. Motivates employees

Motivated employees strive hard to deliver productive results even under pressure. Employers use long service awards to motivate employees to exceed their own accomplishments.

3. Employee satisfaction

A satisfied employee’s efforts never go unnoticed. Have you thought about whose efforts are there behind your satisfied customer? It’s your employees’ efforts. Behind every satisfied customer, there is a motivated and loyal employee.

4. Employee retention

If you want to retain the talents you need to recognize them. You need to offer them opportunities to grow. Long service awards serve as a platform for employers. Through the long service awards program, they can appreciate the loyalty of their employees.

5. Strengthening an organization’s culture

What does the implementation of a long service awards program in an organization convey? It conveys the willingness of an organization. Willingness to recognize an individual and their contribution towards the business.

6. Permanent productivity

One of our goals when designing an effective, unique long service award program is to help retain the key talent that has stayed in the organization for so long. This is great for retention, but productivity also benefits.

A study by the University of Warwick found that happy workers were approximately 12% more productive.

Companies like Google have invested more in employee support and employee satisfaction has risen as a result. For Google, it rose by 37%, they know what they are talking about. Under scientifically controlled conditions, making workers happier really pays off.

Engaging tenured employees in your company with long service awards

Loyal employees spend a considerable time of life in their organization. Their sense of ownership and commitment is so strong that simple monetary rewards or traditional gifts fall short when it comes to appreciating their contribution.

Intricately designed and well-thought-through ideas for long service awards would allow the employer to say a genuine and heartfelt 'Thank You' to employees for their unwavering loyalty.

It is possible to inspire loyal performers to stay on board and save time and money in reinventing talent for the business. Organizations can choose to recognize loyalty and longevity with an award for significant milestones.

Employees want to make every moment of their lives count and render every memory of their past cherishable and worth sharing like a story.

They want to look back at their past with pride, enjoy every moment in the present and leave the future full of adventure and uncertainty.

They love to be open to life, meet new people, have lots of fun, and regret nothing at the end of the day.

1. Celebrate early employee milestones

A 5-year starting milestone is outdated and no longer used.

Furthermore, a recent survey has shown that 1/3rd of new hires quit their jobs within 6 months of starting.

It’s no longer the norm to put in multiple years at the first job out of college in the same profile. In the gig economy, more and more individuals opt for the self-employed or freelance route.

Which makes employees that do stay with a company even more invaluable. Instead of waiting for a five, ten, or twenty-year work anniversary—rethink your timeframe for employee long service awards.

What’s the lifecycle of your employees? On average, how long do they stay with the company? Use this data to refigure the timelines for long service awards.

Also, consider smaller annual rewards which will show appreciation on a consistent basis. Annual rewards combined with employee-long service awards can significantly boost your employee retention rate.

If your HR team doesn’t have the bandwidth to rework your current program, outsource to an employee rewards system that will do the hard work for you.

2. Enable management communication

Most of the organizations run employee-long service awards programs. But communicating it in a better way can drive them more efficient results. The long service awards program recognizes the time employees’ spent with your company.

Do you wish to make your recognition program more effective and inspiring? If your answer is yes, then give personalized awards to your employees. Make sure that your awards are tied back to your organization's values.

While celebrating your employee’s longevity, your managers should reflect on the values the employee excels in showing. They should talk about the extra milestones the employee has achieved since the last service awards.

3. Make it social

Long service anniversaries are a big deal. Especially when employees seem to be hopping from one job to another within short intervals. Educate your employees about what is long service award is and your long service awards offerings.

Your offerings should excite them. Give a shout-out and recognize long service employees. You could do it at all-employee meetings and at special occasions. By doing this you are showcasing yourself as a caring employer.

CEO, President, or Division Head must present the long service awards to their employees. Again this depends upon the size of your organization. Getting the news out could prove to be engaging.

Research states that employees who are highly engaged are happy and more productive. They also don’t look for jobs elsewhere. What does this show? It indicates that this leads to a reduced turnover. This further would help a company to save a lot of money every year.

