happy hippo

It might seem a while away but ‘Employee Appreciation Day’ is celebrated on 2nd March 2018. This unofficial holiday has been celebrated in the US and Canada for a few years and it has since been trickling its way into the UK. And why shouldn’t it? Employers should always be looking for new ways to thank their teams for their hard work and this holiday serves as a gentle annual reminder to do so.

Why should we take part?

You don’t have to take part, but wouldn’t it be better to ask yourselves why you shouldn’t take part? Perhaps you value and appreciate your teams all-year-round in which case, fantastic!!! However, this is another opportunity to motivate your team and keep them on their toes, just “because”, so why not embrace the opportunity?

Showing appreciation and gratitude to employees will help to increase motivation, provide a sense of belonging, loyalty and team spirit. Don’t forget that whilst people may work hard to meet their targets in order to earn bonuses, this is not the same as showing personal appreciation and gratitude for the effort and loyalty they show.

What can you do?

You can do anything for Employee Appreciation Day! Take your staff for lunch, throw a party, provide a fun activity or game for the day, or perhaps book a team building activity day. Team building days are a bit of a win:win; not only will your teams feel appreciated and valued, you can also use them to help meet organisational goals.

If budgets are small, you could write some thank-you notes for employees to find on their desk in the morning, or send a company email expressing your gratitude. It needn’t be a big part of your budget if you already reward your teams well – saying thank you is free!

Make gifts personal and genuine

If you want to show someone sincere gratitude for the work they do, why not spend some extra time finding out what they like so you can make your gratitude sincere? You don’t have to be best pals with everyone, but simply going through the same old motions each time you want to show appreciation to a team member, could lower the value of it somewhat. Could you buy vouchers for their favourite restaurant? Buy a bottle of a wine they like? A voucher for something they can do with their family? A little thought can go a long way.

Get planning now

You’ll probably find that most employees haven’t given a moments thought to Employee Appreciation Day this year, so why not plan something now and surprise them? Brightstone organise team building days which are fantastic as either fun bonding days, or more focused activities aimed at meeting organisational goals (in a fun way). Whatever you want to get out of it, or however you want to motivate your teams, we can help! Get in touch with Richard!

Contact Brightstone