According to research and business management consultant firm Gallup, employee engagement is experiencing a worldwide crisis. In the United States alone, 70 percent of workers are not engaged at work. A lack of engagement doesn’t just affect the workplace culture — it makes productivity suffer. Research and consulting firm Insync Surveys reports the difference in productivity between top and bottom performers is 18 percent, while employee engagement increases focus and efficiency while decreasing absenteeism rates. One way to keep employees engaged? Remind them you care with employee appreciation ideas like gifts and awards.
Awards, recognition, and praise are the most effective means to increase job satisfaction in employees. More than three-quarters of employees will work harder in their jobs if they are recognized. Use these staff appreciation ideas to increase retention, improve morale throughout your business, and show your team you truly care.
Celebrate Employee Appreciation Day Year-Round
Employee Appreciation Day is an annual holiday held on the first Friday of every March to spotlight employees and show gratitude for what they have contributed to a business. As a day that is acknowledged throughout the United States by businesses of all sizes, your employees may expect that your company will do something special on this day.
Consider ideas like:
- Giving out personalized tokens of appreciation, like bags and totes or lapel pins
- Scheduling a half-day at work, so employees can get their weekends started early with friends and family
- Hosting a luncheon that includes an awards ceremony
- Adding a monetary bonus to paychecks
- Planning a party at the office or off-site
If you really want to keep employees motivated, showing employee appreciation throughout the year lets your team know you’re always grateful for what they do for your business. Spotlight employees at company-wide meetings, give kudos in an email newsletter, or create a board that shows off a notable accomplishment by an employee.
Add a Thankful Touch to Functional Items
Office supplies don’t have to be boring. When careful thought is infused in the selection of items workers are using on a daily basis, they’ll be more likely to associate positive sentiment with their daily tasks. Employee gift ideas can include practical items like notepads, pen sets, and paperweights, which keep your company’s presence at top of mind as they provide usefulness to the receiver.
You can give employees gifts for birthdays, when they’ve made a significant achievement in their job, or during a meeting to perk up participants. Rewards don’t have to be expensive to carry meaning. When the gift is something that will be used often, it enhances gratitude in employees and makes them more loyal to you.
Make Employee Anniversaries Something to Commemorate
Retaining top talent for a year or more means your company has more experience, can spend less on training, and ultimately gains better results because efficiency is increased as depth of industry knowledge at your company expands. That’s why it’s crucial to celebrate an employee anniversary by giving the employee a gift they’ll cherish, as well as publicly laud them in front of other employees.
Consider giving work anniversary gifts that explicitly convey thanks and have a personal message. If you’re bestowing something like a coffee tumbler or award trophy, get one that says “thank you” or features a motivation message that will remind the receiver that you value them whenever they use or see the award.
By including work anniversary celebrations in a yearly calendar, you’ll make sure you never miss an employee’s anniversary. Employees will grow to expect and look forward to these celebrations, especially ones that will be meant for them some day. This helps employees to stay motivated to keep performing at a high rate for your business.
Be Genuine in Appreciation
It’s easy for any company to give away cost-affordable gifts all throughout the year. What will really make your offerings stand out and be special to your employees is the thoughtfulness that goes into them and how they are delivered. With thousands of Successories employee gifts to choose from, you can easily select gifts that fit them, and aren’t just a one-size-fits-all solution for your company.
When you give a gift to employee, pair the item with a message that explains why the employee is meaningful to your company and why you appreciate them. Whether it’s a handwritten card or the carefully chosen words you say at a speech in front of others, using specific and personal examples makes a gift more meaningful.
You can show appreciation in daily interactions this way, by thanking those you work with for particular actions they’ve taken or how you’ve noticed they’ve grown. Another way to show appreciation is to take the requests of your employees into account and work to make them a reality. Maybe they want the opportunity to have a bring-your-pet-to-work day, or have been floating around the idea of an ice cream social. By listening, empathizing, and getting creative in how you show appreciation, you’ll be able to keep employees stimulated and working hard for your business.