Today’s employers are struggling harder than ever to show employees appreciation and recognize their valuable contributions. As employees leave en masse during the great resignation, many employers have contacted us. They want to know what they can do to help employees feel appreciated.
It’s no secret that when employees feel recognized for their efforts they are more engaged. O.C. Tanner found that 37% of employees work harder and are more engaged when they feel recognized for their work.
And, employees that feel recognized are:
- 2.6 times more likely to feel that promotions are fair
- 2.2 times more likely to say that innovative thinking is embraced
- 2 times more likely to say that people at work go above and beyond
One of the reasons employee recognition fails is because it’s not specific enough or frequent enough. Another reason is that managers forget to recognize in a way that speaks to specific employees’ appreciation language.
1. Provide Mentoring
Appreciation Language: Acts of Service, Words of Affirmation, Employee Development, Quality TIme
Mentoring isn’t easy for employers to provide. It takes time away from “production” and often has some additional costs associated with it. But, providing mentoring shows employees you care about their career development and value them as individuals. It increases job satisfaction.
Mentors help increase collaboration and decrease burnout. And, it’s a great way to grow leadership.
2. Pay for Continuing Ed
Appreciation Language: Gifts, Acts of Service, Employee Development
When employees feel like their employer is vested in them, they feel valued. Pay for a community ed class or advanced education. Even if the class isn’t related to their job role, you can help your employee develop a skill, hobby, or as an individual.
3. Celebrate Failure as a Sign of Willingness to Go Above and Beyond
Appreciation Language: Word of Affirmation
Employees make mistakes. And they mess up. But, when failure is punished or reprimanded, employers miss a valuable opportunity to foster greater employee engagement and creativity. Fragile workplaces are places where employees don’t feel encouraged to try a new method or take greater ownership of their work processes because things have “always been done this way.”
Yes, some employees need to be reprimanded for unacceptable behavior. But, recognizing employees who try new methods, even when it fails, engages employees to a greater depth. Only recognizing employees who take a risk when it’s successful sends the wrong message.
Recognizing employees who have failed colossally speaks volumes of the level at which you value your employees. It makes other recognition more effective because employees know they are worth more than the “What have you done for me lately” mantra.
4. Make a Donation In Their Name
Appreciation Language: Gifts, Acts of Service
Recognize an employee by donating to a charity they care about in their name. Or, sponsor a fundraiser and match office contributions.
5. Leadership Training
Appreciation Language: Acts of Service, Employee Development, Quality Time
Leadership training can include anything that helps develop your employees. Training on how to use technology for presentations, speaking training, manager training, or leadership roles can help develop employees.
6. Noise Reducing Headphones
Appreciation Language: Gifts
Almost 70% of employees are unhappy with the noise levels at work. Noise-reducing headphones make a great gift, especially if they are quality. It tells employees that you care about their comfort at work.
7. Celebrate Holidays
Appreciation Language: Gifts, Acts of Service, Words of Affirmation, Quality Time
Don’t let holidays pass by without celebrating them with your employees. From company parties to Paid Time Off, celebrating the holidays breaks up the daily grind and provides some low-pressure time for teams to bond.
It’s also important to celebrate the smaller holidays such as Employee Appreciation Day, Valentine’s Day, and Work Like a Dog Day.
8. Potted Plant
Appreciation Language: Gifts
Plants have amazing calming abilities. Give your employees their own potted plant and pay a service to keep them watered so your employees don’t have to worry about keeping it alive.
9. Personalized Video
Appreciation Language: Words of Affirmation
Record a personalized video that expresses the many ways you appreciate and value your employee. In the Thanks Platform, Memories makes this seamless and easy. Employees can keep the video for repeated viewing. It’s personal and customized to each employee or team.
10. Car Wash
Appreciation Language: Gifts
Say “thank you” for employees who show up in bad weather by giving them a free car wash.
11. Share Company Benefits
Appreciation Language: Gifts
Many employers offer benefits and perks to customers. Share those benefits with your employees and let them enjoy the impact your company has on the community themselves.
12. Desk Light
Appreciation Language: Gifts
According to SHRM, a comfortable light is the second most valuable workplace perk. Give your employees a desk light so they can control the lighting in their area. Lights can help with vision struggles and make it easier for employees to focus.
Every employee has different needs and giving them control over the lighting makes it easier for them to enjoy work!
13. Take Over Their Least Favorite Task
Appreciation Language: Acts of Service
Give your employees time to do a part of their job that they thrive in by taking over a task they dread. Your willingness to do drudgery work will speak right to the heart of your employee. It tells them that you value their contributions by giving them “time.”
