To be recognized and rewarded for one’s work is an innate human desire. But frequently, companies lose the opportunity to express their gratitude to the individuals bringing the work to life.
Employees are less likely to stay in their jobs if they don’t feel appreciated. A lack of appreciation for employees’ hard work can lead to a high turnover rate and a lack of suitable personnel, which can harm the company’s culture.
So, employee appreciation day is the perfect time for you to show your employees that you value them.
What is Employee Appreciation Day?
Employers worldwide go above and beyond to show their appreciation for their employees’ hard work and dedication on Employee Appreciation Day. Companies worldwide have embraced this day during the past two decades to celebrate their employees’ successes and efforts. Now with current scenario of hybrid and work from home environment an angle of virtual employee appreciation ideas come into picture ways of celebration and scope for the same has widen up.
Which day is celebrated as Employee Appreciation Day?
Employee Appreciation Day is observed on the first Friday of March (for example, March 7th, 2025). So get to Google Calendar and mark it as a yearly reminder. This is the best opportunity to gift your employees.
Why should we celebrate Employee Appreciation Day?
Employee Appreciation Day was established in 1995 by Dr. Bob Nelson, a founding member of Recognition Professionals International. Originally, it was created to mark the release of his book 1,001 Ways to Reward Employees and to serve as a reminder for managers to regularly acknowledge and appreciate their employees’ hard work and contributions. The goal was to show employees they are valued for their hard work, dedication, and contributions. While it’s observed annually on the first Friday of March, its impact reaches far beyond just one day, influencing company culture year-round.
1. Boosts Employee Morale
Employee Appreciation Day helps employees feel recognized and valued, which can improve overall morale. When employees feel appreciated, they are more likely to stay engaged in their roles, contributing to a positive work environment.
2. Improves Employee Retention
Recognizing employees on a dedicated day can strengthen their connection with the company. Regular recognition fosters loyalty, helping reduce turnover by showing employees that their contributions are valued.
3. Enhances Productivity
When employees feel appreciated, they are more motivated to perform their best. Employee Appreciation Day can be the spark that encourages ongoing efforts, increasing overall productivity and output.
4. Strengthens Company Culture
Celebrating Employee Appreciation Day demonstrates that the company cares about its people. It reinforces a culture of respect, teamwork, and mutual appreciation, which benefits the entire workplace environment.
5. Attracts Top Talent
Companies known for valuing their employees tend to attract top-tier talent. A strong reputation for employee recognition makes the company appealing to prospective hires, ensuring a high-quality workforce.
Top Employee Appreciation Day Ideas
Here’s how you can appreciate your employee on this special day:
1. Keep It Simple & Sincere
Gratitude can be conveyed in a variety of ways. While there is no one-size-fits-all method of expressing thanks, the sincerity with which you do so is important.
If the praise is genuine, most people prefer it to an alternative like money or gifts—as long as it’s sincere.
Remember that sincerity can go a long way in making an employee feel valued.
Encouraging employees to recognize that their actions have improved the company is very important to improve their performance in the long run.
2. Personalized Praise
Even though every employee desires to be recognized, not all of them desire it similarly. It should never be necessary for a worker to wonder if a reward is intended for them or not. Any type of acknowledgment should be particular, timely, and considerate. Make an effort to personalize your appreciation for employees.
There are some general trends in the way employees like to be rewarded that can be traced back to previous generations, even if each person is an individual. In the case of Gen-Xers, individuals may welcome the opportunity to take time off to volunteer for a cause they care about.
3. Help With Their Career
Providing employees with a clear path to furthering their professional goals and aspirations within the organization is another effective method to express gratitude. Leaders can show appreciation for their staff by investing in their professional development. An investment in a career coach, for example, could assist employees in discovering where they want to go in their careers and how the organization can support that progress.
Let your staff know that their professional development is essential to you and that you’re willing to invest in them through training, networking, and mentorship programs. Employees tend to seek out various work-related experiences and skillsets to continue their careers and make themselves indispensable.
Employees can better adapt to changing economic conditions by diversifying their professional backgrounds and enhancing their long-term job prospects by learning new skills in various industries.
4. Employee Appreciation Day Gifts
Ask your employees what they want as employee appreciation day gift. In addition to increasing customer loyalty, the correct kind of gift can be a conversation starter about your company. Some of the perks are feeling thanked and sharing gifts with loved ones. SnackMagic allows companies to send snack stashes to employees if you are looking for gift ideas. It will enable employees to design their snack stashes. You can also select curated bundles or surprise treats to send.
5. Get Creative
San Francisco State University research suggests that having creative activities outside work enhances one’s ability to function well in the workplace. A course on cooking, painting, flower arrangement, origami, or crocheting, is a great way to get your employees excited about their work by introducing them to new interests. There should be more than one option for everyone to choose from to participate in an activity they love.
