All 20 Employee Appreciation Day Ideas for 2022 All Best Practices 20 Employee Appreciation Day Ideas for 2022 Our top-picks on how to appreciate your colleagues on Employee Appreciation Day, the most important office holiday, are here! Martin Angjelkoski February 11, 2022 12 minutes The Employee Appreciation Day is a wonderful opportunity to recognize the effort and commitment of your team or the entire staff. We’re well into the ongoing pandemic and with lots of industries experimenting with different working arrangements, be it hybrid, fully remote, or back to offices (for the brave ones), workers are adjusting too, while still being professional and getting on with work. Therefore, acknowledging your employees’ hard work and dedication on this Employee Appreciation Day is especially important. We’ve put together ideas for recognizing your employees, regardless of whether you’re all in the office, hybrid working or have decided to be productive from a remote location. ⏰ Before you start reading, get our Employee Recognition Playbook and learn how to implement an employee recognition program and appreciate your employees’ work to drive the best results. What is Employee Appreciation Day Employee Appreciation Day is an official holiday in the US and is celebrated on the first Friday in March. First introduced in 1995, it gives employers an opportunity to recognize their employees’ work without a specific motive – just being thankful for the collective and individual effort of the workforce. In 2022, Employee Appreciation Day is celebrated on March 4th. The importance of employee recognition became much more apparent since back in 1995, and nowadays, there are multiple holidays meant for recognizing your employees’ work throughout the year. To make your job easier, we urge you to get our Employee Recognition Calendar and see which fun holidays you can implement into your 2022 calendar of appreciation. 7 Employee Appreciation Day Ideas for Your Remote Staff Employee Appreciation Day is just a single cog in your employee recognition ‘machine’. Your employee recognition efforts should not rely solely upon the celebration of this holiday. This article focuses on group celebrations and personal tokens of appreciation and gratitude towards your employees. Although very important, employee appreciation should also be accompanied by basic elements such as fair compensation and benefits, opportunities for employee development and a comfortable work atmosphere. With remote working becoming a reality after being a desired job perk for such a long time and bringing amazing results towards a happier workforce, it also brought along challenges, the main one being employee disengagement due to a reduced peer-to-peer and peer-to-manager contact on a daily basis. That is exactly why recognizing remote employees is becoming increasingly important and necessary. Here are some of our Employee Appreciation Day ideas for your remote employees. 1. Employee Appreciation Cards A personal and effortless way to appreciate your employees is to send them an employee appreciation card. We have prepared editable appreciation cards with quotes you can customize to fit your company’s branding and send an encouraging “Thank you” to your hard-working employees. 2. Implementing an Employee of the Month program Employee Appreciation Day is a great opportunity to announce you will implement a company-wide Employee of the Month program. Therefore, explain the rules and nomination process to your employees and let them know that your employee recognition efforts will last an entire year! ⏰ Read this article of ours to find out what are the Employee of the Month awards best practices. 3. Social Recognition It is always nice to be recognized in front of others! It gives your employees the blushes, but it also makes them feel proud of themselves and recognized by their employer. Therefore, recognize your employees on your social media accounts and let the whole world know what a great team you have onboard. ⏰ Check out what is the importance of social recognition and how you can encourage more of it. 4. Gift cards Gift cards allow your employees to get themselves an item or service they really want, especially if your gift cards are for a provider of wide range of goods, like Amazon. They are also easy to forward if that is something your employees want to do! Fun fact: 88% of Millennials say that prepaid cards are their favorite type of monetary reward. 5. Make Employee Appreciation Day awards a part of a wider Employee Recognition Program To track the results of your recognition initiatives and put your other recognition ideas to use, you should tie your Employee Appreciation Day recognition efforts to a wider employee recognition program. Employee recognition programs have a myriad of benefits for your company and for your employees, but it is important to implement them with attention to details to reap all of their results. ⏰ Try out our Recognition and Rewards Platform JobPts to see how you can create employee recognition strategies from which your company can profit. 6. Stream a message from the CEO A company-wide encouragement or message from your CEO is something your employees will surely appreciate. After all, 81% of employees believe that CEOs who engage on social media are better equipped to lead companies, so you will also reinforce your employees’ trust in their leadership. 