14. Professional Photo
Appreciation Language: Gifts
Many employees, especially non-managers, never get the chance to have a professional photo taken. Show their importance by paying for a professional photographer to take their photo. Give them the digital copies so they can use them in presentations, email signatures, or anywhere else they’d like to use them.
15. Write a Letter of Appreciation for Their HR File
Appreciation Language: Words of Affirmation
Write a letter of recommendation for your employee and give them a copy and put it in their HR file. Mention several specific ways that employees make an impact at work. This is especially meaningful because it’s rarer for managers to take the time to express employee appreciation in a formal letter.
16. Handwritten Note
Appreciation Language: Words of Affirmation
A handwritten note is powerful because it is personal and specific.
17. Paid Time Off
Appreciation Language: Gifts, Quality Time
Recognize employees with some extra time off. It’s a great way to give thanks and help ease the daily stresses that employees face in our current environment. Plus, they can take the time to strengthen relationships with family through quality time.
18. Social Media Praise
Appreciation Language: Words of Affirmation
Give a shoutout on your social media platforms to employees that go above and beyond. And, don’t forget to mention major milestones also.
19. Bring a Pet to Work Day
Appreciation Language: Acts of Service
Let your employees bring their favorite pet to work. Doing this will require some planning as you’ll need to set expectations and be ready to accommodate pets and possible allergies. And you’ll need to plan around employees that don’t want pets around while they are working.
But, even sponsoring a couple of hours for your employees to bring their besties and show them off to colleagues can make a profound impact on how much employees feel appreciated.
20. Recognition Press Release
Appreciation Language: Words of Confirmation
Recognize an especially outstanding employee or team by issuing a press release that highlights their many accomplishments and the success enjoyed by your team member (or team). This public affirmation can help to bring recognition outside the corporate walls and let your employee’s family know how much you appreciate their contributions.
21. Celebrate Milestones – (Use Celebrate Feature and Memories)
Appreciation Language:
Don’t let important milestones pass without celebrating them. Anniversaries, completion of major life goals, and certifications are all reasons to celebrate. While you are at it, don’t forget to celebrate retirements and use that time to solidify team spirit.
21. Team Drinks
Appreciation Language: Gifts, Words of Affirmation, Quality Time
Bring a fun drink to the office. A smoothie, cappuccino, exotic drink, or hot chocolate will surprise your employees and give you a chance to express how much you appreciate their hard work.
22. Replace an Office Appliance
Appreciation Language: Gifts, Acts of Service
Find an appliance, piece of equipment, or activity that consumes employees’ time. Then replace it, or buy a new convenience for everyone to enjoy.
23. Write a LinkedIn Review
Appreciation Language: Words of Affirmation, Employee Development
Taking the time to write a LinkedIn review tells the whole world how much you appreciate your employee. It’s not something most managers think to do, but it can have a powerful impact on how valuable employees feel.
24. Control Over Workspace Layout
Appreciation Language: Acts of Service
Most offices are set up by managers or designers. Few employees have a say in where they sit or how the office is set up. Give employees a say in workspace layout by offering various places employees can set up.
Provide community areas where teams can brainstorm, comfortable areas for a change of position, and quiet rooms where employees can intently focus. Giving your employees a say in their workspace environment empowers them to greater production and recognizes the trust you have in them.
25. Oil-Changes
Appreciation Language: Acts of Service, Gifts
Tell your employees “Thank you!” by bringing in oil changes to both save them personal time and give a gift they’ll use. Be sure to give them a heads up and provide a few different options so employees can schedule it when they need the service.
25. Power Naps
Appreciation Language: Acts of Service
Most workplaces don’t encourage power napping. Exhausted employees resort to a lunch nap in the car, which isn’t comfortable. Instead, give your employees a comfy sofa and a quiet place where they can take a quick snooze or recharge.
27. Frame Customer Appreciation Quotes
Appreciation Language: Words of Affirmation, Gifts
Show an employee the impact they make on customers by taking positive customer feedback about them and framing it. Put it up for all to see and let them know how much you appreciate the difference they make every day to your customers.
28. Reimburse a Family Dinner
Appreciation Language: Gifts, Quality Time
Publically recognize your employee to their family by reimbursing a family night out. Set a dollar limit so your employee knows what they can plan for. And, don’t forget to allow single employees the same dollar amount, which may let them take dinner with a friend a couple of times.
