Some employees may feel neglected by their bosses. But smart leaders who plan and act for the long-term never let this happen because they celebrate employee appreciation day. It’s the best way to build a positive culture, teamwork and loyalty.
It’s also simply the right thing to do.
Which brings us to the Employee Appreciation Day party. If you’re thinking about putting one together, consider the following ideas for creating an appreciation party that employees will actually appreciate.
And by the way, just because March 1 is officially Employee Appreciation Day, that does not mean you can only do it that day. Employees will appreciate a party no matter what day you choose to do it.
Employee Appreciation Day
Here are a few things you want to accomplish at your Employee Appreciation Day party.
Say Thank You
Many employees feel that management only speaks with them when there is a problem – and that, sadly, is often the case. Take the time to thank good employees for all the work they do. If you do thank employees but only by an “at the end of the day” email you send off on your way out the door, take the time to create handwritten thank you notes and distribute them at the party. Employees will not only remember the gesture but work even harder for you.
Public Praise
Whatever kind of event you hold, make sure to have a part of it involve praising people for their accomplishments in front of their peers. Make it clear that while you work in management, you recognize the importance of what every single person on your team does to achieve business goals.
Team Building
Many great friendships have started at events such as Employee Appreciation Day parties. Consider offering games they can play together or obstacle courses that promote teamwork and competition. Those kinds of situations – as long as it involves healthy competition – can give employees a chance to have fun and get to know each other better.
Off-Site Team Building Activities
If you want to do more than just have pizza in the break room, the following ideas can get you thinking about different ways to show employees you appreciate them.
Go Off-Site
Take your employees off-site to a park, restaurant, hotel conference room, the beach – anywhere you think they will have a good time. Getting people outside of the office gives them a chance to loosen up and enjoy themselves more than they would in the workplace conference or break room.
Think about these options:
Escape room. This is the latest cool place to take employees. It involves teams solving puzzles and riddles to move through a room and eventually reach the exit.
Casino night. This was made famous back in a 2006 episode of “The Office,” and while it’s been around for many years, it’s still a good way to have fun (if your employees like to gamble). It involves setting up a series of games you’d find in a casino, usually at an offsite location.
Games. Lots of games to choose from. You can pick some fun Midway-style games. You can go for the old-fashioned tug-of-war or musical chairs, or newer games such as Death By Wink. The idea is to give employees something to do that has nothing to do with work.
Powder Paint War. This is designed mostly for kids, but your employees might like it, too. It’s exactly like it sounds – different teams try to hit other teams with powdered paint. It’s kind of the laser tag of the 2010s.
Laser tag. You know this is still pretty fun. Your employees might think so, too.
The point is, whether you have a giant obstacle course or a company picnic, employees feel appreciated. Taking the time to show that you care about what they contribute to the company. It’s a fantastic way to build a culture of collaboration and teamwork at your business.