7. Organize a game night Why not have your remote employees meet each other and boost their team spirit a bit? Organize an online game night! Maybe you already have gamers in your company, and you might even facilitate creation of new online teams in particular games. Innovative Employee Appreciation Day Ideas Although some employees still work remote, many employees are celebrating 2022 Employee Appreciation Day in the office thanks to getting vaccinated or the favorable epidemiological conditions in their countries. Here are our ideas for thanking your employees for their hard work on this very special Employee Appreciation Day. With remote and hybrid work becoming increasingly popular, but companies also returning to the offices, here are various ways to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day regardless of your current working arrangements. ⏰ Before you start, learn more about the basics of employee appreciation. Also, read what are the best recognition awards your employees really want and get thoughtful employee gift ideas. 1. Fruit basket delivery A fun way to appreciate your employees is to hire a local catering company and create a small, seasonal fruit basket for your employees. Fruits suitable for smoothies or juices will remind them that physical health is as important as mental health, and balancing both is something your organization supports and encourages. 2. Team lunch Make sure to announce to your teammates that you have a lunch planned so they do not schedule any meetings at that time or bring their own food. Provide multiple options for lunch to count in everybody’s dietary preferences and decorate your eating area with celebratory signs. 3. Board games night Announce a fun afternoon or evening in the office by organizing board games night. You can ask your employees to bring their favorite board games, and you should provide some snacks and drinks. This fun activity will allow your employees to relax and get to know each other better. 4. Company cook-off By providing a budget for groceries and asking everyone to cook a topical meal or make a seasonal dessert, you will also create opportunities for your employees to try some new food, the best cooks among your employees to shine and endless conversations to develop! 5. Thank you notes and letters Thank you notes are a simple, yet effective way to appreciate your employees work. Check out a couple of our employee appreciation letters to get some ideas on what to write and what to thank your employees for. This is a very personal and genuine gift, and you can expect your employees to be really happy about it! ⏰ Here’s another idea: encourage your employees to thank their coworkers. Let everyone choose if they want to appreciate a colleague this Employee Appreciation Day and provide them with templates they can fill out. You can find useful Employee Appreciation Day quotes below. 6. Pizza party Another food-related idea is a pizza party. Let’s be honest, everybody likes pizza! It will allow your employees to enjoy one of their favorite meals while spending casual time with their coworkers this Employee Appreciation Day. 7. Office yoga This employee wellbeing perk is a great asset to your employee recognition program. Yoga can allow your employees to relax from their hard work and prepare for challenges ahead. If your employees are unfamiliar with the practice, bring yoga to them and organize an online session for everyone (both remote and in-office employees) this Employee Appreciation Day. Make sure to survey your employees if they liked it and make it a habit if they did! 8. Massage gift cards Massages are the restart button for human beings. To make it as impactful as possible, align with your vendor to only accept appointments during your working hours, so employees can book a half an hour during their worktime to relax and spend some time just indulging themselves. 9. Organize an Employee Awards Ceremony Employee Appreciation Day presents a great opportunity to organize and host employee awards ceremony. Some companies create custom awards with special names and give out prizes for their best performers along with some funny awards on a gala night. It is a great way to give your employees a dash of glamour and treat them to a great night out. 10. Standing desks Your employees might not even know how good standing desks are. Still, once they get an opportunity to both sit and stand while working, they will not want to go back! Standing desks are another employee wellness perk that can help your employees live less sedentary lifestyle and move a bit more while they work. 11. Update the work equipment Updating your work equipment like monitors, keyboards or office chairs is a great way to cheer your employees. After all, you should provide good work equipment and technology to your employees if you want to see your employees’ best work. 12. Extend break times Double your break times not for the day, but for the entire week! Allow your employees to take more time to rest or do some personal chores. It is a really nice gesture to celebrate this Employee Appreciation Day. 13. Provide better coffee Your coworkers probably drink gallons of coffee, and you even might find some coffee afficionados among them. Therefore, buy an artisan coffee for the entire office or bring a barista to make original espressos or cappuccinos to your employees. 