Employee Appreciation Day is always the first Friday in March. Surveys have shown that the 2 most important things that employees crave are… APPRECIATION and RECOGNITION by management.
Employee recognition is a powerful motivator.
Most employees never get the appreciation they need to go the extra mile. Appreciation and recognition creates motivation, employee loyalty, and raises employee morale. When people gets recognized, they feel like they want to, not only live up to the recognition, but also surpass it. The best part is that recognition and appreciation don’t have to cost a lot of money.
4 Easy, Fast, and low-cost Employee Appreciation Ideas
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a big impact. These 4 ideas will show you how.
1. Send a handwritten Thank You Letter.
I know that writing thank you letters take time and effort. But consider the impact a personal note of appreciation will make. Visualize the smile on your employees’ faces when they show the notes to their families. While some employees may not have a great achievement, everyone has a quality that you can appreciate. Make a list of everyone in your office and think of one special quality each has. Then include that in your thank you letter.
2. Give Recognition Certificates
So many companies only hand out certificates once a year and only for big accomplishments. They are missing the boat when it comes to motivating all of their employees, because not everyone can be a top performer. There are so many other things you can recognize. One employee may be a great problem solver, another is always willing to help out in a crunch, another has a smile that lights up the room, another may have made great progress, etc. A certificate only takes a minute to print and a few minutes to give at a meeting or a lunch gathering, and has a profound impact.
3. Give Coupons for Time off
You can show your appreciation by awarding coupons for an hour off, half day off, or even a full day off. Time off will be appreciated and cost you less than a gift that cost you money.
4. Have an Employee Appreciation Lunch
Management cooks and serves the employees. That will really make employees feel special, and it will be so much fun to see managers in aprons and chef’s hats. A big pot of home made chili and salad and an appreciation cake make an easy lunch menu.
These are four of the many highly effective and low-cost ways to appreciate your employees. Of course, if you have a bigger budget there are tons of things you can reward your employees with. However, many companies are struggling with tight budgets, and these ideas will be valued by your employees.
Where to get sample Thank You letters, certificates, coupons, and more ideas.
They are all in a very special online Employee Morale Center that has hundreds of low-cost morale boosters that will energize and motivate employees. Here are some of the things in the Employee Morale Center that you can use right now for Employee Appreciation Day.
- Sample Thank You Notes: You know how difficult it is to think of just the right words to say. You can save ton’s of time writing thank you letters by personalizing pre-written ones. These sample thank you letters are professional, yet heartfelt.
- Time Off Coupons – Coupons from a half-hour off, half day off, 1 day off, 2 day’s off and 3 days off. There’s even a 30 minute late coupon. Simply print them out and reward your employees.
- Recognition Certificates – Download and print these colorful certificates. You can recognize your staff for their attitude, skills, achievement, teamwork, and workplace anniversaries. Over 40 certificates to choose from. What’s more, you’ll find anniversary certificates from 1 – 50 years.
- Appreciation Activity Ideas – Over 55 creative appreciation and recognition ideas and activities that will make your employees feel special.
Don’t let Employee Appreciation Day pass by without recognizing your employees. Always remember, what get’s appreciated gets repeated.
