Employee appreciation day ideas: Every year, the first Friday of March is designated as Employee Appreciation Day. This day will be observed on March 3 in 2023. The event is intended to properly acknowledge and appreciate employees for their contributions to their business and organization. The day was initially observed as an unofficial holiday in 1995.
On this day, employers all around the world go above and above to show their appreciation for the hard work and dedication of their staff. During the past 20 years, a rising number of businesses have seized this opportunity to honor their employees’ accomplishments and contributions with unique events, presents, and surprises.
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Employee Appreciation Day Celebration Ideas
Employee Appreciation Day is a great opportunity to show your employees that you value and appreciate their hard work and dedication. Here are some celebration ideas to help you make the day special:
- Play Games
Scavenger hunts, blind draws, office trivia, and team-building exercises like the mind field are all excellent ways to have a good time, increase engagement, and express gratitude. Also, they provide a wonderful chance for your team members to bond in a fun setting and atmosphere. Nothing beats some wholesome competition, either! You and your staff can bond as a team and get to know one another better by participating in this enjoyable activity.
- Team Lunch
To entertain your staff, take them out of the office for an hour or perhaps two. And the debt you owe. (After all, today is Employee Appreciation Day.)
Taking your staff out to dinner demonstrates your interest in their opinions, and the more casual setting may make it simpler for them to provide honest criticism. It’s an opportunity to reward your staff and develop bonds over a meal and some lighthearted conversation.
- Peer Appreciation
Don’t pass up the chance for your staff to express their gratitude to one another. Because they spend their days “in the trenches” with their peers, your employees are much more knowledgeable than you are. Offer them a forum where they may compliment their coworkers. It brings to your attention and that of their coworkers’ additional great things your employees have accomplished.
- A Team Happy Hour
The opportunity to host a happy hour gives your staff and management a nice break from the daily grind and a chance to socialize and engage in fruitful conversations in a more laid-back and enjoyable setting. In turn, this can lower stress levels and foster a more positive workplace culture.
Consider the possibility that some employees won’t be able to due to after-work commitments, making the workday more pleasant. It provides a setting for casual interaction and teaches you something new about your coworkers and superiors.
- Go on a field trip
Plan a field trip to a park, botanical garden, or local museum. Register for a tour of a factory, brewery, or winery. Take advantage of Employee Appreciation Day to get to know your neighbors and your neighborhood better. It might possibly generate some fresh concepts! That makes for a fun-packed day filled with local sites, memories, and perhaps even learning something new.
Employee Appreciation Day event ideas
The chance to remind your employees that you cherish and appreciate their devotion and hard work is provided by Employee Appreciation Day. To help you make the day memorable, here are some Employee Appreciation Day event ideas:
- Outdoor picnic or barbecue: Host an outdoor picnic or barbecue for your employees, complete with delicious food, drinks, and games.
- Office Olympics: Create a fun and competitive atmosphere with office Olympics, including events like paper airplane races, desk chair relay races, and ping pong tournaments.
- Spa day: Treat your employees to a day of relaxation with massages, manicures, and pedicures.
- Professional headshot sessions: Bring in a professional photographer to take headshots of your employees to update their professional profiles.
- Movie screening: Host a movie screening of a popular film or a classic favorite and provide snacks and drinks.
- Charity event: Organize a charity event where employees can give back to their community, such as a food drive or a volunteer event.
- Employee talent show: Host an employee talent show, where employees can showcase their unique talents and skills.
Remember, the key to a successful Employee Appreciation Day event is to make your employees feel valued and appreciated. Consider what your employees would enjoy and tailor your event to their interests and preferences.
Employee Appreciation Day Gift Ideas
For managers of all ranks, Employee Appreciation Day is the ideal opportunity to express their appreciation for their staff members with thoughtful employee appreciation gifts. For your employee appreciation program, Successories has a large selection of unique, premium personalized gifts that we are confident your team members will adore. Every member of your staff will find something they like, from desk accessories to drinkware to lapel pins.
Give your personnel bespoke staff appreciation day gift suggestions or fun, motivating gifts to show your appreciation for all they do.
