Employee Appreciation Day is March 1st 2024
Show your team they're important
- Employee engagement is the number one driver of employee satisfaction and retention.
- Only 33% of employees in the US are engaged in their jobs
- Recognition is the number one driver of engagement and the best way to make employees feel valued
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National Employee Appreciation Day
National Employee Appreciation Day is March 1st 2024. Get set now to honor and recognize those who keep your organization running.
Recognizing and rewarding your employees will energize them and help build a positive organizational culture.
Validating and valuing employees with meaningful recognition is the most important factor in determining job satisfaction and motivating people to do more productive work.
68 percent of HR professionals agreed that recognition has a positive impact on retention, according to the Society for Human Resource Management.
Add impact when showing appreciation
Giving thanks, such as through verbal or written acknowledgment, fosters a positive work culture.
Appreciation is far more memorable when coupled with a concrete expression of gratitude.
There are thousands of ways to reward employees through the use of online incentives and rewards.
We can show you in just a few minutes.
Let your recipients choose!
Employee Appreciation Day is about your employees! Swag is great for new employees, but when reinforcing your appreciation, make sure each employee is delighted with their reminder of your appreciation.
Curate a selection of options to please everyone, even in the most eclectic organization.
Gift Cards – Local – National – International
Merchandise – Personal Care – Electronics
Payments – PayPal – Venmo – Deposit to Debit
Virtual Cards – Visa – Mastercard – AMEX
85,000+ local gift card options, Merchandise, and Payments let you curate a dazzling selection of choices for even the most diverse audiences.
Talent is challenging to retain
- 37% of US employees consider personal recognition the single most important driver of encouraging better work. That’s considerably higher than the 7% who said “pay me more” was the most important motivator.
- A Workhuman study found that people who were thanked at work in the last month are only half as likely to be looking for a new job.
- Recognizing employees’ contributions is essential — especially now with the continuing struggle to acquire talent.
Why celebrate Employee Appreciation Day?
- Employee retention is critical to the success of your company, and hiring is costly.
- The great resignation is still top of mind.
- When employees feel valued, they perform better.
- Employees who know they’re contributing positively to the organization feel more valued.
- Employees who see the results of their contributions and are acknowledged for them will work harder.
Save time and money
Thousands of HR professionals use TruCentive to recognize employees around the world. Whether it’s a symbol of appreciation for the entire organization, enabling managers, or focusing on specific individuals, we make it easy and cost-effective.
- The average U.S. claim rate on digital employee incentives under $100 is eighty-four percent. That means you are paying a 16% premium on every incentive. With TruCentive, you only pay for claimed incentives, no waste!
- Last year, organizations that used incentives to engage and recognize employees on National Employee Recognition Day spent under four people hours for planning and budgeting, yet over 36 hours managing the delivery process. With TruCentive, we’ll help you design and deliver recognition for one to ten thousand employees that will delight your recipients in less than two hours!
- We make it easy; we’ll help you design your delivery and message, add your logo, and personalize your design. When it’s time, we can help you load and delivery your list and show you how easy it is to add that new employee or change a delivery!
Employee Appreciation Day History
Employee Appreciation Day is an event observed on the first Friday in March, meant for employers to give thanks or recognition to their employees. It was created by Dr. Bob Nelson, a founding member of Recognition Professionals International, in 1995 to celebrate the publication of his book 1,001 Ways to Reward Employees and to remind employers to thank their employees when they do good work. Dr. Bob did his doctoral dissertation on why managers do or do not recognize their employees. He has since helped thousands of companies create a Culture of Recognition in their organization with significant impacts on employee retention, performance, and the ability to attract talent.
Though the holiday is still gaining in adoption in the US and abroad, like Boss’s Day, Employee Appreciation Day has become an opportunity for managers, company leadership, and HR to remember the importance of appreciating employees. Companies often celebrate by letting employees leave early, offering gifts, events, or special recognition for workers. Such publications as Inc. magazine, Forbes, and Boston.com, have written about the holiday to remind employers to recognize and reward employee effort and to offer tips for building a stronger corporate culture through appreciation.
Studies show that recognition and appreciation are growing in importance as drivers of employee happiness and engagement. Showing employees appreciation can result in a company’s higher retention rate, increasing not only the productivity of employees but the company. This has resulted in more and more companies and organizations using the day to thank their employees.
National Employee Appreciation Day Messages
“We are so grateful for all of the hard work and dedication that you bring to the team every day. Thank you for your contributions and for making our company a better place.”
“Your commitment and passion for your work is truly inspiring. We are so lucky to have you on our team. Thank you for all that you do.”
“We express our deepest gratitude for your contributions to the company. Your hard work and dedication do not go unnoticed, and we are so grateful to have you on our team.”
“Your positive attitude and willingness to go above and beyond make a real difference in the success of our company. Thank you for all that you do.”
