Employee Appreciation Day has been celebrated on the first Friday in March each year, since 1995 when it was first dreamed up by one Dr Bob Nelson from Nelson Motivation, Inc.
Bob, who is not anyone’s uncle in this particular case, but a best-selling author and sought-after keynote speaker instead, knows a thing or two about employee motivation.
In fact, this stalwart Californian is a founding board member of Recognition Professionals International, as well as the mind behind best-selling books like 1501 Ways to Reward Employees, 1001 Ways to Take Initiative at Work, and 101 Ways to Energize Employees.
Bob and his merry band of employee engagement mongers at Workman Publishing decided to roll out Employee Appreciation Day in the rough-and-tumble 90s as a way of focusing the attention of all employers, in all industries on the benefits of regular recognition and reward. Today it is firmly entrenched in the global corporate calendar as an opportunity for managers, company leadership and HR to remember and value the importance of appreciating the members of their team.
Check out our YouTube channel for awesome videos on everything from the science of employee recognition to creating an internal communications strategy for enhanced engagement.
To get you excited for this year’s Employee Appreciation Day, we thought we’d share a few ideas for well-deserved spoils you can dole out to your crew this year. Here you go!
Here are our top 9 ideas for celebrating Employee Appreciation Day in 2021:
1. Indulgent treatments
Get some therapists in to give your team some TLC. This could include massages, facials, manicures, pedicures or even something a little more involved such as a once-over by a qualified chiropractor.
2. Fun on-site (or off-site) exercise opportunities
Get a yoga or Pilates instructor to come in and give your team a beginner’s class in a suitable space. Alternatively, you could also head out to do a gentle hike in nature, or head to the park to do some Tai Chi.
3. Delicious (and somewhat theatrical) eats and treats
A box of donuts or some sushi for lunch is all good and well, but if you can add a little fanfare to it, definitely do so. E.g. You could get a food truck to come to the parking lot over lunch, or have a professional catering company set up an omelette or pancake station first thing in the morning.
4. Wearable fitness tech
A gift of a fitness tracker opens the floor for all sorts of fun competitions throughout the year (e.g. who took the most steps this month?), that simultaneously serves to pave the way for a healthier work-life balance. Depending on the make and model, a fitness device can track a person’s steps, monitor their heart rate and note if they are sleeping enough. All of this provides valuable insight into creating, and sustaining, a healthier, happier lifestyle.
5. Bring in the big guns
Every industry has its rockstars – the folks at the forefront of innovation and the pinnacle of success. Bring them in to give a talk and provide your team with some motivation.
6. Upskilling opportunities
Take a look at your budget and decide how much you are able to put towards providing free upskilling opportunities for each employee. Then allow them to select how they would like to spend it. They may want to sign up for an online course, or take a class in person. Perhaps they want to attend a conference to meet up with peers from other companies.
Read more: 3 Strategies for retaining top talent in 2020
7. Provide them with time and resources to spend on personal projects
Give your employees some scope to craft away at something they feel passionate about, on your time and using your resources (e.g. bandwidth, conference facilities, copier, a co-worker’s skill set). Companies like Atlassian do this regularly, to great effect. Read more about the major benefits that side project programmes hold for employers here.
After all, you never know what type of interesting things they may be up to! Someone in marketing might be creating employment opportunities in a recycling initiative in their spare time, while an employee in sales could be setting up a blog. Understanding what makes your crew tick is a great way to connect. Who knows? You might even find that there is scope for creative collaboration down the line…
Read more: 8 Companies that have great employee appreciation initiatives
8. Upgrade the downtime space
Every office should have a place where employees can have some downtime. Whether this is a full-on breakroom with foosball tables and Nespresso machine, or a sunny lunch nook where they can get fresh air, the point is that it should be nice. If it’s rundown and somewhat depressing, everyone will just end up having lunch at their desks anyway.
This Employee Appreciation Day, take some time (and budget) to upgrade the downtime space. Perhaps give it a new coat of paint, or add some mod cons like an A/C or a massage chair? It might also be a good idea to get some input from your team before you go ahead with the upgrades – they are fairly likely to have some personal insights.
9. Bankable time off
While giving everyone the day off on Employee Appreciation Day may seem like a nice idea, it also kind of defeats the purpose of having everyone in one space where you can celebrate their achievements and contributions to your enterprise. Also, not everyone may want to take the time off just then.
Instead, give bankable time off that they can add to their annual leave or cash in as a duvet day when they really just need some personal time.
These are a few fun and uplifting ways to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day this year. Check back soon for more HR inspiration.
In the meantime, remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel for great videos on everything from assembling a recognition task force, to rolling out your employee reward and recognition programme for maximum uptake and engagement.