Friday 4th March is Employee Appreciation Day and is a perfect opportunity to thank your employees for their dedication, hard work and flexibility during the exceptionally challenging past few years. It is also an opportunity to welcome them back to the workplace and/or to mark the beginning of a new chapter of recovery post-covid, whilst letting them know that you are there to support them and you value their wellbeing.
Since covid lockdown started in early 2020 the working world as we knew it has been turned upside down and whilst some have thrived and discovered new passions or priorities, other individuals, teams and organisations have faced challenges they never expected.
A common factor is that businesses that have survived could not - in large part - have achieved this without the support, determination, flexibility and hard work of yourselves and your employees. In spite of challenges such as home schooling, learning to work from home, exhaustion, mental health, illness and loss, which could have far reaching effects for some time to come, you and your employees have done an amazing job at adapting and continuing to keep the business going.
A focus on health and well-being, supporting and encouraging change, building/rebuilding teams, showing your employees how much you appreciate them and communication could all be important factors in moving your business forward and in the future success of your business.
Why not mark the beginning of this journey by letting your employees know how great they have been and how much you value them and boost morale by celebrating them this month, starting with Employee Appreciation Day, Friday 4th March 2022.
7 ways to show staff appreciation
1) A little thank you goes a long way:
Send an email to all staff to say thank you for their hard work and commitment - a heartfelt thank you may go a long way to helping your employees feel valued and to starting this new chapter together.
2) Celebrate achievements:
Identify individuals, teams or projects that have gone above and beyond what was expected of them and highlight their achievements - maybe in an email, the company newsletter or at team or staff meetings.
3) Highlight the importance of your staff health and well-being:
Remind your employees of all the wonderful ways you already support their health and well-being and encourage them to support their own and each other’s too. Maybe produce leaflets, a series of emails, posters, promotional gifts etc to highlight services, initiatives, policies and benefits already available to them - such as EAPs, sports memberships, clubs and general benefits that staff may have forgotten about. You often won’t know what your employees have been going through/are going through and when a reminder given at an opportune moment may provide just the support or encouragement they need at that moment.
The more you support the health and well-being of your staff, the more committed and more team building opportunities there may be - so small acts like encouraging tea breaks, lunch breaks away from desks, team walks or other well-being breaks may have unexpected bonuses too.
4) Hold a charity/fundraising event:
Invite ideas from your employees to encourage team/cross company working and fun. Whether it’s a charity bake or a fun run, this may be an opportunity for your employees to be creative and it may even boost morale and encourage team building along the way. Having fun can also increase motivation and creativity so you never know what amazing ideas, opportunities or possibilities might arise from your staff interacting with others from different teams and engaging in a common goal.
5) Arrange team building events across your organisation:
This could be anything from a team tea break, to a lunch or party or an organised team building event. Getting to know each other - particularly teams who have not had much time or opportunity to meet up face to face over the past few years - whilst having fun - could be a great way of building/ rebuilding teams and also boosting morale and well-being.
It may also be an opportunity for individuals who are feeling concerned about returning to office working, have felt quite isolated, have experienced tragedies or mental health issues to feel supported and more connected with others and have an impact on stress relief and general well-being too.
6) Incentivise your staff:
Consider running a competition to encourage staff to share their learning points and ideas for possible changes or improvements from the past couple of years. Incentivise them with a bonus or a gift or competition prize for the best ideas/suggestions.
You never know when an unexpected idea might arise that could have a positive outcome on the future success of your business, whilst also giving employees an opportunity to have their say and feel part of the business.
7) Reward individuals, teams or all employees with a gift to say thank you:
This could be something small from a box of biscuits for a team, to individual gifts such as vouchers, sweet treats, well-being gifts or company merchandise. Large or small, sometimes showing you gratitude can have a bigger impact than words alone.
So, what will you/your organisation choose to focus on to boost morale and to say thank you to your by employees this Employee Appreciation Day?
Looking for employee gifts to say thank you?
Here at Box of Hugs we can help you put together the perfect individual or group gift boxes, either as a one-off or as part of an ongoing scheme. Whether you are looking for gifts to say welcome back to the office, thank you, we appreciate you, well done, welcome to the team/company, congratulations, happy birthday or anything else, we have a range of employee gifts to suit any budget and any occasion. We can tailor your gift boxes to your own requirements and include your own branding too.
You can take a look at our ready made staff gifts collection or you can build your own. Alternatively, please get in touch with your requirements, we'd love to help you out.
Too late for this employee appreciation day? Don’t worry, it’s celebrated on the first Friday in March each year, so why not pop it in your calendar. Besides, it’s always a good time to say thank you to your employees, you don't need a dedicated day to show them how valued they are, it's a lovely thing do do throughout the year.