- Provide swag with company branding
Providing branded merchandise from the business as an employee appreciation present is a wonderful approach to encourage teamwork while expressing your gratitude for the employee’s hard work. When it comes to the goods you can personalize with your company’s branding, don’t be afraid to get inventive. Classics like sweatshirts, water bottles, and phone cases are still popular, but quirky options, like pool toys or comic novels, can be in high demand. In either case, branded swag is a fun way to recognize the team members who contribute to the success of your business and it also helps to raise brand awareness.
- Desk plants for staff
Desk plants are excellent gifts for thanking employees. In a recent article, it has been said that the benefits of keeping plants in the office outweighed their aesthetic value by a wide margin. Office plants boost output, reduce stress, and improve attention span. Additionally, it’s undeniable that adding a little green to the office will make it appear more cheerful.
- The provision of office supplies
While not everyone will benefit from this solution, workers who currently manage their to-do lists with paper and pens will adore it. In spite of the abundance of digital options, a sizable segment of the workforce still uses paper notepads, planners, and calendars to stay organized. The correct personnel can receive these items as employee appreciation presents, and they will help keep track of a never-ending agenda a little easier and more enjoyable.
- Provide a Massage
Think about giving a massage gift card as a token of thanks to your staff.
What better way to unwind after a long day at work than with a soothing massage provided by the employer you put in so many hours for? Give your staff a gift certificate to a nearby massage to let them know how much you value them. They will be so appreciative of the chance to relax and put the day behind them after their next trying day.
- Personalized Theme Gift Box
This appreciation gift is special since it is personalized to your business or occasion, making it truly one-of-a-kind. You will be able to pick the ideal present and personalize it to your tastes, whether you are putting together a thank you care package for Employee Appreciation Week or just sending them a small treat as a symbol of your appreciation.
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Employee Appreciation Day Ideas for remote employees
It’s important for developing a positive workplace culture and producing contented, driven employees to express their gratitude to your staff members. Yet, figuring out how to express your gratitude to a virtual team might pose new, particular difficulties. Thankfully, there is still a tonne of effective ways you may express gratitude to your virtual staff.
- Care Packages
Working from home typically involves screens. There isn’t a physical office, there isn’t much peer interaction, and there isn’t any free cake or prepared food in the break room. Although thank-you notes are encouraging, giving out the odd practical present also helps employees feel more valued and connected to the business.
- Let Them Select A Digital Gift Card
It can be challenging to know what will be the perfect gift for your employee, even while you want to send them the greatest one available to show them how much you value them. Don’t leave your employee’s gratitude gift to chance; let them choose a digital gift card instead! By doing this, you can make sure that your remote worker receives a token of your appreciation that they’ll be thrilled to utilize.
Why this will appeal to them because Your staff will receive an appreciation present they will undoubtedly enjoy if you give them the opportunity to choose it.
- Host a virtual team lunch
If your team is unable to meet for a meal in person, think about having a virtual lunch or coffee break. Give your staff gift cards for Uber Eats, Starbucks, or DoorDash, and use Zoom to schedule a meal “together” with your management. Play one of the virtual games mentioned above during lunch, or talk about the team’s successes from the previous year.
- Send a personalized thank-you message to your employees
Nothing beats a simple “thank you” when it comes to showing employees how much you appreciate them. Send your team a passionate, thoughtful letter of thanks on Employee Appreciation Day. Use a video platform like Sendspark to collect thank-you videos from each member of your leadership team to increase the impact of the message. Then, make the film available to the general public to show your staff how much you value them.
- Surprise Time Off!
An unexpected, surprise day off (that, of course, doesn’t go against their PTO) makes a fantastic thank you gift. This can be given to a single deserving employee, or the entire office can take the day off. Your employees will value the office more for the opportunity to be away from it for a little while, whether they utilize the time off for a mental health staycation or a little adventure. They’ll come back energized and enthusiastic. They’ll welcome the opportunity to organize some fun activities, so just make sure the surprise isn’t too last-minute.