Simple Ways to Make Employee Appreciation Fun
Managers and business leaders have lots of responsibilities to wrangle. And one of the most important and potentially taxing to get right is that of employee appreciation. We all know that making employees feel valued is important. But how can this be done in a way that feels fun, rather than overly formal? To help you navigate employee appreciation ideas successfully, here are some straightforward options to celebrate employee achievements while being entertaining and meaningful.
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What are the employee appreciation ideas?
Give remote employees bespoke gift boxes
There are some great virtual employee appreciation ideas out there, and one of the best is to keep remote team members engaged and satisfied with care packages that are tailored to their needs.
Whether you send out a snack gift box with lots of little goodies to keep them fuelled up while working from home, or you choose a tangible reward that’s relevant to a particular area of interest, from fitness to gardening and beyond, going the extra mile will make a difference.
Make birthday celebrations count
Everyone has a birthday, and you shouldn’t let this fly under the radar and go unnoticed. Instead, give each team member something special when their big day rolls around for employee appreciation.
This can be a staple of the occasion, like a birthday cake that everyone can share and enjoy. It could also be a different type of perk, such as letting them take the day off so that they can mark their birthday in whatever way they choose, which also reduces the chances of burnout.
Be spontaneous
Rewards that team members know are on the horizon are all well and good. But there’s nothing better than a treat that happens out of the blue, without needing to be attached to some achievement.
Appreciation doesn’t just have to be tied to hitting targets. And so everyday acts of recognition, from buying lunch to stocking up the break room with snacks go a long way to reinforcing this.
Schedule regular bring-your-pet-to-work days
Most people love animals, and plenty of employees will have pets of their own at home that they’d love to share with the rest of the workforce.
While you might not want to go all out and allow animals in the office every day, setting up specific dates when pets can be brought to the premises will pay dividends in terms of team morale.
Even those without pets will enjoy being able to spend some time with a cute little critter belonging to a colleague.
Attend events together for the employee appreciation day
You don’t just have to keep your employee appreciation efforts to events you host in the office. Or via video calling software. There’s a lot of fun to be had on a team outing. Whether that’s to a music concert, a museum, a sports game, or whatever else clicks with the people you manage.
Better yet, if the costs of attending events together are encompassed by the company budget, all the better. It’s a handy team-building exercise as well as a good time.
Take suggestions regarding employee appreciation day
Finally, if you’re still scratching your head about what will make your employees feel more appreciated and satisfied, why not just ask them?
You can do this face-to-face. Or you could set up a suggestion box that allows for idea share anonymously. Setting up an email account for digitally sent suggestions is a modern equivalent to this as well.
Who doesn’t love a day off
Sometimes the most straightforward ideas are the ones that work the best. Providing workers who are already overworked and stressed with an additional day off might open up a whole new world of opportunities for them. This indicates that they will be able to see any one of the innumerable movies. They are, at long last, going on a picnic with the people they care about. It’s also possible that today will be a lovely day to stay in bed all day. An additional day off in addition to their regularly scheduled weekend time off is one of the few things that workers want more than any other perk.
Get them away from the office
This is maybe the favorite of all the ideas for showing thanks to employees. When you intend for employee appreciation, it is probable that they went above and beyond to achieve that success. For example, they may have worked more hours, given up personal time, lost sleep, or another activity.
Give your top performer the gift of time as a gesture of gratitude and admiration for their hard work. When a significant objective is ok, give your employee the remainder of the day off to spend time with their family. Or, take care of personal tasks. Or lounge out in front of the television while eating Cheetos like a college student who is home for the summer.
Send to a shopping spree.
There are other ways to demonstrate your gratitude for your workers’ hard work, even if you don’t have the luxury of handing out bonuses on the spot every time one of your team members does something really remarkable. How about getting them a gift card to their preferred coffee shop? Take into account their tastes, and send them a gift card that not only they. But also their whole family, may use.
Final thoughts on employee appreciation
It definitely helps to make employee appreciation fun. But you should also endeavor to mix in a good amount of sincere recognition, especially when significant achievements are on the agenda. A good leader balances both parts evenly and listens to employees.
Magdalena Polka is a Business Solution Designer and an Information Technology / Project Management consultant and author with over 15 years of software development, management and project management experience.
