A certificate of recognition or COR can serve different purposes. Aside from awarding it to a person in recognition for something, it may stand for more. For instance, a COR would show that a certified auditor has evaluated the safety and health program of an organization. If the program meets all standards, then the organization gets a COR.
In this case, if company or business would like to acquire a COR, they first have to establish their own safety and health program. Then, they would have to call on an auditor to assess the program’s success.
The business may ask help in developing the program from a certifying partner. The certifying partner can also provide training services with the program. In other situations, a COR gets issued to employees within a business or organization.
Usually, the type of COR depends on how many employees work within the company. A certificate of recognition template can serve as a legal document. It passes through the organization to an employee.
It’s awarded for the sake of giving recognition to the actions and efforts of the employee working in the organization. Usually, an authorized person awards this kind of certificate. This can either be the owner of the company, the employer, the CEO or someone in high position.
Certificate of Recognition Templates
What are the benefits of giving out a certificate of recognition?
Awarding a COR is beneficial for different reasons. Since such certificates serve different purposes, the benefits are widespread too. If you’re planning to give out CORs to your employees or you want your organization to receive one. Then, it’s helpful to learn all about them. Here are the benefits of CORs:
- Proof of a safe and healthy workplace.
Employers who have CORs show that they run a safe and healthy workplace. This further shows that they have a commitment to improving the organization continually.
When an organization possesses a COR, it demonstrates that they place value on safety and health. They show this to the employees, other organizations, and the public.
This is highly beneficial. And it makes the employees in the organization feel more secure about working there.
- It promotes healthy competition
When an organization has a COR, it would make it a lot easier to hire and keep employees. It would give you an edge over other companies, especially those who don’t have such a certificate.
Aside from this, giving CORs to your employees may promote healthy competition. It would make them work harder when they know that they can get rewarded for their efforts.
- It also comes with financial benefits
Acquiring this kind of certificate may also come with financial benefits. When a company maintains a healthy and safe workplace, its overall rating improves. And if the company keeps it up, it may get some discounts on insurance premiums and the like.
For the employee, this benefit may apply too. Some companies give monetary incentives along with the COR. This makes it even more appealing to the employees.
- It serves as a powerful public statement about efficiency
CORs can also serve as public statements, whether for the company or the employee. For the company, it will show how efficient and committed it is to maintain high standards in all aspects.
For the employee, it shows how efficient and productive he is. And it also shows that the company recognizes all the employee’s efforts to do a better job.
As you can see, CORs are very useful. An online search, enables you to see different certificate of recognition samples. When you do this, you’ll notice that they come in different types. We’ll discuss that next.
Sample Certificate of Recognition
Types of certificate of recognition for businesses
Before you create your certificate of recognition template, you must know its types. For employers, there are 3 major types of certificates. It is dependent on the size of your organization or business:
- Small Employer Certificate of Recognition or SECOR
Businesses with up to 10 employees may receive this certificate. In order to acquire this, the business must perform a self-evaluation of the safety and health program.
Then, the business has to schedule an evaluation review with a certifying partner. If the business grows to more than 10 employees, it may try to acquire the next type of certificate.
- Medium Employer Certificate of Recognition or MECOR
Businesses with 11-19 employees may receive this certificate. They can acquire the MECOR in the same way as the SECOR.
- Certificate of Recognition or COR
Businesses with 20 or more employees may receive this certificate. In order to acquire this, the business should hire an auditor from outside of the company.
The auditor will then evaluate the program. He will review it by a certifying partner. If the program passes the audit, the organization will receive the COR.
When it comes to these types of CORs, businesses may acquire them in different time periods. It usually depends on the type of certificate. Here are the different types according to the timeframe:
- A 6-month COR which is only given under special circumstances.
- A 1-year COR which is for businesses who are new.
- A 3-year SECOR which has a 3-year validity. External audit for the first year and maintenance audits for the next two years. This certificate has different requirements and protocols.
- A 3-year MECOR which has a 3-year validity. External audit for the first year and maintenance audits for the next two years. Over the course of the 3 years, the business may switch to a COR-based certification.
- A 3-year COR which has a 3-year validity. External audit for the first year and maintenance audits for the next two years.
There are two more types of CORs awarded to employers or businesses. These are different from the major types and have different purposes:
- Return-to-Work or Injury Management CORs
There are cases when certificates remain on hold until there is a new tool for auditing. When this is in place, new businesses can apply for a Return-to-Work COR. With it, they can keep on using their program until advised otherwise.
