Top 10 Ways to Celebrate Employee Appreciation Day

Ideas for Celebrating Employee Appreciation Day

As a manager, employee appreciation should always be at the forefront of your mind. Today, employee appreciation isn’t an optional nicety; instead, it’s a necessity so employees can feel fulfilled in their work lives.

Plus, employee appreciation gift ideas build morale, which can have a positive influence on productivity and create a ripple effect throughout the whole office.

National Employee Appreciation Day always falls on the first Friday in March, and it’s the perfect opportunity to celebrate the people who work so hard for your company.

Employee Appreciation Day Ideas

Here are 10 fun and special ways to let employees know that what they do matters, from ordering custom employee gift ideas to more outside-the-box suggestions.

Write Personalized Notes

Employee Appreciation Day gifts aren’t the only way to say “thank you for everything.” A handwritten card can make a big impact, too.

By writing a personalized note to each employee, you show them that you recognize them individually for what they personally bring to your company. Plus, since it takes time to write a note by hand, you’ll show them that they’re worth the extra effort.

Give Shoutouts on Social Platforms

A lot of people love to get shoutouts on social media, and this is a great way of spreading the word that your employees are important.

While you can create an employee appreciation post on Facebook or Instagram, think about where your other team members will see it. You may want to highlight the employee on a collaboration platform everyone uses, like Microsoft Team or Slack.

Host a Team Happy Hour

Who doesn’t love happy hour? On Employee Appreciation Day (or any other Friday throughout the year), let everyone leave work early and meet at a local brewery or winery.

You could also host a happy hour at the workplace. Whichever type of happy hour you choose, make sure to pick up the tab!

Insider Tip: Friday is the best day for happy hour because it gets the weekend started early.

Plan an Experience

Instead of a traditional present, experiences make excellent corporate employee gift ideas. Not only is this a more memorable type of gift, but it can be collaborative too, serving as a sort of team-building exercise.

Examples of experience Employee Appreciation Day gifts include taking a culinary workshop, going on a hike, or doing a challenging escape room.

Also, consider this: You can order logo-branded gifts to coincide with the experience. For example, if everyone’s going to take a cocktail-making class, you could give team members a custom wine glass to take home.

Cater a Nice Lunch

One of the simplest but most appreciated ways to say “thank you” to your team is to have a special lunch catered. Pick a nearby restaurant that your employees love and order a big lunch.

If you have remote workers, you could send them gift cards to treat them to lunch delivery, too. You could even all have lunch together by getting them on a Zoom call and gathering the rest of the team in a board room to eat and chat with your remote employees.

Upgrade the Breakroom

The best employee thank-you gift ideas will be enjoyable year-round. If you haven’t upgraded the breakroom in a while, this is the perfect opportunity to do it.

You could set up specialty coffee machines and logo-branded mugs, add comfortable seating, and offer free snacks. Also, if you put some basic kitchen accessories in the breakroom, you’ll encourage people to take their breaks in there, which could help coworkers chat with one another.

Thank Them in Person

On top of the products that make great custom employee gift ideas, an in-person “thank you” can really make your team members feel important.

For your employees who are physically in the office, ask them for a one-on-one meeting, then deliver a genuine thank you for their work. By naming specifics about what makes them so great, they’ll know they’re not just getting a canned “thank you.”

And for your remote workers, set up Zoom meetings so you can say “thank you” virtually.