Have you thanked your employees lately? It’s high time, and Employee Appreciation Day is the perfect reason to do so. Employee Appreciation Day is celebrated every year on the first Friday of March. It was started in 1995 by Bob Nelson of the Recognition Professionals International. The observance was created to give organizations a day to recognize and appreciate employees for their hard work and efforts to make their company successful throughout the year.
Employee Appreciation Day is not an official holiday, which means that employees still need to report to work, but many businesses celebrate on the company premises, giving employees a little bit of time away from their desks to commemorate the special day. Some company bosses even give awards to outstanding employees during employee gatherings.
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Here at SEO National, Employee Appreciation Day gives us a chance to recognize the talent, capabilities, and dedication of our SEO specialists, website developers, and designers in their efforts to continuously make the company a recognized leader in the industry.
In 2007, I took the plunge and launched SEO National. It’s been a pretty amazing ride, optimizing websites for the NBA’s Utah Jazz’s Team Store, Shark Tank-featured businesses, and Inc. 5000 companies. But I’ve only been able to make this company thrive because I’m backed by an amazing team.
It has been my experience that employees who feel appreciated are far more productive and happy. If you are looking to treat your employees right for Employee Appreciation Day, here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Write a note. A handwritten thank you note is a rare commodity in today’s digital world, but it can make a strong statement of gratitude.
- Show them the door. Not really—but just for a couple of hours. Allowing everyone to leave work a little earlier than usual is a great way to make your team feel appreciated.
- Treat them to lunch. Order in lunch for your staff or take them out to a restaurant. As a side bonus, this can build camaraderie as people bond over their Employee Appreciation Day lunch.
- Give awards. This doesn’t have to be anything formal, and can even be humorous, but you could have a brief ceremony during which you honor employees for different contributions to your organization. You can do this on the cheap by making certificates on your computer to present to your winners.
- Give a gift. Whether it be a gift certificate to a popular restaurant or a piece of swag, everybody loves free gifts.
Don’t get so busy that you forget to take the time to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day in style. All of us like to feel appreciated, so make your employees’ day by doing a little something extra on March 1.