Employee Appreciation Day: Why It’s Important to Recognize Staff Efforts
Posted by Sara on Thursday, March 6th, 2014 with 2 Comments
Consider this your last-minute warning: tomorrow is Employee Appreciation Day.
Wait — don’t groan about yet another Hallmark-sponsored obligation! While we do live in a culture that’s oversaturated with holidays — today, for instance, happens to be National Frozen Food Day — employers would be ill-advised to dismiss Employee Appreciation Day. The concept behind the holiday is certainly far from meaningless (no offense to frozen foods): recognizing the contributions of employees is a valuable action, not to mention mutually beneficial.
Find a creative way to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day at the office.
Image source: Flickr User clevercupcakes
Late last year, a survey conducted by online career site Glassdoor revealed that employees who work for appreciative bosses are more likely to work harder and stay with their current companies longer. Showing appreciation not only creates good vibes in the office, it actually makes a difference in employees’ work habits and long-term career decisions.
Not surprisingly, the preferred method of conveying appreciation was monetary compensation. So, by all means, dole out bonuses tomorrow if you can — but you may find a more lasting impact from the survey’s second favorite token of appreciation. That’s right: free food.
Surprise lunches and treats are one of the best ways to communicate appreciation.
Image source: Flickr User Catawba County
An unexpected office lunch or snack can really deliver the message that the boss took the time and expense to show employees their contributions are valuable. This is accomplished in a few ways: first, the food itself is a welcome treat. Second, gathering employees to spend some time socializing while they eat breaks up the daily routine and builds healthy friendships in the office. And finally, taking time out of a busy day to deliberately recognize employees and their efforts drives home the message that communicating your appreciation is really important to you and to the company as a whole.
So with those goals in mind, here a few easy ways to pull off a last-minute Employee Appreciation Day:
1) Start the day off with a quality office breakfast from a local deli or cafe. Consider a full spread of bagels with flavored cream cheeses, nut butters, and lox, or a Continental-style offering of pastries, fresh fruit, and yogurt. You don’t need a fancy omelette bar to convey that it’s a special occasion: simply offering a wide variety of quality breakfast items will show this isn’t just another box of doughnuts picked up on the way to the office.
2) If you have an Employee of the Month program already, let the current winner pick a restaurant for a group lunch order. They’ll get an extra boost of appreciation, but all employees will be able to pick their own dish and have a delicious, fresh lunch delivered to the office. For a personal touch, write a brief handwritten note and attach it to each employee’s takeout container upon arrival (or have management team members do this if your staff is larger than a dozen or so employees!).
An office lunch break lets coworkers strengthen social bonds.
Image source: Flickr User kahala
3) If you’d rather do a family-style office lunch, just make sure to break out of the regular routine. If your office orders pizza every Friday, for instance, switch it up and order a few platters of sushi or set up an Indian takeout buffet in the break room. The point of Employee Appreciation Day is to do something special, so whatever you choose, make it unusual… and that will equate to memorable.
4) Let everyone wind down an hour early, and host a happy hour in the break room! This is as easy as stocking the fridge with some local microbrews and a few bottles of wine, and getting a local pub to deliver a round of bar snacks like nachos, chicken wings, or sliders. Just don’t forget to give a brief toast to the hard work of the people around you before the festivities begin!
Raise a glass to hard-working employees at an office happy hour.
Image source: Flickr User sunlightfoundation
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