- Occupational Health and Safety COR
Sometimes businesses exceed occupational health and safety requirements. They get awarded with this type of certificate.
It’s much simpler to make a certificate of recognition sample and template to award to employees. It’s not very technical and any authorized person in the organization can make it. Next, let’s go through some steps on how to create one.
Certificate of Recognition Wording
Make your own certificate of recognition for employees
Certificates of recognition aren’t just for the workplace. You can also make one for your school or even for your kids at home. Having Microsoft Word, helps to create a certificate of recognition template.
You can also try hands on other software’s. It will make your job easy and convenient.
Here are some steps to guide you:
- Making a COR in Microsoft Word is very easy because you can download a ready-made template online. These templates already have fancy borders so all you have to do is choose which one you want.
- Run Microsoft Word and set up your document. By default, Microsoft Word will open a portrait, letter-sized document. Set the document to landscape orientation first before inserting your template.
- If you’re using paper which already comes with a border, set the margins. Otherwise, you can use the default 1-inch margins.
- If you’re using the templates, click on the “Insert” tab then click on “Picture.” Find the image file you’ll be using then click “Insert.” This will place the template on your document.
- Disable text wrap so you can type text on top of the image. Do this by going to the Picture Tools and selecting the “Format” tab. Then click on “Wrap Text” then “Behind Text.”
These are the most basic steps to place your choice of a border on your certificate. The next step is to think about the certificate of recognition wording and enter the text within the border you placed.
Usually, all kinds of certificates have similar sections. Some of the sections may already be part of the template you’ve chosen. If there are any missing sections, simply add them to your document:
- The title could be “Certificate of Recognition” or whatever you choose.
- The presentation line usually says “is awarded to” or “is presented to.”
- The recipient’s name is the full name of the individual or group you’re awarding the certificate to.
- The giver’s name is the full name of the individual or group giving the certificate.
- The description would contain the reason for giving the certificate.
- The date would be when the business presented the certificate.
- Finally, the signature lines are there too. Place them so the authorized representatives may affix their signature. This makes the certificate official.
When you’re making a COR, think about what it’s for before deciding on the fonts. If the certificate isn’t meant as a formal award, then you can use fun and cursive fonts. But for more professional purposes, make sure to use a formal font.
Also, you may use different fonts for the different sections. Do this to highlight the important sections of your certificate. When you’re happy with your template, print out a copy and proofread it.
It’s also useful to let someone else proofread your sample to check if there are any mistakes you missed. If you need to, make some adjustments or modifications, especially to the formatting. After you’ve checked it, load the paper on the printer and print your certificate. Then you can ask the signatories to affix their signature before awarding it.
Certificate of Recognition Examples
Tips for making a professional certificate of recognition
When you’re making a professional COR, you need to keep some things in mind. No matter how much you want to make it fun and colorful, remember that it’s supposed to be official. Creating professional-looking certificates for your employees will make them feel appreciated. Read on for some tips to keep in mind:
- Select the right kind of paper for your certificate. Your printer should be able to print on the paper you choose, so think about that too. Picking a lightweight paper type might leave an impression. It states that you’re trying to skimp on the certificate. Choose a heavier paper stock to show that the certificate is of value.
- Select a proper color scheme. When creating professional CORs, you don’t have to make them too colorful. You can choose a color scheme which fits into your company’s color scheme. This would be a safer and easier choice. If you don’t want to follow your company’s colors, go for the subdued tones. Using loud colors won’t make your certificate look too professional.
- When making the layout of your certificate, don’t clutter it too much. Remember, it’s a business COR, it has to look sleek and professional. Think of the wording carefully so you don’t have to write too much information on it. Make sure there’s a lot of space between lines of text so they’ll be more readable.
- Again, when it comes to fonts, go for the simpler ones. You may use more than one type of font, just don’t overdo it. Usually, you can choose a different font for the title and the recipient’s name. Then for the rest of the text, you can use a simple, readable font.
- Make sure you spell everything correctly, especially your recipient’s name. A document with lots of spelling errors won’t look very official. Make sure to proofread your certificate before printing out a final copy.
- If you’re not sure of your recipient’s name, ask him/her to write it down for you so you get the spelling right.
Making CORs is easy and the more you do it, the easier it will get. And now that you know more about certificates of recognition, you’ll be able to use them better. Just keep all these steps and tips in mind and you can’t go wrong.
