30 Employee Appreciation Day Ideas for Small Businesses

Did you know that Jalen Hurts bought his offensive line golf carts to thank them for their hard work? Now, that’s what I call employee appreciation. 

Employee Appreciation Day is a holiday dedicated to thanking your team. As a business owner, your success is rooted heavily in your employees. If they perform well, your business does, too.

Employee Appreciation Day is an excellent chance to show that you value your team’s work. In this post, we’ll tell you when this holiday takes place and review a list of ways to celebrate it at your small business. Let’s get started.

When is Employee Appreciation Day?

Employee Appreciation Day is on the first Friday of March. This year, it’s March 7th. 

What should you do for Employee Appreciation Day?

There are many things you can do for Employee Appreciation Day. In fact, we came up with 30 ideas in the section below. 

But before we dive into that list, the most important thing to remember is that your activity or gift should matter to your employees. It should be something they actually want, whether it’s simple, like a day off, or personal, like a handwritten note. 

Think about your team and what they value, and use the list below to find an idea that won’t break the bank. 

Employee Appreciation Day Ideas

Here are 30 Employee Appreciation Day ideas that are perfect for small businesses. 

1. Give your employees the day off.

Even if you love your job, it’s hard to argue with a day off. Giving employees a break is good for their mental health. It lets them relax and recharge so they can come back to work with 100% effort. 

2. Let your team off early or come in late.

If you can’t afford to take an entire day off, consider letting your team come in a little late or letting them off early. That will give them time to see their loved ones or do one of their favorite hobbies before or after work. 

3. Buy everyone lunch.

Who says there’s no such thing as a free lunch? Buy your team lunch for the day and hand deliver it to each employee. It will give you a chance to thank your workforce personally. 

If your team is on a site, bring in a food truck and pay for everyone’s meal. That way, you don’t have to take meal orders, and everyone can eat together. 

4. Host a company event.

If you want to go a little bigger, you could host a company event, like a field day or a festival. After all, who doesn’t want to sink their boss in the dunk tank? 

The key to these events is to make them simple and convenient. Let team members bring their families and create a sense of community around a game or activity. Food is also a must, so don’t forget to keep people fed with barbecue or catering of their choosing. 

5. Give out gift cards or bonuses.

If you’re looking for a can’t-miss Employee Appreciation Day gift, consider buying gift cards or giving out a bonus. Find out where your team shops or the restaurants they frequent most. For example, a gas card might be perfect if your employees are always on the road.

Note: Gift cards should not replace annual bonuses or promotions. 

6. Go for a team outing.

If you’re looking for a team-building activity, gather your employees and take them on a field trip. You could buy tickets to a sporting event or rent an escape room. These outings should be fun and reflect your team’s interests.

Here’s an example from the Houston Rockets website. You can buy tickets in bulk and go to the game as a team. 

7. Post an employee spotlight on social media. 

If you want to recognize employee performance, you could post a spotlight on your social media channels. Post a picture of your employees and highlight individual achievements from your team.

For example, here’s a restaurant that shouts out each member of its team with an Instagram post. The heartfelt caption grabs your attention, and the slideshow of photos and videos gives you a real sense of this team’s work culture. 

8. Hand out company awards.

Awards are another way you can recognize performance. You could name someone “Employee of the Week” or create your own award categories. 

You can also keep this idea lighthearted by creating comical awards to give your team. Bring your employees together for an “award ceremony” and have them vote on different categories. It’s a fun way to connect with coworkers, and it shows what employees think of each other. 

9. Create an equipment or gear sweepstakes.

If you work in a service industry, you know how important your tools are. Whether you work in plumbing, HVAC, or any other industry that requires you to work on your feet, your equipment is vital to your success.

Gear giveaways are great Employee Appreciation Day gifts. Buy something that your employees really want, then draw a lottery to see who wins it. Be sure to promote the giveaway to your team to increase anticipation leading up to the event. 

10. Donate to your team’s favorite charities.

One way to show your team that you’re aligned with their values is to donate to a charity of their choosing. Use Google Forms to survey your employees and find out which causes they support. Then, donate to each organization in honor of your employees. 

11. Meet for an employee feedback session.

Employee Appreciation Day is also a great opportunity to solicit employee feedback. Find out what roadblocks are preventing your team’s success and brainstorm ways to overcome them. This dedication to your team’s welfare creates a stronger bond with your coworkers. It also shows that you value their input and listen to their opinions.

12. Send Employee Appreciation Day cards.

Thank you cards are a simple way to reward employees at your business. Handwritten notes show that you took time to think of each team member, allowing you to personalize your messages with touching memories. 

Here’s an example of what an Employee Appreciation Day card might look like: 

Source

13. Record a “thank you” video. 

If you can’t meet with each employee, a video might be the best option for your business. Record a “thank you” video for your entire team and highlight some of the key achievements from the past year. Talk about how your team contributed to your business’s success, and make it clear you couldn’t have gotten this far without them. Videos are great because they’re easy to share, and people can watch them during their lunch break or after work. 

14. Share customer feedback.

When you work in a customer-facing role, everyone knows the feeling of creating a great customer experience. When someone validates your work, that feedback means a lot to your team.

Take a moment to share positive customer reviews with your coworkers. Scan your Google Business Profile for the best reviews and find ones that mention specific team members. That will remind your team that you don’t just value their work; your customers do, too. 

Tip: Use this Free Google Review Link Generator to request customer reviews. 

15. Volunteer for community service. 

Another great team-building activity is community service. Not only are you giving back to your community, but you’re bringing your team together around a cause they all support. 

