For 30 years, companies across the US have been observing Employee Appreciation Day.
Started in 1995 by Dr. Bob Nelson, this celebration was established to gently remind employers to recognize the hard work their employees do at least once a year (and to hype up the publication of his book “1,001 Ways to Reward Employees,” but we’ll look past this as a clever marketing ploy for now).
This staff-focused holiday happens every first Friday of March, but despite the fact that employers should have gotten in 30 reps by now, it feels like it’s not getting any easier to find a gift that rings true and shows real gratitude.
Let’s be honest. Branded water bottles, one-time pizza parties, and standalone swag just don’t scream “I sincerely appreciate you!” like they used to.
Today, employers are faced with the task of finding ways to show thanks for the work their team does day in and day out while balancing their budget, individual preferences, and nuanced changes in the employer-employee relationship throughout time.
If all of this seems like too much and you’re already halfway to clicking “Add to Cart” on a stack of Amazon gift cards, hold up. Read on to see why a more intentional gift may benefit your company in the long run and learn just how easy it is to tick all the boxes for a great Employee Appreciation Day this year.
Mind the Gap: How Employers and Employees Perceive Appreciation
When it comes to the question, “Do employees feel appreciated?” there’s a serious disparity in answers depending on who you ask.
More than half of managers feel they provide timely employee recognition, while half as many employees would agree. In a nutshell, there’s no denying the growing chasm between employees and employers.
This perception gap leaves employees yearning for more from their workplace experience, and employers are stranded, scratching their heads and wondering what else they could be doing.
Three in four employees wish they felt more valued in the workplace, and the onus for improving these metrics is on the employer. When it comes to fostering a better culture and appreciation in the workplace, leaders need to start with some serious self-reflection.
Too often, leaders show appreciation in ways that are easiest for them. This could be doling out leftovers from the swag closet, sending out quick and easy gift cards, recognizing many people in one generic email, or finding ways to show appreciation for as little moolah as possible. Leaders may also lean too much on how they’ve been shown recognition in the past without seeing that trends have changed over the past decade (or three).
The best place to start in closing this gap is for leaders to switch their thinking from “What can I give my team to show appreciation?” to “What does my team need in order to feel appreciated?” Gaining empathy for your unique workplace and team is the springboard to a better Employee Appreciation Day.
Next, employers need to hold a microscope to their current employee recognition and rewards programs and see if they follow the tenets of truly impactful gestures.
When asked what makes recognition mean something to them, employees named these characteristics as must-haves:
- Authentic: Recognition feels like it means something coming from the person who sent it.
- Timely: Recognition is given shortly after something good is completed.
- Personalized: Recognition feels personalized to each recipient.
- Public: Recognition is given in front of others on a team or the company.
- Aligned: Recognition is connected to the company's mission and values.
TL;DR: One-size-fits-all tokens of appreciation given once per year don’t hit the mark for modern employees. But before you write it off as a lost cause and go on with business as usual, consider the costs of subpar appreciation.
The ROI of Employee Appreciation
While solid vibes and increased morale should be reason enough to invest in Employee Appreciation Day at your company, that type of priceless feel-good stuff doesn’t always fly with the finance team.
If you’re in the position where you need to make a case for a bigger budget to celebrate employees, there are real data and cost-based reasons you can lean into to prove that this investment is worth your while.
Retain more employees.
You may assume that pay (or lack thereof) is the main reason people leave their company for another. Despite how loudly money speaks, a surprising 79% of people who quit their jobs actually cite “lack of appreciation” as their reason for finding greener pastures.
With each departure, team morale, productivity, and engagement all take a hit until a suitable replacement is hired, which is not cheap in itself. Depending on the type of role you need to fill, it could cost twice as much as that employee’s annual salary to hire a replacement. Between job listings, interview cycles, onboarding, and training, replacing an experienced teammate costs far more than the cost of keeping that employee around with a little appreciation.
Bump up productivity.
You can’t control how excited your employees are about the actual work they’re doing, but you can affect how excited they are to come to work and at least try their best. Nearly 84% of employees say that regular recognition would make them more motivated to do well at work, and 78% feel they’d be more productive.
You don’t have to be a business whiz to know that when your team is more motivated and productive, your bottom line will benefit. The simple act of showing appreciation regularly could be the difference between scaling up or scaling back.
Dodge negative reviews (and attract hot talent).
If an employee resigns because they’re feeling unappreciated, you can bet they’re heading to sites like Glassdoor to leave a less-than-awesome review. Ex-employees are more likely to leave a negative review of their time at your company if they left on iffy terms, with 40% awarding a measly 1-star to the company they left. Yikes.
Negative feedback can be a great tool for improving your processes and workplace culture, but in the short-term, a public display of your pitfalls can damage your company’s reputation. Nearly 90% of job-seekers pore over company reviews before applying, so a string of comments citing low or no appreciation could be driving good talent to your competitors.
Provide amazing customer experiences.
The employee experience you nurture in your company can have a massive impact on your end customers. This point is especially important to note for companies with customer-facing employees, like a customer support team, waitstaff, salespeople, and beyond.
