Today is National Employee Appreciation Day, a wonderful time to recognise, reward and celebrate your employees’ hard work & contribution towards your business and people culture.
What is National Employee Appreciation Day?
National Employee Appreciation Day falls on the first Friday of March every year (making it March 5th, 2021 if you want to mark your calendars!). Created in the USA in 1995 by Bob Nelson, a founding Recognition Professional International board member, HR and business leaders globally have been using this day to recognise, reward and celebrate their employees’ contribution to the company and its culture.
Why is it important to celebrate?
Appreciation, in the form of employee recognition, directly impacts retention and productivity. 66% of organisations with social recognition reported a direct positive on retention. At the same time, a lack of recognition is often cited as the top reason for a team member to leave their job, thus it’s become more vital than ever to acknowledge days such as National Employee Appreciation Day. In addition, employee appreciation also promotes a feeling of positivity within the workplace meaning employees feel more invested in contributing to the company and its culture.
5 ideas for celebrating National Employee Appreciation Day…
Host a Happy Hour
Show employees your appreciation by allowing them to finish work an hour early on Friday to spend some time bonding (albeit virtually at the moment) with their fellow colleagues. You could introduce some fun online team-building games to play together and have some fun. If you’re able to, hold a celebratory catered work lunch in the office so people can hang out together and chat over some great food.
Send Employees a Shout-out
It may sound small but a simple thank you can go a long way. Simply head to your go-to portal or establish one for the whole company. Recognition platforms mirror the buzz and the sense of belonging towards a great people culture. As an example, Virgin Incentives uses PeopleHR – this enables colleagues to give recognition badges to other employees. These badges have ranged from recognising people for helping on particular work projects to even thanking people for simply being a ray of sunshine in a difficult time. Another idea is to create an employee recognition newsletter that’s distributed to the entire company. Writing a LinkedIn recommendation is a another popular way to show your workers you recognise all their continued efforts – it’s a personal and meaningful endorsement of someone’s hard work.
Bring self-care to the Home Office
Protecting the wellness of employees has never been more important. Give employees an unforgettable pampering experience with an at-home DIY spa night kit or even sending them out on a spa day or a wellness retreat if circumstances allow it. This act turns a special calendar day into an annual opportunity to refuel and rejuvenate your team. Thus, demonstrating respect and consideration of employees’ wellbeing – after all, a healthy body will form a healthy mind, ultimately benefiting the company as a whole.
Treat People to a Gift Card
Gift cards are one of the most popular ways to give staff a little boost and thank them for all their hard work. Leisure Vouchers Gift Cards are great for all employees, as irrespective of their work location, they can look forward to using them on a future occasion of their choice). With lots of everyday brands such as Premier Inn, Away Resorts, Pizza Express, Harvester, Laithwaite’s Wine, Halfords, TGI Friday’s, American Golf and many more fantastic brands, Leisure Vouchers offer employees flexibility in choosing their reward.
Gift Employees a Meaningful Experience
Want to step it up for National Employee Appreciation Day? We’re here to help. Gift your employees a Virgin Experience Day. Memories say more than cash ever can and that’s why employees prefer physical experiences over monetary rewards. With over 3,000 experiences, there’s something to suit just about every employee. From online cooking classes to arts and crafts sessions, and tutored gin tastings, there’s a fun experience to recognise and thank every employee. Here’s a link to February’s most popular experiences for some gifting inspiration.
