10 Engaging Ways To Celebrate Employee Appreciation Day

It's imperative to show respect to your workforce. It is they who bring the desired progress and goodwill to your organization. And for acknowledging their immense contribution every year, the first Friday in March is celebrated as the "National Employee Appreciation Day".

The concept of Employee Appreciation Day was created by Bob Nelson, one of the founding board members of Recognition Professionals International. Nelson popularised this day together with his publishing company ** "Workman Publishing"** in 1995. And soon after that, organizations across North America and other parts of the world observed this day to show gratitude towards their workforce.

Employees like it when their efforts are acknowledged and appreciated. They feel motivated to do much better as it uplifts their morale in the workplace. As well as, practicing employee recognition frequently lays the foundation for a strong workplace relationship.

Thus, the first Friday of March every year is a reminder for every organization to realize the importance of employee recognition.

Here in this article, I'll share the 10 best ways of how you can celebrate Employee Appreciation Day at your workplace.

Let’s begin!

The 10 Best Ways to Celebrate Employee Appreciation Day

1. Hosting Employee Award Ceremony

(via Vantage Rewards)

There can't be a better way of showing employees their importance than awarding them for their great work. Employees feel happy when they are acknowledged for their work in front of everyone. It uplifts their morale and provides them with a lasting sense of job satisfaction.

Moreover, here all your other employees get inspired by their colleagues who are awarded. Also, you can plan to make your workplace award ceremony more fun with some goofy employee award titles.

2. Social Media Shoutouts

Everyone's on social media nowadays, thanks to its hyper-engaging features letting the users share their joyful moments with others. Giving a shoutout to all your employees on social media is one thing that you can do. It is also another way of recognizing your employees in front of a huge crowd. Further, it enhances the company’s brand image which a prime factor for getting the best talents onboard your team.

3. Organizing Lucky Draws

You can also get your employees excited on this day by organizing lucky draws. Based on your preference, you can gift your employees anything you like to make them happy. Also, you can add more fun to it by keeping multiple surprises up for grabs and make it more engaging.

4. Take them for Team Lunch

Someone has said it right-

If you want to make someone happy, then take them out to eat.

Similarly, even you can take your employees out on a team lunch this appreciation day. Often going out for team lunch is a great way to strengthen your workplace camaraderie. Here, you can make these lunch sessions even more fun by adding some team-building activities.

Further, if you would like to spice up the celebration, you can also throw in team happy hours.

5. Giving away Gift Cards

(via Vantage Perks)

Another great way to show your team how important they are is to let them pick their own rewards. Here, you can offer a wide range of different gift cards to your employees to purchase their desired rewards. And one of the easiest ways to do the same would be by using an employee benefits platform. Such a platform allows employers to provide lucrative perks to their employees with complete flexibility.

6. Gift Them an Experience

(Source: Team Vantage Circle's Day Excursion)

Amidst today's hectic schedule, employees often miss out on a lot of things going around. Most working individuals hardly ever get time some quality time for themselves. And with this happening, they miss out on a lot of moments and experiences. Hence, on this employee appreciation day, you can definitely gift your employees a truly engaging experience.

It may be anything like baking or cooking workshops, trekking in the hills, or going out fishing together. Your employees will cherish these experiences for a long time and would feel satisfied with their jobs.

7. Playing Team Games

(Source: Team Vantage Circle's Day Excursion)

Sports and games have always been a catalyst for inspiring sportsmanship within an individual. You can also celebrate your employee appreciation day by organizing various team games. Such events in the workplace make everyone remember the importance of teamwork and increase employee engagement.

8. Encourage Volunteering

Giving back to society is an important aspect of our lives irrespective of who we are or what we do. It not only signifies the humility of the volunteering individual but also spreads the message of positivity. And as an employer, you should take up the responsibility of encouraging the spirit of volunteering within your employees.

Therefore, to show employees your appreciation and create awareness about various causes, you can arrange a volunteer drive involving your employees.

9. Go ahead with Company Swags

Giving away company swags to your employees is always going to work whenever it comes to cheer them up. Similarly, to mark the upcoming appreciation day, you can distribute customized company swags amongst your workforce.

10. In-house Health Challenges

(via Vantage Fit's Leaderboard)

In today’s date keeping track of your health has become vital for keeping ourselves fit and active. As such, committing to healthy habits amidst a busy schedule becomes very important. So, to help your employees embrace a healthy lifestyle you can organize in-house health challenges. Such campaigns encourage the employees to keep moving and drive them towards an active and healthy lifestyle.

Here, a note to all the employers would be to make it a point to incentivize their employees who complete such activities. Doing this would inspire everyone to participate in large numbers and turn their efforts into success.

So, these were a few ways of how you can observe employee appreciation day. You can also combine some of these activities to give your employees an incredible experience.

Do tell us how you would like to celebrate this day with your employees and share your experiences in the comments below.

Working as a SEO Analyst and Content Marketer at Vantage Circle, Angshuman always stays curious and is passionate about learning new things. Got any question? Drop a mail at editor@vantagecircle.com