It’s that time of the year once again when delicious food is on the table and people are enjoying good company. It’s the perfect time to reflect and say thank you to those in our lives who have helped make a difference and had a positive impact on us. Thanksgiving can also be applied to our work family, and can be used as a fantastic opportunity to show our gratitude to our employees and co-workers by recognizing their achievements.
Everyone at work deserves some form of gratitude or acknowledgement for Thanksgiving, even if this means a quick phone call or a hand-written card to say thank you, this all goes a long way. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to look back on the hard work produced by the team and go the extra mile to reward and recognize the people who make your company tick. Expressing gratitude makes us feel better by decreasing stress and creating environments where people are confident to flourish.
What can your company do?
There are many ways to show your gratitude and say thank you to your co-workers for this years Thanksgiving, but here are some great suggestions:
- Organize a social event- Treat your team members to a lunch, set up an office party or even just an extra hour out of the day for the team to chat and socialise about what they are doing for Thanksgiving or giving recipe tips for the all important dinner.
- Highlight your team on social media- Have your employees reached their goals and achievements at work? Shout them out on social media.
- Gift your co-workers- Nothing says thank you quite like a thoughtful present. As an employee, it’s a great feeling to be rewarded with a gift and encourages motivation to continue working hard. Gift ideas can include our own incredible experiences.
- Give employees time off- The main theme of Thanksgiving is all about family and friends. Give your team extra time off work so they can spend it with their families.
Reward and recognition gifts
Nobody ever outgrows that fondness for receiving a gift, no matter how sophisticated they may be. It has been discovered that 40% of workers want to feel appreciated and tend to put more energy into their work when they are recognized, so there is no better time than Thanksgiving to gift your team members as part of your reward and recognition program. These gifts can take various forms and they don’t need to be too large or extraordinary to provoke delight from your employees and convey gratitude, plus a simple gift is bound to reflect well on your company.
Avoid a one-size-fits all approach
Much like your family Thanksgiving dinner, there is going to be something that somebody doesn’t like. This concept also applies to your reward and recognition program. Your rewards need to be flexible enough to meet the needs of your team which may include a diverse range of religions, personalities, ages and desires. Therefore you need to be as inclusive as possible. A bottle of wine might be perfect for one person but another may not drink alcohol. Maybe consider rewards that your co-worker can then use to choose something themselves such as discounts, vouchers or gift cards such as our very own Virgin Experience Gifts eCard.
Expanding your Thanksgiving beyond the workplace
Another key theme of Thanksgiving is benevolence. This can be done through charitable gestures such as volunteering or donations to the community. Over 70% of surveyed employees value working for a charitable organization where the culture is supportive of volunteering and giving. It is also a great idea to let your team members vote or choose the charity or cause that your business will be supporting, as 30% of employees decide not to donate through their workplace as the causes they care about are not available to support through their company’s charitable program.
Get in touch today, if you’d like to hear how Virgin Incentives can help you with gratitude and your reward and recognition employee programs for Thanksgiving. We help both UK and U.S. businesses to grow a thriving business culture.
Give
Give a thoughtful gift voucher from a selection of our favourite experiences.
Book
Your recipient selects their own experience and books a time that is convenient for them.
Enjoy
They go out, have fun, and create a memory to last a lifetime – all thanks to you!
