Employee Appreciation Day is March 5 this year, and especially after last year’s unprecedented strain on both employees and employers, a little appreciation goes a long way. Even though it’s not an “official” national holiday, it’s not something to take lightly.
There is a ton of research showing that consistent employee appreciation and recognition is vital to employee retention, but what’s the big deal about retention anyway? Not only does keeping your employees around make your life easier, but it also keeps more money in your pocket.
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The Society for Human Resource Management estimated that it costs over $4,000 to train the average employee. That’s not even accounting for the experience factor that comes with an employee that has been around for a long time. In addition to the monetary expense, there’s also the amount of time it takes to train a new employee – six weeks on average!
The best employers consistently recognize their employees, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to set aside a specific day to add to this. We’re here to help you celebrate your employees this Employee Appreciation Day with some easy and relatively inexpensive ideas.
Express Thanks with Food
Giving free food is always a great way to show your appreciation, and it doesn’t have to be a big to-do. Rarely will someone turn down a slice of pizza, but with so many dietary preferences these days, you might want to take your luncheon a step further. A few days before the event, you could send out a questionnaire to your employees asking what kinds of food they’d prefer. You don’t have to supply individual meals to your employees if you don’t want to, but providing more of what they want just shows that their preferences matter to you.
You might have several or all of your employees working from home these days, so hosting a company luncheon might be out of the question. If that’s the case for you, you can always buy cookies online and send them to your employees. At Chocolate Shipped Cookies, we have over a dozen flavors available, so there are sure to be thank you cookies to please everyone in your organization.
Give a Little Something
If food isn’t an option, you can always start by asking what is meaningful to your employees. They might appreciate a gift card or small gift bag more than food, anyway. Personalized thank you notes for each person are a great way to express appreciation without spending a lot of money. Send them in the mail, and those notes are even more personal.
You could also host an awards ceremony with serious or silly awards for each person. Since Employee Appreciation Day is always the first Friday in March, another excellent option is to let your employees take a half-day off and enjoy a long weekend.
Incorporate Health
Your employees’ mental and physical health are important factors to their success in the workplace, so giving a gift in this area is a great way to go. You could coordinate with a nearby gym and give your employees a free or discounted membership. You could also give them each a free “Mental Health Morning” where they can come to work late with no penalty.
Include the Family
Getting the family involved is another fantastic way to show your employees that you appreciate them and recognize that they have a life outside of work. You could host a date night for your employees and their significant others (rent a movie theater, “paint and wine sip” sessions, etc.) or throw a family potluck at the park after work.
Organize an Outing
By organizing a work outing, you show employees that you appreciate their hard work and encourage interdepartmental socializing and friendships. Facilitating teamwork across the company can make your overall work environment more enjoyable for everyone.
Volunteering together, playing a round of mini-golf, or seeing a matinee together can be a fun way to spend time as a company. Just make sure that you do it during normal working hours so that people don’t miss out on family time.
Continuous Recognition
Of course, Employee Appreciation Day isn’t the only time of year to show your employees that you appreciate them. Other ways to show you care throughout the year include:
- Take time to talk to each employee personally
- In morning meetings, highlight the small stuff that your employees do to keep things running smoothly
- Recognize birthdays, anniversaries, and other significant life events
- Remember details and ask questions
When your employees feel appreciated, they are more likely to stick around for a long time, work hard, and enjoy being at work. Nobody’s job is sunshine and roses 100% of the time, but when your employees feel appreciated, they will have the good times to get them through the tough ones.
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