“We are incredibly lucky to have you on our team. Your talent and dedication have played an instrumental role in our success. Thank you for all that you do.”
“On Employee Appreciation Day, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks for your hard work and dedication. You are a valuable asset to the company, and we are so grateful to have you on our team.”
“We are so thankful for your contributions to the company and for the positive impact that you make every day. Your hard work and dedication are truly appreciated.”
“We want to take a moment to express our deep appreciation for your hard work and dedication. You are an essential part of our team, and we are so grateful to have you on board.”
“We are so fortunate to have you on our team. Your expertise and dedication have made a tremendous impact on our company. Thank you for all that you do.”
“On Employee Appreciation Day, we want to extend our warmest thanks for your hard work and dedication. You are a valuable team member, and we are so grateful to have you on board.”
“We couldn’t have done it without you! Thank you for your hard work and dedication.”
“You are an integral part of this team, and we are grateful for all of your hard work and effort.”
“Your positive attitude and enthusiasm are contagious and make the workplace a better place.”
“We appreciate your willingness to take on new challenges and your dedication to achieving success.”
“Your contributions to this company have been vital to its success. Thank you for all that you do.”
“We are lucky to have you on our team. Thank you for your hard work and dedication.”
“Your positive attitude and willingness to help others make you an invaluable member of the team.”
“Thank you for your hard work, dedication, and unwavering commitment to excellence.”
“You have helped to make this company a great place to work. Thank you for your contributions.”
“We appreciate your willingness to go the extra mile and your dedication to making the company a success.”
“We are so grateful for all that you do. Your dedication and commitment to excellence do not go unnoticed.”
“Your positive attitude and willingness to go above and beyond make you a valuable asset to the team.”
“We appreciate your commitment to the company and your dedication to making it a better place for us all.”
“Your contributions to the team have been invaluable. Thank you for all that you do.”
“Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication. Your contributions to the team are greatly appreciated.”
National Employee Appreciation Day Ideas
Employee Appreciation Day is a day set aside to recognize and show gratitude for the hard work and dedication of employees. Here are a few ideas for how to celebrate and show appreciation for your team:
Host a company-wide breakfast or lunch to show appreciation for the team’s hard work.
- Breakfast and lunch events tend to be more casual and a great opportunity for employees to ask questions.
- You can make your event in-person or virtually.
- Deliver a choice of DoorDash, Grubhub, and Uber Eats to employees.
- Schedule deliveries 15 minutes before your event time.
Give out small gifts or bonuses to show appreciation for the team’s hard work and dedication.
- Reinforce your message with a little something extra as a reminder.
- Give recipients an option to avoid gift choice blowback.
- Mix merchandise, gift cards, local gift cards, and virtual and payment options.
Organize a group team-building event or outing, such as a day trip or group activity, to show appreciation for the team’s hard work and dedication.
- Send managers Visa gift cards to support the team activities
- Eliminate expense reporting and make it easy for managers. The average expense report costs over $35 to process.
Send personal thank-you messages to team members to show appreciation for their hard work and dedication.
- Send via SMS or email.
- Use personalization fields to automatically insert a personal note to each employee right from your employee list load.
Give employees the option to take a day or half-day off or have a flexible schedule to show appreciation for their hard work and dedication.
- Send them home with a gift card for lunch!
Sponsor a happy hour to give teams time to engage in a more formal environment.
- Send each employee a Visa card for the food or drinks of their choice.
- Turn your happy hour into a brainstorming session for creative ways to improve work life, product features, or customer satisfaction.
- Host an awards ceremony to recognize and honor team members for their hard work and dedication.
- Plan prizes for those who are recognized.
- Let them choose from merchandise, gift cards, and payments. Don’t forget local gift card options.
Create a “wall of fame” or “employee of the month” program to recognize and honor team members for their hard work and dedication.
- Add prize selections and show what each person chose as their prize to add to the conversation.
- Recipient choice deliveries make it easy to track gift selections.
Have a “bring your pet to work day” to show appreciation for the team’s hard work and dedication and incorporate some fun in the office.
- Give out a popular pet store or spa gift card to participants or contest winners.
Create a “volunteer day” for your company, where employees can come together to give back to the community, showing appreciation for the team’s hard work and dedication.
- Give lunch delivery gift cards during the event.
- Give thank you for your participation, thank you gifts, or gift card options.
Show appreciation for remote workers by sending them gifts and care packages to show they are valued and appreciated.
Have a “pimp my workspace” event.
- Add fun merchandise to personalize the workspace.
- Include local gift card options for those unique items.
- Add tech, lighting, and other options that make work life easier, more comfortable, or more enjoyable.
- Track and share choices for a fun discussion to further engagement.
Learn how organizations like yours are celebrating National Employee Appreciation Day!
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