29. Closest Parking Spot
Appreciation Language: Gifts
Say “thank you” by giving an employee the closest parking spot for a week or a month. This will save them time and remind them of the recognition every day when they park.
30. Extended Lunch Hour
Appreciation Language: Gifts
Give your employee an extra hour of lunch on the clock. They can run a longer-personal errand, or rest. Let them know how much you appreciate their hard work.
31. High Fives
Appreciation Language: Physical Touch
Use fist bumps and high-fives to celebrate small and large accomplishments. Besides a good handshake, it’s the only physical touch appreciation language that’s appropriate in the workplace.
32. Personalized Poem
Appreciation Language: Words of Affirmation
An Acrostic poem uses the letters of a person’s name to recognize them, While a Hakua is easy to write with 5,7,5 syllables on each line:
Acrostic Poem | Hakua |
Making us believe he can do anything Incredible worker Knows our clients Encourages us to try harder | Joseph, Service King Fixes Customer Problems Promotes Our Values |
33. Dinner for Late Workers
Appreciation Language: Gifts
Recognize employees burning the “midnight” oil by bringing dinner for employees staying late. Let them know that they aren’t expected to stay late, but that you wanted to show your appreciation for their dedication to the project by keeping them around tonight.
34. Floating Trophy
Appreciation Language: Words of Affirmation
Celebrate your team culture by passing around a floating trophy. Some teams celebrate with a big rock, others with a giant trophy or a stuffed animal. Whatever your team uses, recognize a star employee by giving them the trophy to hold with a few words of appreciation.
37 Team Book of Thanks
Appreciation Language: Gifts, Words of Affirmation
Gather stories and notes from the teammates of the employee you want to recognize. Put them together into a booklet and present it to your star employee.
38. One-on-One Meetings
Appreciation Language: Quality Time, Words of Affirmation
Taking time to meet with, and listen to your employees, you show them that you care about their opinions and needs. One-on-one meetings (link to new article talks about one on one meetings) are very effective ways to demonstrate how much you appreciate and value your employees.
39. Company SWAG
Appreciation Language: Gifts
Giving away corporate paraphernalia is a great way to recognize new team members and celebrate with existing employees. It makes everyone feel like they are part of the team. Just make sure you don’t accidentally leave anyone out, or it will negate the impact of your SWAG.
40. Publish a Company Yearbook
Appreciation Language: Gifts, Words of Affirmation
A company yearbook gives your employees a token of the fun memories they’ve shared at work and provides a natural space for colleagues to recognize each other. Written words of affirmation are easily shared on “yearbook day” as team members relive school days and share laughs with each other.
41. Spouse’s Lunch
Appreciation Language: Quality Time, Gifts
Pay for lunch for your employee and their spouse. Give them extra time off at lunch to meet their spouse and give them a gift card or reimburse the lunch.
42. Dedicated Recognition Software
Appreciation Language: Gifts
Commit to ongoing employee recognition by using dedicated recognition software. The Thanks platform provides seamless integrations with dozens of business software programs and makes it easy for employees and managers to recognize each other and build stronger connections at work.
Thanks-using employers report greater longevity, greater engagement, and an increase in overall employee satisfaction.
https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-people-looking-on-laptop-3182812/
43. Wall of Fame
Appreciation Language: Gifts
Publically recognize employees through a wall of fame. Hang plaques, personalized caricatures or something else that reflects your corporate culture.
44. Celebrate Personal Successes and Milestones
Appreciation Language: Gifts, Words of Affirmation
Don’t neglect personal milestones such as a new child, graduation, or buying a new home. Celebrating personal accomplishments with employees shows them you care enough to know what’s going on in their lives and that you are happy for their joys.
45. Go Casual
Appreciation Language: Quality Time, Words of Affirmation
Express recognition for an especially difficult project by giving your employees a casual day. Let them be more laid back and relax.
46. Team Service Project
Appreciation Language: Acts of Service, Quality Time
Many of your employees already provide community service for causes they are passionate about. Give your employees a paid day to volunteer together at a local non-profit. Let the team decide where and when. Employees will come back feeling rejuvenated and more bonded with each other.
47. Feature in the Company NewsPaper
Appreciation Language: Words of Affirmation
Recognize your employees by recognizing them in the company newspaper. They’ll get public recognition.
48. Flexible Schedules
Appreciation Language: Acts of Service
Nothing tells employees that you value, respect, and trust them more than allowing them flexible schedules. Even when your business is such that you need to set schedules, allow employees flexibility whenever possible.
