Every year on the first Friday of March, the country marks national employee appreciation day where companies across the country hold employee recognition and honor awards.
The attainment of goals by employees is beneficial to the employee and employing organization since it motivates fellow employees to deliver and hence more efficiency in the workplace.
Employee appreciation and recognition are the biggest motivators for employees in any industry. There are different ways an employer can show appreciation for a worker’s contribution in the organization.
This guide explores how you should mark employee appreciation day and the various ways to express your gratitude.
Table of Contents
1. Appreciation gifts
Gift-giving has been a love language and a way to show appreciation for ages and is as old as the hills. The upside is gifts don’t need to be unnecessarily expensive.
As the old saying goes, it is the thought that matters, and even the smallest gesture is valid if the intentions are pure.
Your gifts to employees can range from tangible material products to intangible actions. Intangible actions include paying vacations for the employees, adding paid time off, going on a trip, or throwing a party.
As another option, you can offer tangible gifts to your workers, such as gift cards, snacks, and company-branded commodities.
2. Engaging your employees in volunteering programs
You can take your employees to a senior center, homeless shelter, or any other society that needs a helping hand. You can also cook and serve the homeless or visit patients in hospitals or plant trees and clean the community.
A study by Deloitte concluded that 70% of employed Americans believe volunteer activities are more effective in boosting their morale than other employee appreciation activities.
Volunteering programs are more engaging as workers bond and casually get to know each other. It is a form of great team building.
You also create great memories and, most importantly, get to help other people.
Workers are also inspired to be more thankful for what they have. You get to make the world a better place, appreciate your employees, and motivate them simultaneously.
3. Corporate Gifts
If you want to expand the relationship between you and your employees, corporate gifts are the way to go. Gifting your employees with gifts they love goes a long way to show you have their interests in mind.
It would be advisable to consider their passions, hobbies, and interests when choosing the kind of gift.
Custom gifts and awards are excellent examples of corporate gifts to hand your employees since they reinforce your company’s brand and motivate employees while at it.
Are you having trouble finding custom awards? Ask us, and we will deliver awards customized to your preference.
4. A Happy hour for your team
If you want that relaxed ambiance and atmosphere, go for the happy hour.
Happy hours promote employee interaction that is positive and healthy. Work-related duress is also reduced, and employees can break from mundane routines.
There is a caveat to happy hour, and you will have to consider the timing and probably take some time off the working hours.
A lot of consideration should also go into whether or not to serve alcoholic drinks to your employees.
5. Mentorship programs
In most companies, workers’ engagement has not been consistent. Mentorship is a sure way to combat this problem.
Employee appreciation day is the perfect day to kick start mentorship programs for your workforce.
Mentorships are aimed at the learning and growth of employees. They are also different mentorship approaches besides the conventional tuitions and conferences.
Internal programs among groups can also be a good mentorship approach in firms and challenge employees to set new goals, build relationships, and find new opportunities.
6. Make every day an employee appreciation day
It would be best if you endeavored to make every day an employee appreciation day. Your company should develop programs that continuously motivate employees and appreciate them to be more humane and productive at the office.
You can start with recognition programs that will motivate employees and create a happy team willing to conquer anything.
All the methods mentioned in this guide are equally active, and you can settle for one that works best for you. The time to appreciate your employees is now and every day!
