Employee Appreciation Day: how will your business be celebrating in summary:
- Employee Appreciation Day is an annual event that takes place in the UK on either 1st March every year, or the first Friday of the month (whichever comes first).
- It serves as an opportunity for employers to show appreciation for their employees’ dedication, commitment, and contributions to the success of the organisation.
- It can take various forms, including special events, recognition programmes, gifts, and gestures of gratitude from management and colleagues alike.
Workforce engagement opportunity alert! This year, Employee Appreciation Day takes place on the 1st March – will your business be taking part?
Employee Appreciation Day is dedicated to recognising and appreciating the hard work and contributions of employees within an organisation. It’s typically celebrated on the first Friday in March each year, but this year here in the UK, it takes place on the 1st March.
The exact origins of the celebration aren’t entirely clear, but it’s believed to have been created in the United States during the early 1990s. It was a period when the concept of employee engagement was something businesses were beginning to take progressively more seriously – mainly due to prominent research showing the link between engaged employees and organisational performance.
Over a quarter of a century later, and the concepts of employee engagement and workplace recognition are now central to successful HR strategies. This is because engagement and recognition have been proven to positively impact various aspects of organisational performance: including employee morale, productivity, retention, and overall business success.
So, with all that in mind, why not boost your own organisation’s engagement efforts this year by celebrating Employee Appreciation Day?
How HR teams can help businesses celebrate Employee Appreciation Day
Employee Appreciation Day presents an excellent opportunity for HR teams to help their companies demonstrate gratitude and recognition for their employees’ dedication and hard work.
Here are 6 thoughtful and simple ways you can help your own business celebrate this internationally recognised day of engagement:
1. Organise a special social event
Plan a themed event such as a breakfast, lunch, or after-work gathering to celebrate the achievements of your employees. This could include games, team-building activities, or even a simple awards ceremony. But remember, if you have a remotely based workforce, consider how you could incorporate employees who may not be able to attend your physical place of work.
2. Send personalised thank-you notes
Don’t underestimate the power of a simple ‘thank you.’ Encouraging a culture of saying ‘thank you’ within a business can work wonders for engagement, morale and productivity. So, use Employee Appreciation Day to kick-start this positive culture by distributing (either physically or electronically) personalised thank-you notes from managers or business leaders to each employee. They could highlight their specific achievements, or simply acknowledge their contributions to the business.
3. Give small tokens of appreciation or rewards
Provide small tokens of appreciation such as gift cards or company-branded merchandise. These don’t have to be particularly expensive, either, as the simple act of acknowledging someone’s efforts can be incredibly meaningful in itself. However, you may want to consider something a little grander if there are employees who’ve consistently gone beyond the call of duty!
4. Initiate a more formal employee recognition programme
If not already in place, you could use the day to begin more formal plans for an employee recognition programme. Ideally, one where peers and managers can nominate colleagues for their outstanding contributions.
Introducing a peer-to-peer recognition scheme is one way to support a culture of positivity within a business year-round. You can learn more about them here.
5. Gather feedback about the employee experience at your business
Use Employee Appreciation Day as an opportunity to ask for feedback from your employees about their experiences and ideas for improving your workplace. Initiating a pulse survey is one way you can gain timely and valuable feedback about virtually any aspect of the employment experience at your business. Just follow this link to learn more about them.
6. Give social media recognition
If your company is active on social media, why not give your team a shout-out on your company’s channels? It’s a fantastic way to let everyone know about the awesome work they’re doing and to celebrate their achievements publicly. Plus, it shows our appreciation for all their hard work and dedication.
So, how does Cezanne celebrate its employees?
That’s a very good question! After all, it’s one thing to talk about recognising the effort of employees… but do we walk the walk?
Short answer: yes, we do!
We have our own peer-to-peer recognition platform called Kudos. Part of the modular Cezanne HR software suite, it allows anyone within our business to recognise the contributions of their colleagues. This includes thanking each other for their support, acknowledging a job well done or going beyond the call of duty.
In addition, recognising the efforts of our employees is something we don’t just confine to a single day. We hold annual get togethers, social events and activities – both departmentally and company-wide – that allow everyone here to get together and highlight our combined efforts over the course of the year.
You can keep up to date with the goings on here at Cezanne over on our social channels. Why not give us a follow?
Paul Bauer is the Head of Content at Cezanne HR. He’s worked within the employee benefits, engagement and HR sectors for over four years, and has earned multiple industry awards for his work.