The cycle is simple: Happier employees are excited to serve customers, and in turn, customers have more positive experiences. When a customer has a standout experience, they’re likely to spend more money and return again, padding your bottom line considerably more than if your employees were unhappy and just going through the motions. So if customer loyalty and low churn are on your list of goals this year, happy employees are a major tactic to achieving them.
Employees who feel appreciated and receive regular recognition in some form are, simply put, happier people. No one wants to be a nameless cog in the corporate machine doing thankless work. The great news is that with minimal effort, you can
How to Nail Appreciation Gifts for Every Employee: In-office, Hybrid, or Fully Remote
The idea of satisfying every person on your payroll seems impossible, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put in the effort to try and make it happen. Remember, every act of appreciation doesn’t need to cost much — or any — money.
Simple, consistent shout-outs, thank-yous, and positive feedback (even if coupled with some not-so-positive feedback) go a long way in fueling employee appreciation. However, when it comes to bigger events, like employee anniversaries and Employee Appreciation Day, intentional gifts will go a long way.
Here are a few easy steps to ensure your next Employee Appreciation Day is everything your team wants it to be:
Step 1. Get to know your team
First, it doesn’t hurt to understand what your employees like (or don’t like). Create simple surveys with tools like Typeform or Google Forms that ask for each employee’s likes, dislikes, and dietary restrictions or allergies that can be quickly filled out during their onboarding. Funnel answers into a spreadsheet you can reference when it comes time to gift throughout the year.
This is a light lift that will make a big impact on your gift choices (and sap the stress that comes from guessing). After all, nothing will make an employee feel less appreciated than receiving a gift they can’t even enjoy.
Step 2. Make a gift fulfillment plan
Next, come up with a fulfillment plan so no employee gets overlooked regardless of where they work.
Studies show that of employees who feel highly appreciated at their company, 50% work in-office, 35% are hybrid, and only 15% are full remote. This means that employers tend to have an “out of sight, out of mind” approach to workers they don’t see face-to-face as often, but it doesn’t have to be this way.
Put equal emphasis on all your employees by gifting from brands using modern gifting technology. For example, Zest is an online gifting platform that makes it painfully easy for employers to send gifts to everyone who’s in-office, fully remote, or working anywhere in-between.
Shop from any online brand using Zest on their site and you can:
- Send thoughtful gifts to hundreds of people in minutes, not hours, through one single transaction.
- Choose to send gifts directly to your recipients or ship all the gifts to the office for disbursement (or place two orders, one for shipping directly to remote workers and one that sends gifts to your HQ for in-office employees).
- Quickly upload a CSV with delivery info like addresses or emails for e-gifting (no addresses needed).
Brands leveraging modern gifting technology make sending gifts to everyone on your team a fast task. Flexibility in fulfillment ensures no employees fall through the appreciation cracks. Before you start shopping, decide how you want to deliver gifts to your unique team, then find brands that fit the experience you’re after.
Step 3. Go shopping (with intention)!
Now that you have a better understanding of what your team likes (or what will cause some a terrible allergic reaction), and a plan for how you want to send gifts to your team members near and far, it’s time for the best part — shopping.
The best Employee Appreciation Day gift is going to balance thoughtfulness, personalization, and your budget. For the latter, it’s good to know that more than 75% of employees equate the quality of a gift and how much they’re appreciated, so it’s important to seek out quality goods that fit your budget.
If you are looking for a benchmark dollar amount, though, it’s time to crack out the calculator. According to Glenn Elliott, CEO of employee engagement platform Reward Gateway, the average business socks away 2% of its revenue for employee recognition.
Luckily, there are many high-quality gifts tapping modern gifting technology at a wide variety of price points. From gift boxes and meat to wine, chocolate, and cookies, popular brands are able to fit even modest budgets, so there’s no excuse for scrounging the dusty swag closet this Employee Appreciation Day.
Employee Appreciation Gifts People Love (and Are Easy to Send)
If making quick work of sending high-quality gifts to everyone on your team sounds like a plan you want in on, look no further. This catalog of ecommerce brands all use the Zest gifting platform to make your life easier.
Send hundreds of thoughtful gifts, complete with personalized gift notes, to all your employees in the click of a button. Once you place your order, you can always check back into your very own gifting account to see gift statuses, download receipts, and ensure all your gifts are being delivered.
Brands Using Zest Make for the Best Employee Appreciation Day
Employee Appreciation Day may seem like just another day (or one man’s mid-’90s marketing strategy), but for your employees, it represents their hard work being acknowledged and valued. Skipping it is enough to drive good people out of your business or even keep new talent from applying.
Taking the time to understand your squad, find a thoughtful gift, and deliver to all of them in-office or otherwise is a foolproof way to ensure your staff feels seen. Seeking out brands using Zest ensures you have your pick of quality gifts at many price points, the flexibility you need to deliver your gifts digitally or ship them directly, the ability to personalize each present with a thoughtful note, and the ability to do it all in just a few minutes.
The next step? Turning appreciation into a year-round habit so your team feels the love in March and beyond.