49. Team Bonding Adventures
Appreciation Language: Quality time, Gifts, Employee Development
Send your team on an adventure that will strengthen their bonds and ward off burnout. Team activities increase camaraderie, connection, and reward employees for hard work.
Some ideas include a team hike, escape room, retreat, rappelling, kayaking, or other adventure.
50. Random Surprises
Appreciation Language: Gifts, Acts of Service
Make recognition fun by giving your employees surprise treats, time off, or a fun team activity. Some surprises may take a little planning for team members with kids or other obligations so make sure you make surprises flexible so they can take advantage when it’s easiest for them.
51. Send a Personal Card or ECard
Appreciation Language: Words of Affirmation
Send a personalized thank you through a hand-mailed card or an ecard. Let them know how much fun you had getting to know them better, or how you noticed them skipping lunch and although you don’t want them doing that often, you appreciate the extra effort they made to finish the report on time.
52. Provide More Autonomy
Appreciation Language: Employee Development
Control isn’t an employee’s love language, but it is one of our basic needs. Employees who have control and decision-making abilities over their jobs, feel more connected (building connection in the workplace) to it and demonstrate greater engagement.
Look around and see if there are areas where you can show trust to your employees by handing over greater autonomy.
53. Company Party
Appreciation Language; Quality Time, Gifts
Celebrate a successful year or company launch together with a company party. A party lets employees let down their guard and enjoy fun times together. If you are hosting the party after work hours, make sure to invite your employees’ families so they don’t have to choose between family time and company time.
54. Break Room Remodel
Appreciation Language: Gifts
Break rooms are a place where employees can eat lunch and relax. Take a look at your break room and make sure it’s inviting and comfortable for your employees. Consider taking it to the next level. Perhaps your employees would enjoy a library or a game room. They might love a place to listen to music.
55. Support Their Physical Well-Being
Appreciation Language: Acts of Service
Support your employees by sponsoring a walking club and encouraging them to take 10 minutes to get outside. Sponsor workout clubs or team basketball teams. Show your employees that you value their health and are willing to support extra activities.
56. Celebrate with Remote Employees
Appreciation Language: Quality Time
There are many ways to celebrate remotely. Celebrate together virtually, give remote employees extra leniency on work hours, and host an employee exchange (and pay for shipping). It’s important that remote employees feel like part of the team and that they get to participate in team celebrations and events.
57. Snack Basket
Appreciation Language: Gifts
Bring in a basket of snacks for your employees to enjoy. Make sure you’ve taken the time to gather treats everyone will enjoy, even those with allergies and health-conscious preferences.
58. Family Day
Appreciation Language: Quality Time, Words of Affirmation
Celebrate everything your employees do by hosting a family day. Invite families to the office for lunch, games, and to see what their family members do all day. Be sure to take a few minutes to recognize your employees to their family members.
59. Early Bird Rewards
Appreciation Language: Gifts, Acts of Service
Every office has early birds that come in and get things going. They turn up the cooler or heat, start the coffee pot, and get the lights on. These guys and gals make the day easier for the rest of the office.
Show your appreciation of their consistency by beating them to the office and providing a ready breakfast for them to enjoy.
60. Welcome New Recruits
Appreciation Language: Quality Time, Employee Development
Your onboarding experience is critical in reaffirming to new employees that they made the right experience. 20% of new employees leave within 45 days. Demonstrate your excitement for new employees by taking the time to get to know them on day one and making their first day a team event.
61. Work Anniversaries
Appreciation Language: Gifts, Words of Affirmation
Attrition increases around work anniversaries (Harvard Business School). It’s a time when employees are more likely to reflect on their time with the company and analyze whether they see a future there.
It’s critical that you take the time to celebrate work anniversaries and make them truly meaningful.
62. Support Mental Health
Appreciation Language: Gifts, Quality Time
Support your employees’ mental health by sponsoring a meditation clinic or bringing in a Yoga instructor. Give your employees candles, and essential oils or buy them a yoga mat.
63. Motivational Speaker
Appreciation Language: Quality Time, Employee Development
Bring in an entertaining speaker to discuss trends, innovations, creativity, or other topics. Not only does this give your employees a chance to break away from a season of monotony, it provides a growth opportunity also. Use surveys to find out what topics your team members are most interested in.
64. Event Tickets
Appreciation Language: Gifts, Quality Time
In some offices specific positions and management enjoy event tickets. Instead, give our event tickets to employees who don’t usually get to enjoy local events. It’s a great way to elevate their recognition up a step.
