Employee Appreciation Day | How to best organise employee appreciation day in 2021?

Want to know the best ways to organize the employee appreciation day in 2021? Here’s an exclusive with the top 30 ideas. Read on!

Employee appreciation day

When is employee appreciation day? Employee appreciation day is held on the first Friday in March. On this day, companies thank their employees for the service provided by them. Dr. Bob Nelson started Employee appreciation day in 1995. He was considered a leading advocate for employee recognition and has written several books on the subject.

Business leaders, HR departments, and managers use employee appreciation day as an opportunity to thank their employees or team. Popular ways to celebrate the day include allowing workers to leave early, offer gifts, or host events to recognize workers.

Both appreciation and recognition are prime drivers for employee happiness and engagement. In this blog, we discuss the significance of employee appreciation day and talk about employee appreciation ideas. We have included creative ways to show employee appreciation that should be useful.

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Significance of employee appreciation

We usually do not appreciate the hard work put in by employees. Businesses need to remember employees are a vital asset. Unfortunately, businesses often neglect employee appreciation. Companies need to show their employees they are valued and appreciated regularly.

We can now link employee appreciation to job satisfaction. There are three reasons why you should celebrate staff appreciation day,

1. Employee recognition is important – Employees whose work is recognized are more driven to work harder. 80% of employees surveyed by Gallup say their recognition motivates them to work harder.
2. Improves employee retention- High employee turnover can affect bottom lines. Employee engagement is connected to retention.
3. Employees feel valued – Your staff feels that they are contributing to business when they receive appreciation from colleagues, supervisors, or executives.

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The historical significance of staff appreciation day

We celebrate staff appreciation day on the first Friday of March. Dr. Bob Nelson introduced the concept in 1995 and one of the founding members of Recognition of Professional international. He realized that the success of an organization depends on employee satisfaction. He underlined the importance of boosting employee morale.

The aim of employee appreciation day was recognition and appreciation of the diligence of employees. You can use employee performance evaluation to appreciate the contribution of top-performing employees who have shown great initiative.

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Top 20 employee appreciation ideas

Employee appreciation day is taken seriously in several organizations. Around the world, employers make an extra effort for employers on the worker appreciation day.

Companies attempt to acknowledge the contribution of employees with gifts, special events, and award functions. Remember to wish your employees a happy employee appreciation day. Some common employee appreciation ideas are,

Staff appreciation ideas of rewarding with a gift

You need to spend a lot of money to show your appreciation. A cheap staff appreciation idea is using gift cards. It gives employees a chance to choose a gift that meaningful. Employees will appreciate it more than generic gifts like t-shirts and bottles.

You can give your staff a unique experience like renting out a theme park, reserving an escape room, or learning to cook from a well-renowned chef. Other popular staff appreciation ideas are gifting high-performance individuals a day at the spa or meal vouchers at a popular restaurant.

Pamper your employees on appreciation day

Allow employees to indulge and take a break from routine work on the occasion of appreciation day. Firms often hire mindfulness coaches to teach employees to lower stress levels. You could hire a manicurist, masseuse, or chiropractor to come to your office on the day. These activities help to emphasize your assurance to look after your staff’s welfare.

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Employee appreciation day ideas of a long weekend

Surprises at the end of the week are always welcome. Working from home can be tedious and monotonous. Allowing an occasional Friday off has proved to be popular. This allows remote workers to spend time with their families, relax, and rejuvenate.

Remote employees who have to balance child-care and work can feel overwhelmed. Offering time-off for employees proves to employee appreciation ideas that are easy to implement.

Flowers to wish your employees appreciation day

Wish your remote employee’s happy employee appreciation day. You could send flowers on their birthdays and anniversaries. Spending these days alone can be depressing, and flowers prove to an inexpensive employee appreciation gifts.

Discounts on food delivery on coworker appreciation day

During the pandemic, people started to order food online. People stayed at home with their children, balancing home and work became difficult. One of the employee appreciation day ideas is offering hard-working employees a reward and credits on food delivery apps or gift cards from local restaurants. It can help to reduce stress and supports local businesses.

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Virtual wellness program for employee appreciation week

During employee appreciation week, you can create a virtual employee wellness program. These programs can help underline that you care about your employee’s health and reward them. Before you implement a wellness program you need to set budget and fitness goals.

Implement a reward-based system in the program to encourage your staff to reach their fitness goals. This program will encourage your employees to remain fit during the pandemic.

Celebrate employee appreciation day with shout-out success calls

Public recognition is impactful. People working remotely have made public acknowledgment difficult. Have a video group call with your team on the employee appreciation day. During the presentation, you can show statistics of the top performers.

Team member appreciation week Some firms with social feeds can use them to recognize top performers. You could include top performers on your website.

Employee appreciation events ideas of virtual happy hours and game night

Virtual happy hours and game nights are well-linked employee appreciation event ideas. Staff can socialize with a drink of their choice, a glass of wine or water. There are several online games available that are engaging and fun.

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Employee appreciation ideas for large companies use employee learning track

Career development is important, and employees look for opportunities to upskill. Employee appreciation ideas for large companies are announcing a new learning program on the associate appreciation day. You could invite participation in all your branches.

Ideas for employee appreciation is writing LinkedIn recommendation

Writing a LinkedIn recommendation is easy and takes a few minutes but can have a lasting impact. The recommendation is more meaningful when written by management. It is easy to implement ideas for employee appreciation.

