One easy, practical way to help build a culture of gratitude is to involve employees and executives alike in a series of gratitude activities for the workplace. Everyday Gratitude Activities for the Workplace to Try Today. Gratitude is not a one-and-done activity. It’s a practice. Think of it in terms of physical fitness. But in the midst of all that hard work, it can be easy to forget to show recognition or appreciation. It’s important to reward employees for a job well done. Recognition makes employees feel appreciated: you're showing someone that their work matters. A little workplace appreciation goes a long way toward boosting employee morale.

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We are all caught up in the spirit of Employee Appreciation Day, which is right around the corner on March 4^th. In fact, we love Employee Appreciation Day so much that we celebrate it all week! There is so much you can do to express appreciation for the people who work at your organization, and we thought it would be a good idea to share some of our ideas… including things we’ve done in the past that our employees have loved.

It’s essential to make employee recognition, including rewards, part of your everyday company culture. But that doesn’t mean Employee Appreciation Week should go unnoticed. These extra-special perks will remind all of your employees how much the company cares.

Wellness

1. On-site massage therapists or chiropractors
   Your employees are on their feet, hunched over computers, and sitting for long commutes… help them relax.

2. Guided meditation
   Meditation is a great way to reduce stress. Bring in an expert to guide your employees, or host a recorded meditation for anyone who wants to participate in a quiet, dim room.

3. Free yoga or other exercise classes
   Hire an on-site yoga or exercise teacher to come in for the day and host a series of classes for employees.

4. Catered lunch and/or breakfast
   Bring your employees together and give them fuel for their busy day, by supplying healthy lunches or dinners for the whole company.

5. Fitness trackers
   Encourage employees to keep better track of their steps, heart rate, and sleep by supplying fitness trackers. Bonus: the data from fitness trackers can be used for employee step competitions throughout the year!

6. Bring in standing desks
   Not every employee will want to stand all the time, but you can provide supplies to temporarily convert desks into a standing format, or create permanent standing stations with monitors and power cords throughout the office.

Work

1. Educational speakers
   Give employees access to thought leaders in your industry. It’s educational, and entertaining!

2. Budget for employee-selected training/development
   Give team leaders a set budget for each employee they manage, then give employees the freedom to select the training they want – whether it’s a conference, class, or online course.

3. Hold executive office hours
   Typically, your executive team is only accessible to your high-level managers. Give employees at all levels the opportunity to connect, share ideas, and ask questions of the leaders at your organization.

4. Personal project time
   Set aside time for your employees to drop their regular projects and work on something they’re passionate about.

5. Complete an initiative you’ve been promising
   Have you been telling employees forever that you’re going to overhaul performance reviews, bring in better snacks, or renovate the office bathrooms? Nothing will show your employees you appreciate them more than by fulfilling those promises.

6. Office revamp
   Speaking of renovations, does your office need a facelift? Major construction isn’t in the cards for everyone, but there are a number of things that can improve employee experience, including: better chairs, better lighting, more plants, a fresh coat of paint, or whatever your employees say they need!

Appreciation Activities For Employees At Home

7. Updated electronics
   Time to do upgrades of laptops, monitors, smartphones, and software. Your employees will be thrilled, and probably more productive.

8. A half day off work
   Your employees will really feel appreciated if you let them leave early on March 4^th!

9. Flex vacation day
   If it’s not feasible for all employees to take an afternoon off at the same time, grant everyone one extra vacation day to use as they please; or put basic parameters on when they can redeem. If you’re going to give this gift though, don’t make it too restrictive.

10. Extended break times
    Whether your employees typically get 15-minute breaks or 30-minute lunches, double their break times this week.

11. Bring your dog to work
    Dogs can be great for reducing stress at the office. Not to mention, the owners can save a little money on dog-walker fees.

