3 Meaningful Ways to Celebrate Employee Appreciation Day

Employee Appreciation Day falls on the first Friday of March every year. How can companies meaningfully celebrate their employees and all the good work they do?

Employee Appreciation Day is a great opportunity for businesses to recognize their employees for the great things they do each day. Many organizations wouldn’t be what they are without the people who work there—at Progress, that is certainly true. Employee Appreciation Day is a yearly reminder to take the time to celebrate all that a company’s employees have accomplished.

But what is the best way to do that? How can organizations make sure they’re celebrating their employees in a sincere way? While a free lunch is always a nice perk, some may be wondering if there’s something more they can do to show their gratitude.

Below, we’ve listed three ways businesses can celebrate Employee Appreciation Day.

1. Give a Thoughtful Thank You

Sending out a collective thank-you message to everyone on your team or at your company is a good way to recognize Employee Appreciation Day. But giving a considerate, well-thought-out note to specific employees, highlighting their achievements and contributions? That’s a great way to recognize Employee Appreciation Day.

Whether given in-person, online, publicly or privately, a thoughtful thank you can go a long way. It shows you see the value employees bring to the team or to the company as a whole, and it shows you’re grateful to have them as your colleagues.

2. Respect Employees’ Boundaries

Boundaries have always been a key part of professional life. It’s important to communicate when you’re available, what deadlines are feasible for you and when your personal life needs to take priority over work.

With many companies having adopted either a hybrid or remote model post-COVID, boundaries have become even more important. Understanding that employees can’t always be available—even in a virtual environment—is a simple way to respect your colleagues.

Providing realistic, manageable deadlines at the start of a project is also something to keep in mind. Trusting your employees is essential as well: trusting that they’re doing their best, that they’re capable, and that they’re able to show up for their team.

3. Make Employee Appreciation an Ongoing Priority

Sure, having a day on the calendar dedicated to employee appreciation is great, but what’s better is celebrating the work employees do on a regular basis. This can be done with a simple thank you, a fun activity, some kind of award or an unexpected day off. Recognizing the achievements of your colleagues weekly, monthly or quarterly is a great way to show them that you appreciate them.

You may think about starting a recognition and rewards platform or providing employees with access to educational and wellness resources. Whatever the method, prioritizing employee appreciation will keep your employees feeling engaged and valued.

This Employee Appreciation Day, take the time to recognize the colleagues who you think make your company—and work experience—great. It doesn’t have to be extravagant, but a little thought goes a long way.