4. Engage employees with experiences

Try and reward your employees with experiences. What if you got a skydiving or jet skiing experience from your company? Wouldn’t you love to recall these memories for your life? Definitely, yes!

Experiences like these form the best moments and the best moments promote happiness. Since we spend most of our waking hours at work, happiness is necessary. It helps to promote a positive work culture.

According to Incentive Research Foundation, 42% of long service awards program owners are increasing the number of ‘experiential rewards’ within their current offering.

Experiential travel rewards[emphasis added] create lasting memories and positive associations with the organization that provided the reward.

The emphasis is on offering genuine, unique, customized experiences for employees delivered throughout the program. Giving an employee an experiential gift as a reward becomes very personal.

5. A proactive approach towards long service awards

Every company should operate a long service awards program. But this again may be different for each organization. As every organization has a different vision, values, and goals.

When you invest in long service awards for an employee it has a positive impact on retention. It also has an impact on employee well-being, employee engagement, and culture

6. It’s time to personalize and offer a choice

When selecting rewards for employees, HR and management teams should focus on personalization. Think–what would that specific employee want the most? This is especially true for long service awards.

Each employee has offered unique value to your company during their tenure and you want to recognize that with individualized rewards. Employees even value the ability to choose their rewards and recognition.

When you give experiences for a long service award, the possibilities are endless—a hotel stay, a concert, sporting event, etc etc. Unless your HR team intimately knows all employees, it would be difficult to identify the correct experience for each individual.

This is why offering the ability to select experiences for themselves is best practice.

The annual Deloitte Human Capital survey said it best; “talent today wants a custom rewards experience that reflects how they live, work, and communicate—not a one-size-fits-all approach rooted in the past.”

Take the time and effort to show employees that you truly appreciate their hard work and dedication. If your company creates an individualized and dynamic rewards program, you’ll not only boost the morale of current staff but also give your organization an advantage in today’s job market.

Develop an amazing rewards program with unique ways to celebrate longtime employees and use it as PR (but not in the tired ‘employee of the month’ fashion).

Such changes in your corporate culture will not only bolster the engagement of current employees but also help to attract new talent.

7. Streamlining the award process

Automation is a wonderful thing, and employee recognition for Long Service is no exception. The use of a rewards and recognition platform should enable you to automate most of the long service rewards.

Creative long service awards ideas

When it comes to long service awards, one-size-fits-all no longer works. Meaningful recognition today blends choice, personalization, and lasting impact. Here are some thoughtfully curated long service award ideas to truly honor your employees’ dedication:

1. Gift cards and vouchers

Gift cards remain a favorite for good reason—they combine flexibility with immediate value. Whether digital or physical, branded or personalized, gift cards let employees choose what matters most to them.

With Empuls, you can personalize these with your company’s logo and a custom message, turning a simple reward into a thoughtful gesture. Plus, with our global catalog of 8,000+ brands, employees across geographies can redeem them in their local currency and preferred language.

Why it works:

• Offers freedom of choice
• Reduces the risk of “wrong gift”
• Makes recognition instant and scalable

2. High-tech gadgets and electronics

From wireless earbuds and smartwatches to tablets and premium headphones, electronics are always a hit. Long-tenured employees appreciate gifts they can use, show off, or share with family.

Through Empuls, you can include Amazon-integrated rewards or curated merchandise in your catalog, letting employees pick the tech they truly want.

Why it works:

• Practical, aspirational, and universally appealing
• Easily fulfilled across regions via e-commerce integrations

3. Travel experiences and sabbatical rewards

A travel voucher or paid sabbatical isn’t just a reward—it’s a memory in the making. Whether it’s a weekend getaway, an extended holiday, or time off to recharge, travel-based awards show deep appreciation.

Empuls offers experiential rewards across 50+ countries, with options like resort stays, adventure tours, and luxury retreats.

