Employee Appreciation Day

Employee Appreciation Day is an opportunity for business leaders to show their gratitude to the most important resource they have: their team members.

The Importance of Employee Appreciation

Coming up with creative employee recognition ideas from time to time is the ultimate way for a supervisor or boss to show their team members how much they’re valued and respected by the company. We all like to feel appreciated for our work. And top business leaders know a little extra gratitude can go a long way.

Whether you’re managing remote employees or in-house teams, regularly recognizing your team members can boost employee morale, increase productivity, and even ensure you don’t have to spend as much time replacing crucial members of your team.

According to Deloitte, employee performance and engagement levels are up to 14% higher among companies with their own recognition programs. Another study from Gallup found companies that double the number of employees they recognize each week benefit from 10% reductions in turnover, 27% lower absenteeism, and 24% better work quality.

The Benefits of Showing Employee Appreciation

Coming up with interesting Employee Appreciation Day ideas is a good way to boost your employee engagement and retention levels. Employee recognition should be a consistent part of company culture. 

By investing in national Employee Appreciation Day as part of a comprehensive employee recognition program, business leaders can benefit from:

• Improved engagement: When it comes right down to it, most businesses find only a handful of employees are actively engaged. The antidote is surprisingly simple. When analysts asked team members how their employers can improve engagement, “giving recognition” was mentioned by 58% of respondents. The more engaged staff members are, the more committed they are to the workplace. This also significantly improves employee performance and overall satisfaction.
• Enhanced performance: When employees are more engaged at work, they’re also more productive. If employees feel they will be appreciated and recognized for their efforts, they’re more likely to give every project their all. In fact, 80% of employees say recognition motivates them to work harder. 
• Better relationships: Good relationships in the workplace make for better company culture and stronger connections between teams. According to one study, 50% of employees say appreciation from managers has improved their relationship with their leaders. Consistent employee recognition can create a trusting, open, and transparent culture. 
• Reduced absenteeism: Lack of appreciation and recognition can have serious consequences in the workplace. It leads to disengagement and can also cause employees to withdraw from the workplace and feel more overwhelmed, frustrated, or burned out. Showing employee appreciation can be an excellent way to reduce the risk of high absenteeism levels, usually caused by stress or disinterest at work. 
• Increased retention: No company can afford to lose its best employees. Unfortunately, when staff members feel they aren’t recognized in the workplace, they’re more likely to look elsewhere for employment. A study found that 79% of employees left their job because they didn’t feel appreciated. If you want to keep your staff members, show them how much you value them! 

Why Celebrate Employee Appreciation Day

According to 79% of millennials, increasing rewards would make them more loyal to their employer. Right now, employee turnover is higher than ever among virtually all companies, thanks to the rise of new employment opportunities offered by remote and hybrid work. 

Ensuring you can keep hold of your most talented employees for as long as possible means taking consistent steps to improve company culture, recognize employees, and build camaraderie. 

While there are various ways companies can improve retention levels, an official staff appreciation day can be particularly beneficial. 

Celebrating Employee Appreciation Day means you can recognize and reward every employee once per year. This means you’re less likely to overlook some of your team members when you’re trying to keep track of a standard employee recognition program. 

An official Employee Appreciation Day gives you a specific moment to prepare for each year, where you can focus on making sure every single member of your team feels appreciated. It also helps you look carefully at your entire workforce’s accomplishments.

How to Come up with Employee Appreciation Day Ideas

Creating the right employee appreciation idea for your annual celebration is a lot like figuring out how you will recognize and reward your team members throughout the year. First, you’ll need to think carefully about your team members, and how they prefer to receive recognition. 

Here are some tips to get you started:

• Explore your staff’s recognition preferences: Some people like public recognition for a job well-done, while others prefer a private “thank-you.” If you’re not sure of your team’s language of appreciation, ask! This could be a company-wide survey people would love to take.
• Consider different kinds of gifts: Will you have a theme? Do you want to include company-branded items? Think about a single, memorable gift, or a gift basket with many items, or a gift card. 
• Say thanks to all staff members: If budget, policies, or circumstances don’t allow for gifts for Employee Appreciation Day gifts, don’t just ignore the day. Make sure everyone gets a heart-felt thank you with a sincere note or even an email. 
• Collect feedback: Each Employee Appreciation Day, it’s worth collecting as much information as possible about your team’s engagement and satisfaction levels. Ask for employee feedback about your gifts and celebration choices. This will help to ensure you choose the right idea for next year. 

Easy Ways to Celebrate Employee Appreciation Day

Great Employee Appreciation Day ideas can be as simple or complex as your culture allows. Here are some quick strategies you can put into action this year. 

• Host an employee appreciation event: One great way to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day is with an awards event. Serve food and drinks, and reward staff members with special gifts recognizing their hard work. An event will give you a chance to show appreciation to your team members while signalling some shining stars. 
• Buy everyone lunch: A group lunch (even with remote teams) is one of the easiest employee appreciation gift ideas to arrange. Plus, it lets your team members chat and form bonds over delicious food and drinks. 
• Let people finish early: Although giving everyone on your team a couple of hours off one day in the year can seem expensive, it’s something many people appreciate. Give some advance notice so they can make plans, give a few hours off, and give your company a boost in employee satisfaction. 
• Update your recognition strategy: Use Employee Appreciation Day to learn what’s working best! Host a casual round-table discussion or invite people to join for snacks while giving feedback about how they’d like to receive rewards and recognition. This shows your team you’re committed to making them happy all year round.

Happy Employee Appreciation Day!

Employee Appreciation Day is an excellent opportunity to show your team members just how much they’re valued. And caring about people is what Spoonful of Comfort is all about.

Check out our Employee Appreciation care packages and gift baskets. You’ll find curated boxes of cookies you can deliver to the office. Or send employees a ready-to-eat meal of soup, rolls, and cookies that they can enjoy at home with their families. We can help you custom-build your own packages and even include company-branded swag. Our very smart, very friendly corporate team can answer any question you throw their way (and offer exclusive corporate discounts, too!).

Wishing you and your team a great Employee Appreciation Day!