12. Give volunteering hours
    Corporate social responsibility is an important way to keep your employees engaged. By giving your employees time off to volunteer, you reinforce your company’s dedication to CSR, and you give your team a great opportunity to get out of the office.

Recognition

1. Public employee recognition
   If you use a social recognition platform, this is something that happens every day. But you can make your recognitions extra special by blasting a few out to the company email list, praising someone during a team meeting, or posting recognitions up on public bulletin boards.

2. Social media employee recognition
   If you want to praise your great employees for the whole world to see, post individual recognitions on your company’s social media channels. Just be sure to get the employees’ permission before you share their names or photos.

3. Rewards & recognition suggestion box
   Of course, it doesn’t have to be a physical box – but it is a great idea to reach out to your employees and ask them what forms of recognition and rewards are the most meaningful to them. Is there something that your recognition or total rewards program is missing? This is a great time to find out.

4. Office awards ceremony
   Host a company-wide awards ceremony to celebrate some of the biggest successes over the past year, whether they were accomplished by individuals or whole departments. Make the ceremony a fun, creative, event – not just another company meeting.

5. Personalized thank you notes
   Recognition technology is a powerful thing, but we still love the idea of hand-written notes every now and then. It gives a certain touch!

Gifts & Treats

1. Pick-a-subscription gift
   Gifts like monthly cheese samplers, doggie gift boxes, or snack subscriptions are a great way to show your employees you care on an ongoing basis. Send out a list of options that fit your budget, and let your employees pick what works for them.

2. High-quality sweet treats
   Even if you keep the kitchen stocked with mini candy bars, your employees will be happier if you pick up a box of treats from the local bakery, the popular cupcake place around the corner, or the trendy donut shop.

3. Better coffee
   Get rid of the rocket fuel. Treat your employees to a selection of gourmet beans and blends. Or if budget allows, bring in a pop-up barista for the week who can whip up lattes and cappuccinos.

4. Live entertainment
   Concerts, comedy shows, and sporting events are all great bonding opportunities for your employees, whether you bring the performers on campus, or take your employees on a field trip.

5. Spot bonuses
   You can’t go wrong with bonuses. But if you’re going to go this route, be generous. Sums too small might insult your teams.

6. Extra budget for team outings
   Give team leaders budget for fun activities. They can plan outings that their team is likely to enjoy, and they can bond more easily in a small group setting.

7. Fun desk drops
   Give your employees something fun to look forward to all week by leaving quirky, fun, or useful gifts on their desks before they arrive.

To access more fun ideas for Employee Appreciation Day, access our Employee Appreciation e-book.

Promoting a consistent culture of recognition is an essential component to employee engagement, but who says you can’t step up your appreciation game every once in a while? A good celebration tends to incite a positive atmosphere that is almost tangible to the touch – and the positivity is infectious. People’s smiles get a little bigger, the laughs a little louder and the residual feel-good attitude can be felt for days after. What’s not to love about that?

In the world of employee recognition, Employee Appreciation Day is the be-all and end-all of celebrations. In fact, some people (ourselves included) take it so seriously that we celebrate it for a whole week! If you’re keen on the idea of doing something extra special for your people to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day (or week), we’ve got some fantastic suggestions for you:

Fun and Games

My local gym (actually, it’s more like an adult playground) has a great little message on a wall that reads, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.” There are numerous gratifying aspects of working, from building your career to meeting some amazing people, but I am a firm believer that everyone has an inner child who is just waiting to be let out to play. Here are some ways to indulge the inner child in all of your employees:

1. Craft Room
   Fill a room with different art supplies and encourage your team to let their imaginations run free. If you have especially artistic employees, ask if they would like to share their skills through an art class.

2. Games Room
   Puzzles, board games, cards – there are an infinite number of games out there. Games have come back in a big way in 2017, and they are the perfect way to facilitate some team bonding and to let off some steam in the process.

3. Jumbo Games
   If you want to go big on the game front, rent a bigger game, like a ping pong or foosball table, for your employees to enjoy during the week.

