Show ‘Em Some Love! 10 Rewarding Employee Appreciation Ideas

As a responsible business owner, you know how crucial your employees are. Without them, your business wouldn’t be able to operate, after all. Perhaps it’s time you give them a little bit of your appreciation for their hard work.

In fact, employee appreciation goes a long way toward productivity in the workplace. Employees who feel valued are likely to work harder and stay at their positions for longer.

Consider what one study shows about employee appreciation and its connection with company loyalty. It indicates that 79% of employees who quit their jobs say that underappreciation was the main reason.

In other words, employee appreciation is worth the investment of your company’s time and money. The good news is that you’ve come to the right place by reading this article. Detailed below are ten ideas that you should consider to show your employees how much you value their time and dedication.

1. To Start, Remember Employee Appreciation Day!

It’s fortunate for you that a standard holiday for your employees already exists. It’s up to you, though, to take advantage of it.

Every year, Employee Appreciation Day falls on the first Friday in March. Keep up with other companies by making sure you remember to do something special for the people who work for you.

2. Implement Regular Social Gatherings

It’s a good idea to have company social events for more reasons than one. First, cultivating a sense of community amongst your employees will help them want to stick around. Second, you’ll get the recognition for making work-life a little more fun!

Think about what scheduled events would work best for your workforce. Should you invite everyone to happy hour at a local bar every week? Would it be more prudent to have monthly office parties, instead?

3. Throw a Big Employee Holiday Party Every Year

Whether or not you schedule consistent social events, throwing a holiday party every season will go a long way in developing employee loyalty. Think about it – no one likes working during the holiday season.

Why not organize a gift swap and treat your employees to some cheer and celebration? In fact, many businesses take this time of year to pass out yearly bonuses. Now, that’s a great way to show your employees you appreciate them!

4. Provide Company Awards for Star Employees

One great employee appreciation idea is to pass out awards to employees who’ve earned them. These awards can take any form, but the more sophisticated they are, the more motivating they are. That’s why investing in something like these custom crystal awards can really make an impact on in your workplace productivity.

5. Throw a Raffle for Fun Prizes

If providing material gifts suits your style, consider throwing a raffle to give away some prizes. That way, you don’t have to treat everyone to a cool new speaker. At the same time, raffles keep your employees engaged and excited to stay involved.

6. Stay on Top of Everyone’s Birthdays

It’s important to show your employees that you care for them on a more human level than workplace productivity. One way to do that is by celebrating everyone’s birthday on your team.

Giving small, individual gifts on birthdays is one way to go about it. If that seems too involved for you, though, consider celebrating birthdays for the entire workforce on a monthly schedule. Even that event would show your workers that you value being involved in their personal lives as much as you value their work efforts.

7. Never Forget to Praise Top-Quality Performance

Speaking of valuing your employees on a human level, it’s important to always praise good work. When a worker’s performance exceeds expectations, be willing to reward them or provide positive feedback. Even constructive criticism can go a long way in proving you value an employee and his or her contribution to your company.

8. Don’t Be Afraid to Give Out Surprises

Maybe scheduled birthday events or social gatherings is too complicated for how your company is run. You might be more interested in treating your employees with surprise gift cards or gift baskets. If that’s the case, don’t be shy when it comes to treating them whenever you feel like it!

9. Develop a Peer-to-Peer Recognition Program

It’s good practice to get your employees used to praising each other as much as you reward their efforts. There are many versions of peer-to-peer employee recognition you can implement. Do some online research to see how you can start a program that cultivated positivity and productivity in the workplace.

10. Invite Their Feedback and Perspectives

In addition to getting feedback about each other, be willing to seek all kinds of feedback from your employees. Inviting them to provide their perspectives on business operations can have more than one benefit, after all.

Not only are you showing your employees that you appreciate their point of view and involvement in the business. You’ll also learn about how to better optimize your business’s systems and productions, too.

Continue Investing in the Future of Your Company

At this point in the article, you should have a pretty good idea of how to promote proper employee appreciation. Your team deserves to know their work is valuable to you. At the same time, you deserve the peace of mind that comes from knowing your employees will stick around.

We’re dedicated to bringing you all of the latest and greatest guidance and best business practices of the day. That’s why we encourage you to browse through the rest of our blog to continue investing in your company and its future success.