Today is National Employee Appreciation Day for 2024! It is a special day to shift focus attention on the merits of employees, in all industries. It is celebrated on the first Friday in March every year. . .

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

The day was inspired in the year 1995 by Bob Nelson, a founding Recognition Professional International board member, and his publishing company, Workman Publishing, there by creating National Employee Appreciation Day. Employers across the whole country in businesses and organizations plan employee recognition and celebrations in order to show true appreciation. With this special day employee achievement and their contributions are honored and respected.

👨‍💼 The Employee Delivers:
Employees are always one of any company’s greatest assets, so recognition and appreciation are key motivating factors in any workplace. Employers may show gratitude for employee’s efforts and contributions to meeting the employee’s goals at the same time as meeting the company’s goals in a variety of ways and means. Attaching employee appreciation as part of the business structure can show on a daily and ongoing basis how much value the employee is, and keeps employee morale in the workplace very high. While companies showing employees how much appreciation that is deserved, an employer can show care just by asking the employee how to be thanked. Employers can find it very beneficial to ask for inputs in order to better serve the industry overall. Employee involvement goes a long way, and regular meeting also improve that ongoing relationship with the employee. Constant communication inspires including original issued employee handbooks during hiring, regular meetings, and establishing a real team effort can go a long way in developing very great skills at keeping an ongoing process of employee appreciation throughout the whole year. Earning an award, a thank you, or recognition really goes very far in motivating to reach higher goals to the benefit of not only the business or organization, but also the employee.

👩‍💼 Methods of Expressing Gratitude Towards The Employee:
There are many ways and means at developing a process of ongoing morale boosters in any organization or business:

• By always showing the employee the value of the service provided.
• Always being as flexible as possibly available, because flexibility goes a long way in reaping huge benefits when large amounts of last-minute work done or when it comes to having overtime availability.
• Giving a thank you note shows employees appreciation way more than just a slap on the back or an e-mail.
• Team-effort celebrations show the team appreciation that the make it happen, and the reward is more than inspiring! An office pizza party, a casual dress day, or a close the office early day can go so far to show appreciation so that well-earned time can be spent with family.
• Letting employees know the great job fulfilled give the employee the credit really deserved. By letting it be known when the employee is best at something, it is also makes a very positive response on the employer’s clients. This also makes for a classic arrangement to setting expectations for repeat performance.
• Creating the aura of encouragement so that employees who expand horizons by bringing in new skills to the workforce and will encourage other employees to do so also. Praising achievements and encouraging others to pursuing goals go a long way.
  Just sharing favorite ways to be appreciated by providing employee surveys. Being an employee, answering these honestly make sure that you continue to replenish your commitments and also keep you in synchronization with your goals while meting your employer’s goals.

📋 Being Real:
Employers can find it very beneficial to ask for input in order to better serve industry overall. While employees’ personalities differ, most employees are really still going to be goal-driven people. Employee involvement goes a long way, and regular meeting also improve that ongoing relationship with the employee. Constant communication inspires that both employer and employee are on the same page, and that the employer and employee expectations aren’t going in different directions. Also, from the get-go, always having human resources completing the hiring process in which an employee handbook is given out upon hiring. This goes very far, not only in having everyone’s mutual goals on the same page, but also for legal reasons. Should anything happen where a court setting is construed, the trial will always reflect directly what is in the dialog of the employee handbook’s writing. A lot of times the expectations of any employee can go the wrong direction, because there was no disclosure of facts of just establishing a rule of thumb upon hiring, by the company having an established employee handbook. By not having a handbook, rule of law becomes the real and only rule, and the direction of any legal case will be devastating for the employer because judges almost always cite with the employees best interests. By not having the employee handbook, the goals may be vague for the employee’s expectations.

👵 Employees Always Respond Positively to Recognition:
Showing appreciation and also recognizing the employee’s dedication, hard work, inspiration and involvement lets the employee know how important what they do every day is in relation to the business or organization.

🧓🏼 How To Let Employees Know How They Are Appreciated:
Just by asking. Create surveys, questionnaires or checklists–by paper, emails, texts or however the employee feels most comfortable. By making the employee feel relaxed and comfortable, the employer is letting it be known that they want to show real appreciation in ways that have value.

🧾 Some Resources for Employee Recognition and Boosting Employee Morale:
Here are a few important resources for your reference:

• Recognition Professional International

• Managing Employee Recognition Programs & Employee Recognition Vendors Tool + More

• Employee Recognition Resources | Division of Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness

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National Employee Appreciation Day