65. Work from Home
Appreciation Language: Quality Time
The ability to work from home is one form of recognition that many employees want post-Covid. It requires trust and provides autonomy to your employee. Working from home eliminates the commute and gives employees back personal time. You could reward it to all your employees or give it out a few days a week.
66. Added Responsibility
Appreciation Language: Employee Development
You may not expect it, but a lot of employees feel under-utilized at work. They feel like they have more talents and skills they can contribute than their employer utilizes. Give your employees opportunities to work on tasks outside their normal job roles.
67. Family Portrait
Appreciation Language: Gifts, Quality Time
Life is busy and many of us fail to take regular family photos. By giving your employees a family portrait, you allow them to capture a moment in time with their family. In a way, you also recognize their families for their support of your employee.
68. New Chair
Appreciation Language: Gifts
Purchase a new chair, desk or office equipment for your employees that will make them more comfortable at their desk.
69. Celebrate Diversity
Appreciation Language: Quality Time, Gifts
Celebrate your team’s unique backgrounds by celebrating cultural holidays and encouraging employees to share their culture with the rest of the team. Recognize employees who are willing to share by giving them a gift of appreciation.
70. Provide Growth Opportunities
Appreciation Language: Employee Development
Help employees to grow in their careers. Discuss opportunities for them to develop new skills or learn additional aspects of their field. Growth opportunities aren’t only ways to grow employees. Additional responsibilities, leadership over a project, or the chance to update upper management on the team’s progress also provide opportunities for growth.
In one employer, all employees were invited to help marketing with various projects, which gave employees a chance to learn marketing skills. This provided some of them with additional advancement opportunities that would have been otherwise absent.
71. Free Commute
Appreciation Language: Gifts
Give your employees a free commute. Buy their bus pass, gas, or subway expenses. You can set up a reimbursement program for long-term benefits or give it as recognition at specific times.
72. Personalized Gifts
Appreciation Language: Gifts
Show appreciation for your employees by giving them a gift that’s meant just for them. A personalized gift that’s engraved with their name is anything but generic. A coat, leather book, or watch can further speak to your employees’ interests.
73. Team Game Night
Appreciation Language: Quality Time
Game night, or lunch hour, can provide an opportunity for team members to enjoy fun together. Even 4-6 player games will encourage employees to get to know each other on a more personal level.
74. Give Employees Time to Volunteer
Appreciation Language: Acts of Service, Quality Time
Give employees paid days off to volunteer for their favorite non-profit. Some employers give as much as a month off to eligible employees for service. Others give a day a month off. This is a perfect way to recognize employees for special contributions.
75. Pamper Yourself Day
Appreciation Language: Gifts
Pamper your workaholics by sending them home to spoil themselves. Give them a gift basket full of chocolates, bath bombs, or a cozy blanket. Or, send them home with a gift card they can use for their own pampering items.
76. Employee Awards
Appreciation Language: Gifts, Quality Time
Celebrate individual accomplishments with employee awards. Or, celebrate employees’ unique talents with funny award names. Celebrate as a team and recognize each employee’s quirky gifts and strengths.
77. Lunch And Learn
Appreciation Language: Employee Development
Lunch and Learn events provide development opportunities. They should be voluntary and cover a wide variety of topics. Poll employees to find out what kind of lunch and learn they want. You may also find that team-building activities serve your team well as individuals can get to know each other better.
78. Bring in a Food Truck
Appreciation Language: Gifts
Bring in a food truck or cater lunch to recognize your team’s achievements.
79. Peer-to-Peer Drawing
Appreciation Language: Gifts, Words of Affirmation
Sponsor a drawing with a vacation or big award. Encourage peer-to-peer recognition by making employees eligible when their peers add their names. Peer recognition improves engagement and strengthens performance.
80. Say it With a Sticky Note
Appreciation Language: Words of Affirmation
Tell your employees what you appreciate about them today with a sticky note. If you need ideas, check out our heartfelt note ideas for employees.
81. Subscription
Appreciation Language: Gifts
Recognize your employees with a gift that continues to give. Give them a subscription to something they’d enjoy such as a gift box, coffee flavors, book of the month, or monthly escape room. A subscription is a great way to remind employees every month that they are a valuable part of your company.
82. Give Them a Voice
Appreciation Language: Acts of Service
One of the best ways to show appreciation for employees is to value their opinions and allow them a voice in how things are done. Encourage employees to offer feedback and make real changes from that feedback. You might want to encourage employee committees to head up change at the office also.
