What is Employee Appreciation Day?

Employee Appreciation Day, created by Bob Nelson and his publisher, Workman Publishing, started in 1995 and has been rising in popularity ever since. This day of appreciation falls on the first Friday of March and allows employers to show gratitude for their team’s continued efforts and dedication. Celebrations typically include special events, recognitions, gifts, and surprises.

Related: Best Benefits for Employees

Why is Employee Appreciation Day important?

Typical workdays focus on business objectives, management decisions, and customer service. Employee Appreciation Day reverses the focus, making employees—those who bring your organization to life every day—the centre of attention. Recognizing your staff can significantly impact employee motivation and happiness at work. Showing employees that you appreciate them can help you:

• Increase morale: Keeping employees happy is a top priority for many employers. Employee appreciation is a great way to boost job satisfaction and morale.
• Improve engagement: Feeling appreciated empowers employees to be more actively involved and committed to their work.
• Boost performance: When employees know they matter, it incentivizes them to be more productive and produce higher-quality work.
• Reduce turnover: Voluntary turnover is expensive. However, showing employee recognition can save money and keep top talents in your employee pool.

National Employee Appreciation Day ideas

You can show your employees how much you appreciate them on this day (or any day) in many relatively inexpensive ways. Below is a list of ideas to get you started.

Free employee appreciation ideas

Sincere gratitude and recognition don’t need to come at a high cost. Often, the most meaningful celebrations are free. For example:

• Social media mentions: Publicly acknowledge your employees by posting about them on your social media pages. You can highlight each person individually if you have a smaller team or do a group appreciation post for a larger one. Another option is to spread out your individual shout-outs over a few weeks.
• Encourage casual day: If your team typically wears business attire, encourage them to dress casually on Employee Appreciation Day.
• Write appreciation letters: Create an appreciation letter for each staff member, highlighting the specific qualities and accomplishments that you value in them.
• Create a tribute video: This is a thoughtful way to say thank you for everything your employees do. You could include clips of your team carrying out their responsibilities, special moments, and a personalized message saying how much you appreciate their efforts. If you have TVs in your building, you can play the video there or send a company-wide link through email.
• Hidden notes: Personalize little messages for each employee using a compliment or acknowledgement and hide them throughout their workstations for them to find throughout the day.
• Website features: Consider adding staff profiles to your website and unveiling them on Employee Appreciation Day. This little act of kindness can show that you greatly value your employees and help customers connect with your company.
• Pass responsibilities over to managers: Encourage your management team to take over some of their employee’s tasks for the day. This strategy can help lighten workloads and show employees that their managers will gladly step in when needed.
• Leadership recognition: When managers verbally recognize and thank individual employees for a job well done, employees are more likely to stay engaged. This is a business performance strategy that you can encourage throughout the year rather than for just one day.
• Flexible workday: Employee Appreciation Day can be a flexible workday where your team can work from wherever they want.
• Newsletter shout-outs: Write acknowledgements to your employees in a company newsletter that you send to staff, clients, and other stakeholders. If you don’t have a newsletter, consider doing a yearly one for Employee Appreciation Day.
• CEO for the day: Naming your employees as CEO for the day gives them decision-making power. Encourage them to choose a fun activity, such as a team celebration. You may also consider making this a monthly engagement, where you appoint a “new CEO” one day a month and let them step into your shoes for the day (with your guidance).
• Family open house: Extend the celebration to your teams’ families and host a recognition ceremony that all can attend. You can keep it free and simple or bring in coffee, lunch, or desserts for all to share.

Read more: 10 Benefits and Perks at Work to Consider

Low-cost Employee Appreciation Day ideas

Below is a list of low-cost ideas to honour your employees:

• Extra breaks: Extend employee lunch and rest breaks a little longer. You could even surprise them with desserts and snacks they can enjoy during this time.
• Break room treats: Consider turning your break room into a doughnut, bagel, or ice cream sundae bar.
• Playtime: You’re never too old for games—set aside some time on Employee Appreciation Day for fun and relaxation. You could even set up friendly competitions between departments and offer prizes for the winners.
• Branded clothing: Investing in high-quality gear for your employees, such as a hoodie or t-shirt, helps employees promote your brand and shows you care about their comfort.
• Decorate the workplace: Head to the office early enough to decorate for Employee Appreciation Day with balloons, streamers, banners, and other fun ideas.
• Traveling trophies: Traveling trophies can jumpstart your employee appreciation festivities. Award your trophies (how many you use will depend on the size of your team) to select employees and have them pass them along when they see other team members doing something outstanding.
• Local employee discounts: You could partner with other local companies to get special discounted pricing for the day for your employees. Some organizations may extend the discount longer.
• Management car wash: Employee Appreciation Day is a time for leaders to give back to their employees. While your teams are hard at work, send their managers outside to wash their team’s vehicles.
• Extracurricular projects: Allow employees some time to work on personal projects or extracurricular activities during work hours.
• Create a coupon book: Design a booklet full of coupons offering little perks, like a free lunch with management, leaving work 15 minutes early, or extended break times.

Related: 7 ways to celebrate Administrative Professionals Day

Higher-cost national Employee Appreciation Day ideas

If budget allows, you may consider trying these higher-cost employee appreciation ideas:

• Gift cards: Splurging on gift cards allows employees to treat themselves to something nice. Attaching a personalized thank-you card makes this gesture extra thoughtful.
• Event tickets: If you have company tickets to a sports event or access to community events, give each staff member a set of tickets so they can participate.
• Day off: One of the best ways to show employee appreciation is to give them an extra day off with full pay. While this strategy doesn’t cost you upfront, it adds to your wages when you pay for that day.
• Free lunch: Choose a special vendor to treat your employees to a free lunch. You could have something fancy delivered or bring in food trucks and pay for your employees’ tabs.
• Continuing education: You can thank employees by offering them a paid opportunity to advance their skills or education through an online or local continuing education course.
• Personalized gifts: There’s no better way to show that you pay attention to your staff than by surprising them with a present based on their personal interests.
• Field trips: Once lunch hour hits, tell your team that you’re all heading out to do something fun, like miniature golf, bowling, or to the movies.
• Financial bonus: Consider handing out monetary rewards on the spot. This option gives you tight budget control since you can offer any amount.
• Break room reno: Remodelling the break room can make it more appealing and comfortable for your team. Consider adding in comfy sofas, recliners, and a TV. This gesture shows long-term appreciation for your employees and enhances your work environment and company culture.
• Paid volunteer time: Encourage your staff to make a difference by offering them paid time off to volunteer for a cause they choose.
• Charitable donation: Have each staff member select a charity and donate to it on their behalf.