Look for local organizations to volunteer at. Your town website might list these opportunities, or you can Google “volunteer near me.” Consider surveying your team to find out which causes matter to them most. Then, pick one that’s easy to get to and aligns with your company’s work schedule. 

16. Lead a training session.

Employee Appreciation Day can also be an opportunity to teach something to your team. For example, you could lead a customer service course or workshop sales pitches with each employee. That will help them close more deals and create better customer experiences. It will also increase sales for your business and improve your team’s productivity.

17. Bring in a guest speaker.

If you don’t have time to lead a training session, you might consider a guest speaker. Find someone that your team admires or could teach them something interesting. Here’s where you can leverage your business partnerships to find people willing to speak at your company. 

18. Start a friendly competition.

If your team is competitive, you might organize a friendly competition between coworkers – like a company softball game or a field day. If you work in the service industry, try incorporating parts of your job into your competition. 

For example, plumbers could compete to see who can replace a toilet faster. Contractors could also see who could build a fence more quickly. Make sure you record it for social media content. In fact, here’s a candy store that competes to see who can cut their hard candy fastest. 

 

19. Introduce work-life balance programs.

If you want to take a serious approach to Employee Appreciation Day, you could introduce work-life balance programs to your business. For example, you could allow shift-swapping, where employees can trade shifts with each other. Or, provide flexible working hours so team members have more choices in their work schedule. 

These programs can increase productivity by making employees happier and more motivated to work. When people have more freedom with their schedule, they come to work more focused and less distracted by personal issues. 

20. Add an extra break in the day to relax.

Some small businesses don’t have many breaks during the workday. People are strapped for time and hustling to get things done. Giving your team an extra break can be a good way to keep your employees fresh. Extend lunch by an extra half hour or add another coffee break near the end of the day. It’ll allow you to speak directly with your team and see how things are going.

21. Have an after-hours work party.

Happy hours and work parties are still a great way to get to know your team. They’re good for small businesses because these teams are small, and they often spend a lot of time together at work. Getting to know each other personally is easier when you already have strong connections at work.

This is one Employee Appreciation Idea you shouldn’t overthink. Pick a local spot near work and tell everyone when to meet. Buy your team food or drinks and plan it on a Thursday or Friday, when most people have the next day off. 

22. Support your employees’ personal projects.

Do your employees have a passion project? Or maybe there’s a certification they’re studying for? 

If your employees talk about their personal goals or projects, Employee Appreciation Day is a great time to support them. Offer to pay for some or all of their certification exams or buy them materials to use for their projects. This gesture will show that you really listen to your team and care about their interests both inside and outside of work. 

23. Thank employees in your company newsletter.

Some businesses have a company newsletter where they share updates with their employees. If your company has one, it’s a good channel for Employee Appreciation Day because you know your entire team will see it. 

Source

You can use your newsletter to thank individual employees or your entire team. Be sure to include pictures and highlight the major achievements of different team members. Remember to get everyone involved so nobody feels left out. 

24. Build an employee appreciation page for your website.

You can thank your employees on your website if you don’t have a company newsletter. Build a page introducing your team and highlighting different accolades, such as certifications, awards, and milestones.

Not only will this make your employees feel special, but it will also build trust with people researching your brand. They’ll see who they’re working with and what to expect if they hire you. They’ll also see how qualified you are for the job and previous projects that you’ve worked on. This improves your reputation as a business and makes it easier for customers to trust you. 

25. Have your employees take over your social media pages. 

Let your employees do your marketing and give them access to your social media pages for the day. This will give customers a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to work at your business and will be a fun, light-hearted activity for your team. This strategy is good for when you’re having a slow day because it gives employees something engaging to do while also showcasing the culture of your business.

26. Gather quotes for a company blog post.

A more sentimental option could be collecting quotes about what it’s like to work at your company. Then, combine them into a blog post you publish on your website or share via email. This is a nice way to connect with your employees and survey what they think about the work culture at your business. 

27. Host a webinar that employees can attend after work.

If your team has a busy day, you can host a remote event after work to make it easier for employees to attend. It could be a virtual happy hour or an online training session. Use free software like Zoom to share a meeting link with your team. Or, if you have Thryv, you can use our registration software to create invitations and track attendees for your virtual event. 

28. Give out peer bonuses.

Peer bonuses are small gifts that employees give each other. They’re a nice way to show a coworker you appreciate them and admire their work ethic. They also create a small incentive for your team to work hard because they want to earn their coworker’s respect. 

You can create a peer bonus program for Employee Appreciation Day by setting aside a small budget for gifts and creating an anonymous form where employees can enter their submissions. Remember that some employees may not get chosen for a bonus, so you should also have a backup plan to thank those individuals. 

29. Upgrade your tools or software.

When equipment doesn’t work, your entire team is affected. It could be a broken copier, an uncomfortable uniform, or a faulty operating system that crashes every hour. These distractions don’t just mess with productivity; they’re frustrating and affect your team’s morale. Use Employee Appreciation Day to upgrade your equipment and give your employees the tools they need for success. 

30. Let your employees pick the activity. 

Can’t decide on one of the options above? You can never go wrong with asking your employees what they want to do. Show them this list of ideas or ask them to develop their own. After all, it’s their day, so why not let them choose how to celebrate it? 

Celebrating Employee Appreciation Day at Work

Employee Appreciation Day is your chance to connect with employees and show them you value their hard work. Use this list to brainstorm ideas, and try not to overcomplicate it at your business. The best ideas are simple, inclusive, and easy to participate in.