Anyone viewing your staff’s profile can read it. The recommendation helps to boost employee morale and motivation. It serves as a public endorsement of the employee’s skills and their dedication to their job.

Virtual award ceremony as employee appreciation event ideas

While working remotely, it is difficult to organize an employee of the month ceremony. Thanks to technology, we can now host a virtual award ceremony. Managers can ask their team to nominate a person for the award or have a vote. After declaring the winner, you should list out reasons why they have won. Comments by colleagues can be read out as a part of coworker appreciation ideas. Highlighting the winner on your company’s blog post can be a huge morale boost.

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Organize Employee appreciation games

Employee appreciation games allow teammates to engage and enjoy themselves. Organize team games like a scavenger hunt, quizzes, or team-based Olympics. Use employee appreciation games to encourage innovative thinking and healthy competition. Several options are available for remote employees too, you can organize several online games or multi-player games for your employees.

Employee appreciation party ideas are hosting a bowling night

Some popular employee appreciation party ideas are hosting a bowling night or ice skating night for your employees. It allows your employees to destress and help them more about their colleagues in an informal setting.

Staff appreciation day ideas of letting employees pursue their passion

Work should not consume our lives. Employees should be able to pursue passions outside their work. Staff appreciation day by pursuing their passions outside work. Whether they want to volunteer or work on an independent project.

Many companies are using employee appreciation day for activities employees always wanted to try. This not only gives a break from work. but allows innovative ideas or teach employee new skills.

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Employee appreciation lunch by treating your team’s taste buds

We all love a good meal. Employee appreciation lunch is an effective way to reward employees. If you have remote employees you can send a meal from a popular local restaurant. Some companies are opting to send healthy delicious treats or an outing to a restaurant with healthy options.

Employee appreciation activities of virtual book club

If you have a group of employees who love to read, you can start a virtual book club. These employee appreciation activities allow employees to have a social outlet and talk about their favorite books. You can give employee appreciation certificates to those who have completed their monthly quotas. Encourage employees to choose the next books for the book club.

Associate appreciation day sending a personalized recognition

On associate appreciation day send a personal recognition to high-performing employees. Be specific while writing the letter and avoid generic greetings. Send a customized message of appreciation thanking the employee for the hard work.

This helps to reinforce their positive attitude and encourages them to continue working well. You can include reward points or gift cards as a part of employee appreciation week celebrations.

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Fun and silly awards are creative ways to show employee appreciation

Create a silly award that can be customized for each employee some categories can be “best baker” or “best dressed to online meeting” to announce during team meetings.

Employee appreciation week activities by enjoying activities in the office

You can start employee appreciation week activities by hosting employee appreciation games like double jeopardy, treasure hunt, or board games. Fun employee appreciation week ideas like a photo booth on campus. For remote employees, you can organize online games.

Picnic for appreciation week ideas for staff

We all enjoy free lunch. An outdoor picnic when the weather is pleasant is a fun idea for appreciation week ideas for staff. It a great way to show your appreciation to your staff. They can use the opportunity to bond.

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National employee appreciation day

National employee appreciation day in the US is celebrated every year on the first Friday of March focuses on employees in all industries. Employers across the US plan employee appreciation day activities where employee achievements are recognized and honored.

Businesses recognize that employees are assets. Employers use several employee appreciation events ideas to appreciate outstanding employees. Recognition and appreciation help in employee motivation. It helps to reduce turnover. Several companies now include employee appreciation events as part of their corporate culture.

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Key highlights of an employee appreciation day 2020

When was employee appreciation week 2020? Employee appreciation day 2020 was celebrated on 6 March. Companies started to give higher importance to appreciation day. Unemployment rates for highly skilled individuals have been low. Some employee appreciation day 2020 ideas used the following techniques to celebrate:-

1. On Employee day 2020 many companies opted for group lunch outing allowed employees to bond on a personal level. Lunch employee celebrations are used by many organizations.
2. For staff appreciation day 2020, some companies opted for an after office-hours event like going out to view a local baseball match.
3. A day spent volunteering rather than working gave many employees a break. The day also allowed employees to give back to the community.

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Tips for employee appreciation day 2021

On 5th March we celebrated employee appreciation day 2021. 2020 was a tough year many people spent the year isolated from their friends and colleagues. Here are ideas for staff appreciation day 2021,

1. Include everyone – Your organization will have top-line executives to entry-level executives. One of the ideas for employee appreciation day is to ensure everyone is including the unsung hero, front-end workers, back-end workers, and on-site achievers. Consider including outsourced or remote employees. Remember to thank everyone who helped the company survive in 2020.
2. Make it personal – Generic appreciation day may not capture the impact of 2020. Your employees deserve more. Consider letting employees choose an activity from the list of proposed events or gifts. Try to ensure the gifts can show a genuine feeling of gratitude.
3. Gift some TLC – Gift a pampering session at a local spa or a DIY self-care package.

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Conduct employee appreciation day activities on unremot

One of the best employee appreciation day activities for remote workers is the unremot virtual cooler. The virtual water cooler is a place to reconnect with your co-workers. it is a virtual space allowing remote colleagues to interact socially. The virtual water cooler is the ideal forum for employee appreciation day activities.

On coworker appreciation day, you can have a webcam hangout session, a virtual lunch session where colleagues meet and hang out or have online games. Consider having a cooking class where everyone cooks together or lets employees showcase their skills.