Why it works:

• Helps employees unwind and return rejuvenated
• Reinforces that you value their wellbeing

4. Wellness kits and fitness perks

Long-term employees have invested years in your company—investing in their wellness is a fitting way to give back. Wellness kits can include fitness gear, healthy snacks, subscriptions to meditation apps, or even wellness retreats.

With Empuls, you can also offer wellness rewards and lifestyle spending accounts, empowering employees to choose benefits that suit their health journey.

Why it works:

• Supports physical and mental health
• Promotes a culture of care and longevity

5. Personalized memorabilia and premium keepsakes

Sometimes, the most valued rewards are the ones that hold emotional significance. Consider high-quality plaques, trophies, name-engraved watches, or framed journey maps that highlight the employee's tenure and achievements.

Empuls allows for custom certificate automation and branded gifting, adding that personal touch to every milestone.

Why it works:

• Evokes pride and emotional connection
• Becomes a cherished reminder of recognition

6. Curated experience boxes

Think beyond a single gift—offer a themed experience box packed with surprises. Options could include:

• A gourmet dinner kit for a date night
• A "relax and recharge" box with a scented candle, journal, and herbal teas
• An adrenaline box with vouchers for paragliding, kayaking, or go-karting

Add personalization with the employee’s name and tenure milestone engraved or printed on the box.

Why it works:

• Adds excitement and surprise
• Feels immersive, personal, and memorable

7. Time-off bonuses or 'Choose-Your-Day' leave

Recognition doesn’t always need to be tangible. Sometimes, giving employees time for themselves—whether it’s an extra paid day off or a “no-meetings” Friday—can be just as impactful.

Empuls allows you to create custom, non-monetary rewards that employees can redeem directly from the platform.

Why it works:

• Encourages work-life balance
• Recognizes dedication in a restorative way

8. Memory book or service timeline

Celebrate an employee’s journey with a personalized memory book—highlighting key contributions, recognitions, photos, and wishes from teammates. Empuls even lets you generate digital memory albums and Wall of Fame shout-outs as part of your award workflow.

Why it works:

• Creates an emotional connection to their work
• Builds pride in their contributions

9. Company-branded swag kits

Surprise long-tenured employees with a custom-branded swag box that reflects your company culture. Think premium hoodies, mugs, journals, or tote bags—all designed and shipped by Empuls, personalized with the employee’s name and milestone year.

Through the Empuls Swag Platform, you can automate fulfillment, track inventory, and offer employees the option to redeem reward points for swag.

Why it works:

• Builds brand affinity and pride
• Turn employees into brand advocates—inside and outside the workplace

10. Wall of Fame digital spotlight

Recognize long service milestones with a dedicated spot on your company’s digital Wall of Fame, available in both interactive and TV display modes. This creates company-wide visibility and makes employees feel celebrated publicly.

With Empuls, you can display recognitions across offices on screens or showcase them in your MS Teams or Slack feed—automatically.

Why it works:

• Encourages peer acknowledgment
• Amplifies the celebration beyond HR or leadership

11. Automated milestone celebration workflows

Forget spreadsheets or calendar reminders. With Empuls, long service awards can be fully automated using custom workflows based on tenure data fetched from your HRMS.

From issuing reward points, certificates, and personalized messages to triggering peer nudges and leadership notifications—Empuls ensures no milestone goes unnoticed.

Why it works:

• Saves time for HR
• Makes recognition timely, consistent, and fail-proof

12. Personalized memory book and journey timeline

Create a digital memory book for each employee, highlighting:

• Key achievements
• Past recognitions
• Peer wishes and testimonials
• Milestone moments

Empuls auto-collates data from the platform (recognitions, awards, Wall of Fame mentions) and turns it into a keepsake the employee can download or print.

Why it works:

• Deepens emotional connection
• Reinforces purpose and pride in their journey

13. Personalized video messages from leadership

Enable team leaders, department heads, or even the CEO to record custom video shout-outs for employees reaching long service milestones. With Empuls, these can be embedded in the celebration post on the social feed or shared via internal channels.

