8 Employee Appreciation Ideas Everyone in Your Team Will Love

Most companies are full of smart, honest, creative and hardworking people, but only rare collectives acknowledge that fact. So, if you want to have a business that’s thriving and offices full of happy and loyal workers, you need to show your employees some appreciation. Here are some of the best ways to raise morale and show what your workers mean to you.

Make them an important part of your business

Conduct a good analysis of your company’s website and pay extra attention to ‘Meet the Team’ section of your page. If it’s only introducing and praising the top level staff, it’s time to make some changes! While it’s not always possible to put everyone on the website, a fair number of workers deserves to be publicly praised. This move will not only let your customers get familiar with the whole team, but it will also boost your workers’ morale and show the world what they’re worth. Let them write their own bios, create their own caricatures or design their digital avatars!

Celebrate those birthdays

While some employees prefer to keep a low profile, others love a good birthday bash! It’s very easy to organize a quick birthday party during your break or after work hours. You can order some tasty food, get cold drinks for everyone and finish with a cake! And, when it comes to the birthday present, a day off that they can use whenever they want is always a great way to reward your workers. A day off from certain company chores or least favorite tasks is also a nice little treat!

Make a work anniversary party

One great way to celebrate your workers and retain them in your company is to throw anniversary parties, especially one year marks! Celebrating this milestone provides a much-needed boost in motivation and enthusiasm and reengages your employees’ involvement in the company. Of course, you don’t have to go all-in with this party, but some cake and drinks at the end of the workday will definitely show your appreciation and boost your employee’s confidence and moral.

Hand out gift cards

Even though a personalized gift is always the best solution as an employee appreciation present, you simply can’t go wrong with gift cards! Get a practical prepaid Visa card that can be used in any physical or internet store that accepts Visa or Mastercard! This way, there will be no more unwanted gifts or expired gift cards. Your employees will get to buy what they want, where they want and when they want it!  You can even pick different Happy Birthday or Congrats card designs so that your gift card fits the occasion, or create a completely custom card that can end up being very funny and playful! Your employees will definitely know how to appreciate the thought.

Have an informal lunch

No matter whether small or large, group lunches are a great way to see your employees outside of the company grounds and enjoy an informal time together. This will give you an opportunity to get to know your team, check their work satisfaction and just show them they have your ear. Even some serious business issues can be discussed and resolved over some burgers and fries!

Give out awards

Every responsible boss knows who Michel Scott from The Office is. And, even though he’s a nightmare most of the time, he cares for his staff and has some fun and innovative ideas on how to inspire and encourage his team. Michel created “The Dundies”, silly awards he hands out to his employees for various achievements and milestones. So, why not try something similar and equally humorous? Think of funny award categories, organize a yearly award ceremony and expect to have buckets of laughter with your team! Employee-of-the-year is so passé.

Become a mentor

Mentoring is a great way to show that you care about your staff’s future and their improvement. Mentoring programs can teach your team great lessons, put them in place of authority and create a sense of responsibility and caring. If done right, mentoring is a win-win situation where all parties benefit and become better workers and people!

Recognize their off-work achievements

Your workers have amazing lives outside of the office, too! They create, achieve, improve, volunteer and do all sorts of interesting and admirable things. So, if you have the chance, brag about your staff and show the entire team that it’s full of outstanding individuals!

Showing that you care about your team and appreciate their loyalty and efforts is quite easy. However, if you need a little push, these creative ideas above will definitely help you with your employee appreciation and morale boost!  

***This was a Guest Post written by Claire Adams***

Claire is a personal and professional development expert who believes that positive attitude is one of the keys to success.

You can find her online writing and giving tips about lifestyle and development as a regular contributor to High Style Life.