Employee Appreciation Day is observed on the first Friday in March, as it has been since 1995. Although it’s not as widely celebrated as some other unofficial holidays, an increasing percentage of companies are embracing it and managers and business owners are taking the opportunity to recognize the contributions of their employees.
Employee Appreciation Day
If you don’t yet have an employee recognition program, Employee Appreciation Day would be an excellent day to launch one. If you already do have some type of recognition program in place, then it goes without saying that if you’re not planning something special on the first Friday of March, you’re missing an important opportunity.
Here’s the simple truth: People like to hear that they’re doing a good job. People appreciate it when their contributions are recognized. Everybody likes that. Who wouldn’t?
Even better, taking the time to recognize the value your employees bring to the table is actually good for business because doing so improves moral and employee job satisfaction and increases retention rates. If you don’t have a good understanding of how expensive it is to find and train a new employee, talk to your HR folks and be sure to bring some antacid tablets with you.
After you hear what they have to say, you’re going to be very interested in doing everything you possibly can to increase your company’s employee retention rate, and this unofficial holiday is an excellent way of doing just that!
Best of all, taking the time to recognize your employees doesn’t have to involve busting your company’s budget. If money is tight, there are some great ways you can keep it simple while still showing your employees how much you value them and all the time and hard work they give to your company.
How about a lunch in their honor? If you have the funds, you can have something catered, but even if you don’t, it’s certainly not to late to form an employee committee and have your employees organize a potluck.
In addition to that though, you should offer small tokens to show your appreciation, and we can help with that. We offer a wide range of products that cover just about every taste, preference and budget imaginable.
Employee Appreciation Gifts
If you’re looking for something inexpensive and fun, you could check out our stress balls and puzzles. If you want something a bit more practical, we offer a wide range of drinking mugs, cups and glasses, or if you want something inspirational, check out our motivational artwork.
If none of those are exactly what you’re looking for, be sure to spend some time browsing our complete collection. You’re sure to find the perfect gift for every employee you have, and they’ll reward you richly for taking the time to acknowledge them and their contributions.
Finally, in addition to the gifts themselves, be sure to personalize each one with a short, hand-written note which will means as much, if not more than the token itself. Here’s to a Happy Employee Appreciation Day!