Each year, on the first Friday of March, organizations across the globe celebrate their employees in recognition of Employee Appreciation Day. A perfect time to recognize your team for their extraordinary work.
At Friedman, we know our team is our backbone and constantly try to come up with new ways to spoil them. However, this shouldn’t feel like a chore. Here are seven simple and clever ideas you can do for your team near and far to thank them for their continued efforts.
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Celebrate with Food
Have a meal brought in and gather your team together for a chance to interact with each other. An even better idea is to surprise employees with a breakfast, this is a great way to start the day on a positive note and keep the gratitude going all day long.
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Share Customer Testimonials
Everyone likes to hear they are appreciated, especially for the handwork they’ve done for others. Use this time to share the customer notes highlighting individual employees.
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Choose Creative Awards
Reward your team by implementing casual Fridays, surprise treats (at Friedman we host #FroyoFriday in the summer months), or even allow your team to work remote once a month to recognize their job well done.
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Host a Fun Team Building Activity
Set aside an afternoon where the team gets together to do something out of the ordinary. Host a team trivia day, attend a ball game, whatever the activity may be, come up with a way to break free from the daily routine in a “compressed work day” where the focus is on team building.
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Schedule an Area Specific Activity
Depending on your area there may be specific things that are trending throughout the community. One popular idea that teams enjoy could be food trucks. Schedule a time where a pop-up restaurant comes to a place near your office. This may be securing a date where a local favorite sets up shop in your parking lot or you bring in a gourmet coffee shop to create drinks for your team (such as Cappuccino Man one of our favorites).
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Send a Card
Put a little something in the mail to surprise your team. As organizations continue to grow and remote working becomes increasingly popular, it may be difficult to gather everyone in the physical office space. Sending a card accompanied with a small gift of gratitude can make employees near and far feel special.
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Say Thank You
Last but certainly not least, say thank you. It may not seem like a lot, but the simple act of recognizing your teams hard work on a daily basis goes a long way. Whether the work is required or not, a “thank you” is the simplest way to show your gratitude towards team members. Often, we find that organizations get caught up in the big gestures and fun methods of appreciation but saying thank you is a simple way for you to change someone’s day on any given occasion.
The goal of Employee Appreciation Day is to show your team gratitude for all they contribute to the organization year-round. But it shouldn’t stop there! It’s important to continue your efforts of gratitude throughout the year, studies show that employees who feel appreciated lead to higher job satisfaction and loyalty, along with overall increased productivity. It’s a win, win for everyone.
Do you have any plans for Employee Appreciation Day? Let us know!
#EmployeeAppreciationDay