4. Trivia
   Have a condensed jeopardy type competition at lunch or put out random trivia questions throughout the day. To spice things up, add prizes.

5. Throw Back Thursday: baby photo edition
   This one requires some prep, but is well worth the effort. Ask your team to bring in their baby photos in the days leading up to EAD/EAW, then compile the photos on a poster board and let the guessing begin. For added difficultly, sprinkle in some celebrity baby photos.

6. Photo Booth
   Rent a photo booth (or get a Polaroid camera) for the office so your team can document the employee appreciation moments and get some new pictures to put up at their desks – or to share on social media. This has the added benefit of showing the outside world (think perspective employees) how cool and fun your workplace is.

7. Comedy
   I have yet to meet someone who is not a fan of a good laugh. Reach out to a local comedy group and get someone in to get the chuckles going in the office. Who knows, maybe you even have a few comedians on your own employee roster.

8. Scavenger Hunt
   There are SO many options with how to approach this. From items in the office to incorporating the surrounding neighborhood or having an ‘employee scavenger hunt’ (e.g. find someone who has completed a triathlon), there is huge potential to be creative here. Scavenger hunts are also a great way to promote inter-departmental collaboration and bonding.

Employee Appreciation Theme Party Ideas

Snacks and Treats

Snacks are fantastic, and I do not think it would be untrue to say that free snacks are an almost guaranteed slam dunk. Ever pay attention to what happens when the après meeting ‘leftover sandwiches are in the kitchen’ email goes out? Mass kitchen migration.

1. Hire a food truck to park outside the office (on the company’s dime) for lunch
   Food trucks are all the rage these days. They offer new twists on old classics, have unique menus and can provide more good fodder for social media posts.

2. Ice Cream Sundae Bar
   Delicious ice cream. Creative toppings. Need I say more?

3. Smoothie Bar
   Same idea as the Sundae Bar, but a healthier option (and could be more appropriate if you’ve been making wellness a priority at your company this year)

Games For Employees

4. Team Picnic
   The outdoors and food are two pretty awesome things, so when you pair them together it’s a pretty excellent outcome. Have a nice patio? Get your team outside and into the fresh air for a bit.
   **This is more applicable for those working in warm environments. If you’re located in an area where average temperatures in March are below zero this could be perceived as a perverse form of punishment.

5. Top Chef Competition
   I would be willing to bet that every office has a few aspiring chefs in their midst. Put out feelers in the time leading up to your Employee Appreciation celebrations and see if anyone wants to put their culinary prowess on display for an entertaining, and tasty, competition.

Personal Development

Staff Appreciation Ideas For Employees

1. Ted Talks
   Screen Ted Talks throughout the celebrations – bonus points for committing to the ‘theatre vibe’ with comfy seats and treats (popcorn machine anyone?). You can put out feelers leading up to the event and ask people to submit topics or speakers of interest.

2. Leader Q&A
   Transparency is king. It provides people with a sense of inclusion and breaks down some of the typical hierarchical barriers. Create a comfortable environment where Leaders answer employee’s questions and hear their ideas. It’s a good idea to include a moderator and a question submission box, in case employees wish to ask sensitive questions anonymously.

3. Celebrate Personal Accomplishments
   People in your organization are capable of, and may have already done, amazing things. Take some time to celebrate your team member’s accomplishments outside of work – this is also a great way to get to know them as individuals, beyond the office.

These are just some ideas to get the ball rolling, the key to a successful Employee Appreciation Celebration is incorporating aspects that matter to your employees.

Start celebrating Employee Appreciation Week by giving thanks and appreciating your employees today. Recognize their great work with a personalized recognition card. Get started here.

About the Author

Appreciation Activities For Employees Work

Sarah Clayton is the Communications and Campaigns Specialist at Achievers, where she focuses on generating content to drive desired recognition behaviors and engagement on the platform.