4 Great Ways to Celebrate Employee Appreciation Day

With the critical pressures caused by the Great Resignation and the War for Talent, employers cannot afford to take their employees for granted.¹ The highly competitive market for skilled labor means that employees who don’t feel accepted or appreciated may walk away.

Employee appreciation can play an important role in increasing employee retention. New research has shown that staff who were thanked at work in the last month are half as likely to be looking for a new job and more likely to see a path to growth within the company they work for.²

Doing something special on Employee Appreciation Day is a great way for employers to show that they value their team’s hard work and effort. Originally created to focus the attention of everyone in the company on the valuable contributions colleagues are making, Employee Appreciation Day events should celebrate all the roles played by individuals across your organization.

In addition to encouragement and thoughtful words from the leadership team, here are 4 great Employee Appreciation ideas that employers can implement to show their gratitude on March 5th, National Employee Appreciation Day.

1. Organize a Virtual Team Event

• Host a virtual trivia or game night with your team. This employee appreciation day idea is a fun way to spend time with colleagues and build stronger working relationships.
• Invite an expert for a cooking lesson or cocktail/mocktail workshop and give team members a chance to learn fun new skills that they can show off to loved ones and friends back at home. A Q&A at the end of the session can allow a team member to ask the expert any questions they may have. 

2. Sponsor a Team Outing

• Organize a field trip to a local museum, botanical garden, or park. This can be a nice change from a normal work day at the office and a great opportunity for staff to socialize, boost employee morale, and build meaningful connections.³
• Service to the community is a great way of giving back and encouraging employee engagement. Coordinate a volunteer event as part of Staff Appreciation Day and send a strong message about the company culture and the shared values held by management and staff.
• Invite employees to a lunch, dinner, or happy hour. This is a simple and casual way of bringing the team together and showing that management cares. It is also easy to organize during office hours.

3. Share Your Appreciation with Employees

• Pre-record a short video or thank employees for their contributions live at a company all-hands meeting. This is a great opportunity to show appreciation for hard work and engagement on the special day.
• Rather than sending generic messages of thanks, share management’s appreciation for the work individual employees do in a personalized email or a handwritten note. Employees will treasure the effort and time taken to recognize their efforts.
• Write a LinkedIn recommendation for your direct reports. This demonstration of appreciation is visible to the employees’ network and can be easily integrated into any ongoing employee recognition program.

4. Treat Your Employees

• Offer up an assortment of tasty cakes, pastries, or other sweets in the break room or office common areas. This is a simple gesture to mark Staff Appreciation Day and helps liven up the atmosphere at the office.
• Gift baskets for employees that include a combination of company swag, snacks, gift cards, or other personalized touches can be a great option to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day.
• Sending a gift card for a meal at a local restaurant, café, or self-care experience (such as a massage or mental health app subscription) is a meaningful way to recognize the commitment and hard work of each team member.

Companies with an in-person or hybrid workforce can consider using smart electronic locker solutions to deliver gifts safely and securely to employees. This makes it much easier for remote employees to retrieve gifts at their convenience when they’re next in the office.

The Importance of Employee Appreciation

Recognizing the contribution of employees increases sense of purpose, job satisfaction, and trust in the employer. It is especially meaningful when it comes from the top. Statistics show that 28% of employees believe the most memorable recognition comes from their manager, while 24% want to be recognized by a high-level leader or CEO.⁴

Improving employee well-being leads to increased retention, a possible increase in overall company reputation, and an increase in better quality referrals for open positions!

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Employee Appreciation Day is an opportunity for employers to make that special extra effort to show their gratitude for their employees’ hard work and dedication. Gestures large and small can have a significant effect, boosting employee retention, enhancing company culture, and optimizing productivity.⁵

Smart commercial lockers can play a valuable role improving the quality of your flexible office space, facilitating processes in activity based working and hybrid work environments, and making events like Employee Appreciation Day easier to manage. To find out more about how our parcel locker solutions can help create SPECIAL experiences for your employees, contact a Parcel Pending representative today.

Sources:

1. Perna, Mark. Employee Appreciation Day Is March 4. Here’s How People Want To Be Thanked. Forbes.com. February 22, 2022. https://www.forbes.com/sites/markcperna/2022/02/22/employee-appreciation-day-is-march-4-heres-how-people-want-to-be-thanked/?sh=6668ece10c9b
2. Workhuman. Two Years Into Covid: The State of Human Connection at Work. workhuman.com. Spring, 2022. https://www.workhuman.com/resources/i/1451661-two-years-into-covid-the-state-of-human-connection-at-work/1?
3. Blueboard. The Trade Desk: Best practices for adapting your employee recognition efforts during the pandemic. blueboard.com. December 23, 2020. https://www.blueboard.com/blog/the-trade-desk-best-practices-for-adapting-your-employee-recognition-efforts-during-the-pandemic
4. Blueboard. National Employee Appreciation Day: 8 Fresh Ideas for Celebrating Your Team. blueboard.com. February 15, 2022. https://www.blueboard.com/blog/happy-employee-appreciation-day
5. Bell, Ashley. 34 Employee Appreciation Day Ideas & Gifts For March 5th 2022 (And Every Other Day). snacknation.com. https://snacknation.com/blog/employee-appreciation-day-ideas/