As Employee Appreciation Day approaches, we need to recognize that among the many reasons employees leave a company, the lack of appreciation ranks among the highest on the charts. It’s such a simple thing, yet we typically don’t do enough of it. When employees feel valued, morale increases, and productivity can rise as a result. Showing appreciation for someone is important in every aspect of life, not just in your work life. So today, we’re going to focus on 10 ways to show appreciation for your employees.
- When is Employee Appreciation Day?
- What can I do for Employee Appreciation Day?
- How to show appreciation for your employees
- Software for employee recognition
- Raise employee engagement with HR tools 🚀
When is Employee Appreciation Day?
Employee Appreciation Day is typically observed on the first Friday in March. In 2024 Employee Appreciation Day will be observed on the 1st of March. Many employers do not know that there is an official Employee Appreciation Day.
What can I do for Employee Appreciation Day?
There are several meaningful ways you can express gratitude to your employees. Consider organizing a recognition ceremony or event to publicly acknowledge their hard work and contributions. Personalized notes or cards expressing your appreciation can also make a big impact. Providing small gifts or tokens of appreciation, such as gift cards, company swag, or even extra time off, can show your employees that you value their efforts. Additionally, taking the time to listen to their feedback and implementing positive changes based on their suggestions can demonstrate that their voices are heard and valued. Ultimately, the key is to make employees feel genuinely appreciated and recognized for their dedication and hard work.
Remember however, that showing appreciation is important throughout the year. Limiting the recognition of your employees’ achievements to a single day can be seen as disingenuous from the employee side, especially if your workplace culture is less than perfect.
That said, a rewards and recognition can go a long way to boost employee morale. Take a look at the list below of ideas for Employee Appreciation Day.
How to show appreciation for your employees
Employee Appreciation Day offers an excellent opportunity to showcase gratitude for your team’s hard work and dedication. Here are some ideas to celebrate this occasion:
Employee appreciation lunch ideas
The way to your employees’ hearts is through their stomachs. If there’s one thing all your employees have in common, it’s that they all eat food. And besides, who doesn’t love a free lunch? Providing meals or snacks for your employees is an easy and affordable way to show your appreciation for them. Another perk with food, is that the possibilities are endless so your employees will never get bored of it. Because of its affordability and flexibility, you can provide lunches weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc. or do small snacks more frequently. Expert tip: Have lots of options for people with dietary restrictions. They will feel extra appreciated!
If you only want to organize a special lunch for Employee Appreciation Day, consider these options:
- Catered Lunch: Arrange for diverse menu options from a local caterer to accommodate various dietary preferences.
- Potluck Lunch: Foster community by having employees bring their favorite dishes to share.
- Outdoor BBQ or Picnic: Weather permitting, enjoy grilled fare and refreshing drinks in a nearby park or outdoor space.
- Food Trucks: Bring in food trucks offering a variety of cuisines for a delicious and convenient lunch.
- Themed Lunch: Choose a fun theme like a luau or pasta party and serve corresponding dishes.
- DIY Sandwich Bar: Allow employees to customize their sandwiches or wraps with assorted ingredients.
- Healthy Options: Offer nutritious choices like salads, fruit platters, and veggie trays to cater to diverse diets.
- Employee appreciation cookies: Indulge in a dessert spread featuring cakes, cookies, pastries, and healthier options like yogurt parfaits.
- Interactive Cooking Demo: Hire a chef to demonstrate cooking techniques and share recipes during the lunch.
Focus on creating a welcoming atmosphere where employees can relax, connect, and feel valued for their dedication.
Comfortable Office Furniture
Bean bags, stand up desks, exercise balls, comfortable chairs, etc… there are so many options! Although it can be seen as pampering your employees, there have been proven health benefits for employees sitting in non-traditional office chairs. By providing these solutions, employees can decrease their risk of common workplace illnesses and injuries too.
Time Off
When people take time off, it’s usually because they’re sick, need to catch an appointment, or on vacation. The employee has to be the one to initiate the time off, but what if they were told that they can take a day off just because? As much as your employees may love to work, a day away from the office can work miracles. Let them take the day off to do whatever they want, and they’ll come back refreshed and rejuvenated.
For a simple way to handle time off requests, take a look at our HR software. It helps you by streamlining the entire time off request process. No more email threads where requests get lost and spreadsheets to track remaining days off – managers approve time off with a single click. The days requested are then reflected in the paycheck. Sound interesting? HR software can do much more than that! Fill out the form to chat with an HR product specialist.
Company Events
Putting on events for your employees is a great way to show appreciation for everyone in the company, and also creates time for employees to bond with each other. Organize small activities to spice it up so it won’t feel like a normal meeting.
Employee appreciation notes
Employee appreciation words go a long way. Simply saying “thank you” for your hard work from time to time can make a big impact on employee happiness and well-being. A thank you note on this special day of appreciation can be a simple, yet meaningful way of showing employees you care.
Shout Out Box
Place a box somewhere centrally located in the office with some paper and pens next to it. This will be a box where employees can write about things that other employees did well, and give a shout out, a chance to be recognized. Depending on what fits your organization, read them out loud to the team at the end of the week meeting so that those employees can be recognized. For more ideas like this to boost your employees morale, check out this list from SnackNation blog.
Post on Social Media
Another way to publicly recognize how stellar your employees are is by posting on social media. Linkedin is a great place to showcase employees’ achievements and show you appreciation for them.
Consider writing an employee spotlight as a way of showing recognition and appreciation.
Company March
A lot of happy employees have company pride. They want to show off where they work, especially if its given to them for free. Instead of heading straight to the dinky pens or notepads with the company logo, show how much you appreciate them by going a step further and get them merchandise they will see some value in. Look into getting customized company polos with their names on them, or water bottles, or computer bags.
Traditional Face to Face
There’s nothing better than talking to someone face to face, and expressing gratuity to them. In this setting, employers are able to go into detail about what specifically they value in the employee. If you have an open-door policy, this can also be a great opportunity to ask the employee about any feedback and see if there’s anything on the employer’s side that could be improved. People feel appreciated when they have someone listening to them and ideas are implemented.
Gift Cards & Vouchers
Gift cards and vouchers are a great option to incorporate into your employee recognition programs. They give employees since they are given the flexibility of using the gift card how they want. Some ideas for people with families: give movie tickets out so that they can share and enjoy their achievements with their family. A sure bet to successfully picking the right gift cards would be to simply ask employees to email you their favorite stores. Make sure to have a variety, restaurants, shops, and entertainment.
Career Growth Opportunity Classes
Provide workshop classes for your employees to help further their professional careers. Some useful workshops could include: Excel training courses and leadership courses. Letting your employees take time from their daily tasks to go learn new material is not only beneficial for you, also for your company. If your company uses certain softwares, look into certifications that your employees could receive. This allows employees to show on their resumes that they are certified in working with that software.
We appreciate you
By showing your appreciation for your employees, it creates a positive atmosphere. And a positive atmosphere means more productive work. Don’t let the lack of recognition be the reason behind great employees leaving. Small gestures can mean a lot to employees, so let’s start recognizing and appreciating those rockstar employees!
HR software for employee recognition and appreciation
Factorial is an HR software that centralizes all of your Human Resources processes. Not only can you automate time off requests, and performance reviews, you can also use it to boost your employee engagement. Try our Events & Internal Communications feature to see how HR software can make your company a better place to work.
