March offers an extra opportunity to show your employees the gratitude you feel for their hard work. Employee Appreciation Day, or week if you want to expand it, is a perfect time to honor your employees. If your employees are still working remotely, check out 12 ways to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day remotely. After the ups and downs of 2020, we put together a list of ways you can strengthen friendships by celebrating together at the office.
1. Bring In Live Entertainment
Depending on the individual tastes of your employees, and your office space, consider bringing in live entertainment to create a memorable experience for your employees. You could go all out- with a big celebrity that’s hard to book, or a local star.
The options for live entertainment is endless and includes a live band, comedian, magician, dance, or drama performance. If your budget limits your options, consider reaching out to a local
amateur club or college department to bring in someone who’s a rising star.
It might be tempting to bring in entertainment during the lunch hour, but consider whether your employees have existing errands they need to take care of. Instead, allowing everyone to let loose to celebrate on the clock really shows your thanks for employees’ hard work. Close shop shut down the phones or consider working the front so all your employees can join in the relaxation.
- Motivational Speaker
- Comedian
- Magician
- Live Band
- Local Star
- Caricaturist
- Dancer
- Drama performer
Use Polls on Thanks to find out which entertainment your team would most love to see
2. Roll in the Food Trucks
Bring flavorful choices of lunch to your employees by calling in the food trucks to serve your location. Many food trucks offer the option of billing you for employee’s lunch choices so you can also offer a “lunch out” without dragging everyone out of the office. This will help you in showing appreciation for the very employees who are reluctant to leave their desk.
Gallup polls show that 67% of employees eat at their desk at least once a week. Food trucks bring great lunch choices to employees who wouldn’t usually leave the office to grab a bite.
3. On-Site Classes
Your employees have many hidden talents and interests. Show them that you recognize their lives outside of work by sponsoring an on-site class for employees. Or give your employees a chance to stand in the spotlight and teach their peers about a topic that interests them.
The ideas are endless and range from classes teaching yoga, meditation, cooking, exercise, or how to play a musical instrument. Painting class, storytelling, or flower arranging are options for your creative types.
Use Quizzes on Thanks to learn what special skills or interests your employees enjoy
4. Oil Changes
Life is busy and for many people, oil changes are a necessary chore. Send a special thank you to your employees by paying for an oil change, while they work. Bring in a mobile oil change service and give your employees a heads up so they can drive the car that needs a change to work that day.
An oil change while they work will both grift your employees with a unique gift and show them that you care about their personal lives and want to save them some time. Your employees will feel appreciated.
5. Team Drinks
Instead of bringing a catered lunch to the office, bring in fun drinks for everyone. No, we aren’t suggesting getting your employees hammered. Instead, consider creative drink options. Some ideas include juice blends, exotic teas, root beer floats, or even specialty protein drinks if your employees are health conscious.
Customizing drinks to your employees’ preferences shows that you know them. Employees want to be seen and individually valued. Even something as simple as bringing a tea or cup of hot cocoa for specific individuals when you make a coffee run speaks volumes about how much you appreciate and know the individual talents of your staff.
Survey your employees on Thanks to learn their preferences. But don’t wait until the last moment!
6. Office BBQ
It’s March and spring is blossoming. That makes a BBQ the perfect activity for a team celebration. For many offices, hamburgers and sausages create a casual, friendly meal. However, you can also spice up the office BBQ by cooking a carne asada, grilling steaks, chicken, or pork chops. Add variety with corn on the cob, watermelon, or grilled veggies. An office BBQ is a great way for the office to have an hour of relaxation and casual conversation. For a little extra fun, bring some outdoor games or set up a volleyball net if space allows.Some companies will set up everything you need for an office BBQ and cleanup after, making a BBQ an even simpler process for management.
- Hamburgers
- Sausages, Brats
- Hot dogs
- Carne Asada
- Chicken
- Ribs
- Salmon
- Steaks
- Vegetables
- Chicken wings
- Shrimp
- Kabobs and Skewers
- Corn on the Cob
7. Office Snacks
Snacks are a great way to show employees that you appreciate them and are grateful for all their hard work and sacrifice. It’s difficult to work through hunger and snacks allow employees to eat something light without pulling away from a project. One of the great things about snacks is how customizable they are to your individual employees. For Employee Appreciation Day, you can bring in snacks of spring vegetables, or local specialties.
Learn your team members’ preferences through Polls on Thanks
8. Team Walk
Depending on your weather, March can bring sunshine and flowers, or still be a little unpredictable. If the weather permits, a team walk can show your employees your dedication to a healthy, active, lifestyle and give team members a chance to get the blood flowing and have some casual discussion.
Spending some casual time with your team allows you to get to know them more individually and allows a low-key place for you to individually express gratitude.
Plus, a team walk provides a relaxing environment for your team to get a little Vitamin D while taking a break from office stress.
9. Office Party (Virtual)
Chances are, you party for the holidays and probably throw in a summer bash, but Employee Appreciation Day is a great time to celebrate their accomplishments and show your gratitude. Even a small office party can create a special event that pulls employees through the changing seasons and gives a spark of fun as the sun comes out from the winter dim.
10. Peer Recognition
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of helping your employees feel appreciated is utilizing peer recognition. While peers should be empowered to recognize each other all year long through a culture of peer recognition,consider designating some extra funds to peer recognition during Employee Appreciation Day. Through the SPOT feature on Thanks, managers can allow a specific dollar amount in awards to all their employees that can be gifted to team members as a special “thanks!” and redeemed.
Encouraging your employees to express their gratitude will benefit the whole office. On Employee Appreciation Day, highlight many accomplishments noticed by the team and celebrate together!
For more ideas on how to use peer recognition to appreciate employees, check out the 20 ways to use Thanks to recognize employees
Conclusion
Employee Appreciation Day gives managers and employers the chance to focus on employees and highlight an existing culture that values team members. If Employee Appreciation Day is the only day employees are recognized, then it’s well needed and deserved. But, if you already have a culture that shows employees how much they are valued, then it’s a wonderful day to celebrate together and will serve to reinforce how much you care about your employees. For more ideas on ways to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day, check out this resource for more great ideas
About Thanks
Thanks is a leading provider of a recognition-based platform that increases communication, builds teamwork, and makes recognition a part of company culture. Fast, easy and simple Thanks makes it easy to bring data-driven employee recognition to your entire organization. O.C. Tanner purchased the Thanks platform in 2019 to fulfill the recognition needs of smaller businesses.
Thanks customers benefit from the same decades of research in employee motivation and company culture that O.C. Tanner enterprise clients enjoy, but in a product that is geared for fast, easy and simple deployment. Whether you’re starting a recognition program or improving and expanding on what you already have, Thanks has everything you need to engage your people with effective, scalable recognition.