How to Thank Employees for Employee Appreciation Day
After the year we all had in last year, I think employees and team members need to be recognized more than ever! Here is a guide on how to thank employees for Employee Appreciation Day.
Here are 3 ways (2 don’t cost money) to say thank you this March.
But first, Why…
It has been proven over and over in countless studies, that an employee that does not feel valued or recognized is way more likely to leave the organization. In some cases after 3-6 months of working there. They aren’t even fully trained at that point!?
You don’t need me to tell you how much of a burden this is both financially and on morale of your organization.
Next, Who…
Recognition can come from peers and co-workers, but often means much more when it comes from upper management and leadership. If you really want your team to feel like you love them, and you should, take some time to figure out how you want to say thank you and don’t half ass it!
Finally, here’s how to thank your employees and show appreciation…
Ok so here’s the juicy part. There are 3 ways that you can effectively say Thank You, and they don’t need to cost money!
1) Give out a hand written thank you card.
There are a number of services that you can sign up for that will take your message and send as many hand written cards as you would like. This is a nice feature if like me your handwriting is completely unreadable. This is nice, but personally I think it’s best if you actually put pen to paper and write a thoughtful card.
Bonus Tip – Don’t use the same message in every card, this defeats the purpose!
2) Gather your team and make it public.
In today’s world, you may be working virtually or have a limited in person staff and that’s ok. For this method, you can use Zoom or an in person gathering and get your team together. This definitely needs to come from the leader or manager so don’t be shy. Go through person by person and say why you are thankful for them or what they have given to the company over the past year or however long they have been there. I know Thanksgiving is in November, but when was the last time you didn’t appreciate a genuine thank you?
Bonus Tip – if you combine a public thank you with a handwritten note, you get exponential results!
3) Hand out company merch (this is where I come in)
Think about every sports team ever, they all have a uniform. I don’t think that everyone needs to wear the same shirt everyday, that would get boring, but having at least a few shirts with the “team” logo on it goes a long way. This can be a simple T-shirt or an elaborate company branded gift box. We have options for every budget. There is no better way to feel connected to an organization than to wear the logo. This is why I love what I do so much! When an employee, customer, or fan wears your logo voluntarily, that speaks volumes. They are saying this is my tribe, these are my people, and this is part of my identity. This type of engagement with a brand is the highest level of fulfilment one can achieve from an external source (search Maslow’s hierarchy of needs for more info).
Bonus Tip – you guessed it, publicly hand out the new merch and stick a thank you note in the bag and you’ll have a team of people who feel like they not only belong, but know that they are loved and appreciated.
Click here to work with us or get a quote now.