14. Movie screening Is there a better way to relax than to watch a movie and enjoy some popcorn? Give your employees a unique movie screening experience by choosing a great movie, projecting it in a common room, and by giving your employees some snack and treats to enjoy while watching it. ⏰ Pro tip: appreciate your employees’ families, too! Allow your employees to bring kids to the office for the day and play a cartoon for them. Moreover, you can send these useful gifts to employees that have fallen ill with COVID. Don’t forget them on this Employee Appreciation Day! Employee Appreciation Day Quotes You can go one step further and send a personalized message to each employee for Employee Appreciation Day, or encourage your employees to send a message to a colleague they appreciate. Sending the notes via email, or writing cards by hand for an even more personalized experience is a wonderful way to let your employees know they are appreciated. Just don’t forget to make your message as kind as possible! Here are some of the Employee Appreciation Day quotes you can use. Employee Appreciation Day quotes for teamwork Dear [employee name], thank you for teaching me the power of teamwork! This Employee Appreciation Day, I want to recognize your ongoing efforts to facilitate easy collaboration among our two teams Every time we work together, I am amazed at how far away we get just by adding on each other’s ideas. You are truly great to work with, so supportive and innovative… I hope we will work together on many more projects! Happy Employee Appreciation Day. [Employee name], we haven’t been teammates for long, but I am already positively surprised by the work dynamics we have. You are really analytical and always give me great advice. I think we’ll achieve great things together! On this Employee Appreciation Day, know that I truly appreciate you as a colleague. Thank you! Employee Appreciation Day quotes for workplace attitude Dear [employee name], we’ve worked together for quite a while now. On this Employee Appreciation Day, I want you to know that I really appreciate all the advice you have given me over the years. You are a colleague many can only wish for! Thank you! Every time I walk in the office or we have an online meeting, I’m looking forward to hearing what you say. You are a force of nature with your positive attitude and jokes! You make a great coworker and I’m happy we work together. Happy Employee Appreciation Day! On this Employee Appreciation Day, I just want to thank you for a great workplace attitude you bring to the office every day. You are eager to work – and to learn. This is something one can only hope to find in a team member. Great things lie ahead of you, I’m sure of it! Keep up the good work. Employee Appreciation Day quotes for great performance Dear [employee name], we’ve all been amazed by your achievements in such a short time. Your work on [x] account has shown us that we made a right decision by hiring you. On this Employee Appreciation Day, I want you to know that your work is truly recognized by all of us. We’re looking forward to more of your accomplishments! [Employee name], the past year we’ve seen more customers pouring in than ever. You have been amazing at handling all their requests! You’ve shown professionalism, patience and enthusiasm in dealing with challenges. Just wanted to let you know that your work is highly valued by all of us. Happy Employee Appreciation Day! It’s Employee Appreciation Day! What better opportunity to congratulate you on your amazing performance last year? You’ve shown us all what it is to lead by an example. Congratulations and thank you for all your hard work. Employee Appreciation Day quotes for mentorship Dear [employee name], I want to use the opportunity to thank you for your advice and mentorship during the last year. You’ve been a great manager and I’ve learned so much from you. Happy Employee Appreciation Day! On this Employee Appreciation Day, I want to thank you for your mentorship. I’m sure I wouldn’t have gotten a better opportunity to learn and advance in my career than having you as a manager. I truly am grateful to be in your team. Dear [employee name], thank you for mentoring me from the first day I started working here. You’ve been setting a great example for me, and I hope I’ll be able to live up to your expectations! Happy Employee Appreciation Day! Employee Appreciation Day quotes for enduring challenges [Employee name], I know that the past year has been challenging. Today is Employee Appreciation Day, and I just wanted to thank you for all the hard work you’ve been doing. You are an amazing example to all of us and I’m thankful to have you as a coworker. [Employee name], in the last year we’ve faced many challenges together. Thank you for sticking with our company through thick and thin! We really appreciate all the hard work you are doing. Happy Employee Appreciation Day! We hope you enjoy our little token of gratitude. Dear [employee name], thank you for sticking with us through thick and thin. Switching to work from home must have been hard for you, but you’ve adapted to it with great success. Thank you for all the hard work you’ve been doing – and especially during the time your kids’ school was closed. We are really grateful to have you with us. Happy Employee Appreciation Day! Why Is It Important to Celebrate Employee Appreciation Day in 2022 During the pandemic, 67% of employees have reported higher stress and anxiety levels than ever. In fact, 54% of employees’ #1 concern during this time was job security. As your employees have been through a lot, they deserve special attention this Employee Appreciation Day. Therefore, try to make this day memorable, even if your workforce decided to work remotely for the time being. Employees should be made aware that their hard work is appreciated regardless whether they work remotely, are going to the office full time, or chose a combination of both. Ensuring your workforce has a clear understanding that their work, creativity, achievements and efforts are appreciated by company management, it’s best to use an Employee Recognition Platform. It allows you to track your appreciation results and be consistent in your appreciation efforts. However, since it is not always easy to choose your partner, we created a Rewards and Recognition solution Buyer’s Guide that you can help you decide which provider would be the best fit for your recognition goals and for your workforce.