83. Gym Pass
Appreciation Language: Gifts
Buy a gym pass for employees as a way to recognize their strength in the workplace. It will be more effective if you let employees choose where they want a pass so that it’s convenient for them.
84. Live Entertainment
Appreciation Language: Quality Time,
Bring in live entertainment to celebrate employee appreciation day. A magician, local artist, or DJ can bring a flair of fun to the office and give your employees a well-deserved time.
85. Appreciation Gift Bag
Appreciation Language: Gifts, Words of Affirmation
Put together a gift bag to hand out to employees on a hard day or to encourage them. Sometimes a little encouragement can do wonders to lift a feeling of discouragement.
86. Team Walk
Appreciation Language: Quality Time
Take time to encourage a team walk during good weather days. You’ll have a chance to get to know your employees in a different way than at the office and will encourage good physical health.
87. Team BBQ
Appreciation Language: Gifts, Quality Time
Give your team the afternoon to enjoy a team BBQ. You can invite family members and bring in entertainment, or keep it to an extended lunch and team games. BBQs can take on a flavor of fun with grilled shrimp, dogs, veggies, carne asada, or chicken wings.
88. Post a Classified Wanted Ad
Appreciation Language: Words of Affirmation
Recognize a team member by posting a “wanted ad” that highlights their accomplishments and talents. In the description, be sure to include the employee’s name. “Wanted: More employees like Brad S. His dedication, constant commitment to excellence, and sense of humor are one of a kind. Thanks Brad for making XYZ Company a better place to work!”
89. Community Service Event
Appreciation Language: Quality Time, Acts of Service
Take your team to a community service afternoon. Clean up a highway, volunteer at an elementary school, or paint a neighborhood. Be sure to pay your employees for their service time.
90. Invite Employees to a Customer Event
Appreciation Language: Employee Development
Take a star employee to a customer event and introduce them to important partners and customers. This is a great way for employees to rub elbows with other leaders in the community.
91. Boss for the Day
Appreciation Language: Words of Affirmation
Give an employee a chance to be the boss for the day. Let them enjoy manager perks, make decisions, and practice their leadership skills. It’s a great way to develop employees and honor them for leadership abilities.
92. Role Shadowing
Appreciation Language: Employee Development, Quality Time
Provide opportunities for employees to job shadow positions they are interested in exploring. Not only can this strengthen the connection, but it can also help employees develop a clearer idea of their career goals and pathway.
93. Random Surprises
Appreciation Language: Gifts, Words of Affirmation
Surprise employees with gifts, food, or gift cards. Arrive early and leave them a treat and a note. Send them home early, or give them a useful gadget.
94. Regular Reviews
Appreciation Language: Words of Affirmation, Employee Development, Quality TIme
Annual reviews are far too long between reviews to really help employees. Instead, meet with employees on a regular basis to review their goals, struggles, and tools that will help them succeed. Give quality feedback and recognition regularly so that they can grow and improve better. Nothing is worse than thinking you are on track, only to find out you’ve wasted effort on the wrong activities.
95. Get-Away
Appreciation Language: Quality Time, Gifts
Give a vacation, stay at a hotel, or free airline tickets. A vacation is a big way to say “thanks!” and reward employees.
96. Well-Deserved Raise
Appreciation Language: Gifts
Recognize employees’ constant effort by giving them a deserved raise. A raise tells them that you value their contributions and speaks to their value. It’s especially important that employees feel they are paid fairly in today’s competitive workplace.
97. Bring on the Fun
Appreciation Language: Quality time
Make the workday fun by bringing in games, food, treats, entertainment, or taking time for a round of mini-golf.
98. Great Benefits
Appreciation Language: Gifts
If you don’t already offer them, start adding to your employee benefits package. Add parental leave, paid time off, pet leave, or employee discounts. Benefits are one of the biggest ways employers show employees they value them.
99. Custom T-Shirts
Appreciation Language: Words of Affirmation, Gifts
Buy quality T-Shirts and print recognition designs on them. Hand them out when you see a quality you appreciate from employees. Employees wear their t-shirts and others know they’ve been recognized. Consider a club with set designs. Employees can collect a shirt from each category.
100. Chocolate Chips
Appreciation Language: Gifts
Hand out chocolate chips to thank employees for “always chipping in ” when they are needed.
101. Nerf War After Hours
Appreciation Language: Quality Time
Host a nerf war at the office after the doors close. Split into teams and enjoy an hour of fun competition. Have a fun prize for the winning team.
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.