The platform also supports scheduled video uploads as part of milestone workflows.

Why it works:

• Makes the recognition feel sincere and special
• Adds a human, personal touch to digital recognition

Long service awards to avoid

The number of unique long service awards is as diverse as the people who receive them; however, poor tenure recognition ideas are easy to list.

1. Bonuses

On the surface, this long service award may seem logical. Everyone has expenses, and a little extra cash gives people a chance to indulge. Unfortunately, it does nothing to express gratitude.

Money is fleeting. The effects wear off once the funds are gone, making it ineffective from both a practical and financial standpoint.

In the words of the IRF: “Cash is easy. It requires little thought, it can be transferred electronically, everyone is certain of its worth and recipients can spend it on whatever they most want”.

However, they warn that this leads to “mental accounting.” This means that the money is spent on necessities, causing recipients to perceive the bonus as part of their salary.

While making an extra credit card payment or getting car repairs might bring peace f mind, it hardly feels like a reward. Further compounding the problem is the level of entitlement cash rewards can generate.

Employees who receive a 5% bonus at ten years might expect a 10% reward at 20. This snowballs into collective dissatisfaction if all eligible employees do not receive what they expect: “…if cash rewards are removed, motivation, performance, and engagement among past recipients may drop even below levels that existed before the reward was introduced…”

2. Raises

While raises are a more permanent financial reward, they can still backfire. Pay increases should be based on merit, not tenure. An employee who spends 20 years putting in minimal effort does not deserve a raise more than a newer worker who does an exemplary job.

3. Fixed prizes

Although this has been covered, it is a critical point that deserves to be summarized. A long service award should never be limited to a small pool of options – or worse, just one.

The simple reason is that not everyone values the same things. For instance, giving an iPad to someone who barely understands technology will not serve many purposes.

Odds are the individual will simply sell it, the message of gratitude completely lost on them.

Let AI power your long service recognition

Celebrating employee milestones shouldn’t feel like a checkbox activity. Yet, for most HR teams, managing long service awards across departments, geographies, and timelines can quickly become overwhelming. This is where Em, the AI bot within Empuls, steps in to turn reactive recognition into a proactive, delightful experience.

Smart nudges that never miss a milestone

Em tracks employee journey milestones—like 1, 3, 5, or 10 years of service—and sends automated reminders to managers and HR teams so no anniversary goes unnoticed. It prompts celebration messages, preps personalized certificates, and even nudges peers to join in with wishes on digital Wishboards.

Recognition, personalized and instant

Whether it’s generating an award graphic or writing a heartfelt message, Em uses contextual data to auto-generate award content, subject lines, and visuals—ensuring your long service awards feel authentic and on-brand every single time.

Inclusive recognition insights for managers

Not all recognition gaps are visible. Em shares recognition heatmaps with managers, highlighting team members who might be underappreciated. This ensures long-tenured employees aren’t forgotten in the flurry of daily tasks, and every milestone receives the attention it deserves.

Real-time reporting and optimization

Behind the scenes, Empuls captures performance data on every service award—like participation rates, peer engagement, and reward redemption. Em surfaces these insights in real-time, so HR can fine-tune the program for maximum impact and budget efficiency.

Final thoughts: Celebrate loyalty with intention

Employee loyalty reflects dedication, trust, and a deep connection to your organization’s mission. Recognizing that commitment through long service awards goes beyond formality—it reinforces your culture, boosts morale, and encourages others to stay and grow with you.

To make long service recognition meaningful, it must be more than a standard certificate or one-size-fits-all gift. Employees value thoughtful gestures, personalized experiences, and the freedom to choose rewards that truly resonate with them.

Empuls empowers organizations to deliver on this expectation—through automated, milestone-based award workflows, a global rewards catalog, and AI-driven nudges that ensure every achievement is acknowledged and celebrated.

With features like Wishboards, Wall of Fame, and tax-compliant, pay-on-redemption rewards, Empuls helps you design long service programs that are consistent, impactful, and memorable.