Your employees are the backbone of your company. They’re the ones interacting with customers, selling your products, and acting as the face of your company. Without them, you’d have a pretty tough time trying to grow your business. With that said, it’s important you let your employees know just how valuable they are to you. To show how much you appreciate their hard work and dedication to your company, take a look at these seven unique employee appreciation ideas your staff will love.
1. Celebrate Birthdays
Birthdays only come once a year. They’re a special milestone that represents growth and new beginnings, which means you should celebrate each employee’s special day. Setting aside a small birthday budget will go a long way and let your staff know you genuinely care about them.
When birthdays come around, consider catering a meal or birthday cake, decorate their desk, and buy them a card and small gift that represents their personality. Or, you can consider going above and beyond and giving your staff their birthday off!
2. Corporate Gifts
Finding a gift for special occasions, such as birthdays, promotions, and work anniversaries can be challenging, especially if you have a large staff that you don’t get to know very well. There are plenty of corporate gifts that are practical and meaningful that your team will cherish. Some ideas include Yeti coolers for the outdoorsy employee, edible gifts like chocolate-covered strawberries, or custom company apparel that promotes your brand and keeps them comfortable and stylish.
3. Company Vacation
One great way to incentivize your staff is by taking them on a company vacation if you meet your revenue goals for the year. Company vacations are a great time for your staff to get to know each other better outside of work, and serve as excellent opportunities for team building activities. If you have a small team, company vacations are fairly easy to manage and book. However, larger businesses will need to take necessary precautions to ensure everyone is safe and that you don’t end up with an HR nightmare.
4. Recognize staff
Employees want to be recognized for their work. If they’re not receiving feedback, both negative and positive, they won’t know where they stand and whether their work is valued. Recognizing staff goes a long way, so make an effort to work with the managers of your teams to highlight the accomplishments of hard-working employees. You can create an employee of the month system where everyone in the company votes, present them with a custom award, or put up a wall of fame in a highly trafficked area such as the break room to show off deserving employees.
5. Write thank you notes
While this may seem outdated, personalized thank you notes will show your staff that you value them and their work. Whether an employee signs on a huge client, resolves a complex issue, or is just an awesome person to be around, thank them! It will brighten up their day and make them feel more connected to your company.
6. Offer treats
Waking up, commuting to work, driving home, and cooking dinner on repeat isn’t always the ideal schedule. It can be easy for your staff to feel stuck in a machine and not taking care of themselves with important necessities like food. One way to show your appreciation for them is by stocking up your company kitchen with healthy snacks and treats they can help themselves to throughout the day. This will take one burden off their shoulders and will give them energy to power through the day when that 3 pm slump comes barreling in.
7. Host happy hours
Give your staff a time to relax and unwind by treating them to a monthly happy hour. At the end of each month, book a bar or restaurant from 4-6 and treat your staff to some refreshing snacks and hors d’oeuvres. Clocking out an hour early on a Friday to mingle with staff and have a good time will brighten everyone’s mood and make you a valued boss for treating them to something special.
Wrapping up
Showing your employees that you appreciate them will go a long way. No one wants to work for a company where they feel their skills and dedication are undervalued. With these seven employee appreciation ideas, you’ll not only make your staff feel cared for but will also boost employee retention and workplace culture.
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