Do your employees feel appreciated?

Don’t say I didn’t warn ya! Employee Appreciation Day is Friday, March 1. This day is celebrated by companies across the country on the first Friday of March every year. How will you love on your employees this year?

If you have no idea of what to do and need some employee recognition ideas, Your HR Strategist has you covered!

Why does employee recognition matter so much?

Every employee deserves to thrive at work. Employees thrive in workplaces that are human-centered, inclusive, equitable, and impact-driven. It isn’t enough to want these things for your people - for them to feel a sense of belonging, of being valued and respected, and doing work that they are passionate about. Planning and creating an environment where this can be cultivated is essential.

See, most people want more than a job and a paycheck (and those who say they don’t are usually putting up defense mechanisms to combat work trauma and/or unfulfilled professional desires). Don’t believe me? Just take a look at some of these statistics:

• 79 percent of employees who quit their jobs claim that a lack of appreciation was a major reason for leaving

• 65 percent of Americans claimed they weren’t even recognized one time last year

• 82 percent of employees feel their supervisor doesn’t recognize them for what they do

• 60 percent say they are more motivated by recognition than money

*Source: Here's the No. 1 reason employees quit their jobs 

One of the ways to know that you are a valued and important part of your team is for others to clearly, consistently, and explicitly communicate it. This recognition can come from senior leadership, immediate managers, peers, and the customers/clients that you serve. 

Bosses, by sharing your appreciation for your people with your people in meaningful ways, you are directly and positively impacting employee morale and engagement. Although showing your gratitude to others is just a good practice to do, and in my opinion a marker of a good human, there are very practical business reasons for doing so. 

Employees who feel appreciated are more engaged, have higher morale, and are generally more productive. This leads to better staff retention, higher quality of work relationships and interactions, and greater job satisfaction.

How can you show appreciation on March 1?

There are a variety of ways that you can show “You are a valued member of this team” to your employees on Employee Appreciation Day. Here are some of them:

• 🗓️ Gift of time: Let your employees knock off a couple of hours early on Friday, March 1. For those teammates who may not have the flexibility to start their weekends early due to deadlines or pre-scheduled meetings, allow flexibility in when these gifted hours can be used the following week.
• 💸 Donation to their favorite charity: For some, feeling known means others care about what they value and consider important. Donate in the employee’s honor to a charity that is meaningful to the person.
• 🎧 Subscription to a mindfulness app: Invest in holistic health and wellbeing by gifting your employees a subscription to an app that promotes mindfulness inside and outside of work. 
• 🥱 Gift of rest and recharge: For teams that “go hard”, rest, recharge, and recalibrate with a sound bath from a trained professional. The sound frequencies and guided mediation can establish an environment of zen, while also supporting greater clarity, focus, and flow.
• 💌 Personalized thank you note: You may be surprised how meaningful a heartfelt, handwritten note can be. Share a personalized message with each individual employee about the unique energy and experience they bring to the team and a specific reason/example of why they are appreciated.
• 👨🏾🍳 Breakfast for the office: For in-person teams, host a breakfast for your team. Feeling fancy? Bring in a chef, set up a breakfast bar, and prepare made-to-order omelets for your team. If you are a remote or hybrid workforce, consider providing a gift card or voucher to a restaurant local to each person or through a food delivery service.
• 🏐 Outdoor play date: Right now the weather is beautiful in Tulsa! If you happen to have great weather at your company location, consider hosting some outdoor playtime for your team at a local park. If your team is geographically disbursed, send a simple outdoor play pack (a frisbee to throw, balls to toss, bubbles to blow) and encourage them to take a 30-minute screen break by putting a little outdoor play into their daily routine.

How can you integrate employee recognition regularly into your workplace?

Although Employee Appreciation Day happens only once a year, there’s no reason to show your people some love only annually. Here are a few ideas for ongoing employee appreciation ideas.

• 🎤 Team shout-outs: Consistently recognize the accomplishments and contributions of your employees in staff meetings and in your communications. Ways I’ve seen this effectively implemented into organizations of all sizes is a rotating employee of the month (awarded based upon displaying a company core value or other predetermined criteria), having a kudos or shout-outs channel in your team Slack, or doing employee spotlights in company newsletters and on your social media channels.
• 👏🏾 Peer-to-peer recognition: One of the most effective ways to build team morale and cohesion is by empowering team members to recognize their peers. You can use some of the same channels mentioned above, but by providing any person at any level of the organization the opportunity to recognize others for a job well done, giving a helping hand, or crushing team goals.
• 💬 Regular feedback from managers: Integrate feedback into your regular manager-employee 1:1s to nurture a culture of ongoing feedback. Managers perhaps may be the best suited to provide ongoing feedback and recognition directly to the employees who report to them. Recognition doesn’t have to be just for killing it on a project. It is also effective when noting areas where individuals have grown/improved, and also noting ways that individuals contribute to a happier work environment. 

How do you plan to recognize your employees on Employee Appreciation Day? Share your ideas in the comments.