Among the many advantages of taking up a new hobby is the opportunity to use your right brain while concentrating on something enjoyable and the satisfaction of creating something of your own.
6. Have Lunch Together
In addition to providing a more laid-back ambiance, happy hours have improved relationships among coworkers. They help alleviate the stress of team members and help build a positive business atmosphere. An after-hours event may exclude some employees, so consider ending the workday a little early, so no one else is obligated to pick up the slack.
Organizing a luncheon or a field trip for your employees and some thoughtful presents can go a long way toward making an employee appreciation week a success. Use this post’s suggestions to get your planning started.
7. Treat Your Team’s Taste Buds
One of the easiest ways to show appreciation is through food! A well-curated snack box can brighten up an employee’s day and make them feel valued. SnackMagic offers a unique way to reward employees by allowing them to build their own snack stash. Instead of guessing what they might like, employees get to choose their favorite snacks from a wide selection. Companies can also opt for curated bundles or surprise treats, making it a fun and personalized experience.
8. Start a recognition program
Recognition programs help foster a culture of appreciation within the workplace. ByStadium’s Kudos Program allows employees to recognize each other’s contributions in real-time. Whether it’s a shout-out during a team meeting, a peer-to-peer appreciation platform, or a point-based rewards system where they can give kudos to each other, having a structured recognition program ensures that employees feel valued all year round—not just on Employee Appreciation Day.
9. Create a Tribute Video
A heartfelt video message from leaders or peers can make a lasting impact. Compile clips from different team members sharing their appreciation, memorable moments, and inside jokes to make it personal. You can highlight achievements, showcase behind-the-scenes fun, or even add a few surprise guest appearances from employees’ family members or clients. This thoughtful gesture can boost morale and create a strong emotional connection between employees and the company.
10. Let Employees Choose Special Projects
Allowing employees to work on passion projects or initiatives outside their daily responsibilities can be a great way to show appreciation. Whether it’s leading a new initiative, participating in a social impact program, or working on something they truly enjoy, this approach helps employees feel trusted and valued while allowing them to explore new skills.
11. Hand Out Some Swag
Branded swag is a simple yet effective way to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day. SwagMagic offers customized gifts that employees want—personalized apparel, tech accessories, drinkware, and more. Companies can create a curated swag shop where employees choose their gifts, ensuring that they receive something they’ll love and use. High-quality swag also reinforces company culture and team spirit, making employees feel like an essential part of the organization.
12. Team Member Wellness Programs and Activities
Organizing a luncheon or a field trip for your employees and some thoughtful presents can go a long way toward making an employee appreciation week a success. Use this post’s suggestions to get your planning started.
How to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day virtually—and why you absolutely should
When it comes to special days of celebration, Employee Appreciation Day is pretty low on the societal spectrum.
You don’t see people running around, hitting the big employee gift sales or baking laptop-shaped cakes. There is no televised parade or giant employee statue in Rockefeller Center. You don’t hear Mariah Carey singing “All I Want for Employee Appreciation Day is You” everywhere you go.
But we’d like to ask…why not?
Why shouldn’t Employee Appreciation Day be right up there with biggies like Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day?
Especially now, in 2025—when so many employees are either putting their lives at risk by going to work or completely isolated behind a computer screen all day, and you can’t just swing by somebody’s desk with a high five.
We gotta celebrate the ones who put the work in for us. Show them that they matter, they’re valued, and that their ability to persevere through a worldwide crisis is commendable.
So even though society isn’t shouting about Employee Appreciation Day, you most definitely should.
We get it. Virtual “fun” is hard. It’s a challenge to get the same effect from behind screens, but we’ve got a few ideas that have been successful with our clients:
13. Employee happy hour
Send your employees a box of mixers and nibbles for a group soiree. With SnackMagic they can pick their own items, so everybody gets what they want. We can even arrange to have the boxes arrive on the same day, so everyone can open the box and dive in together. Let everyone relax and enjoy while you tell stories of your favorite employee moments of the year…or even get into a few drinking games.
14. Virtual game time
If you’ve got a fun and carefree bunch, consider an afternoon of games like bingo, charades, or trivia. You can run these yourself or use an outside service like Online Office Games. Clients who do this often send sustenance to each employee, too, with our personalized snack boxes.
15. Zoom movie party
Have everyone gather ‘round their computers and watch a fun movie. Office Space, anyone? You can simply share your screen with Zoom or use a third-party browser extension like Netflix Party, if everyone has an account. The text chat is half the fun! Of course, no viewing party is complete without snacks, so we recommend sending boxes of munchies to your team to enhance the experience.
16. Build-their-own snack boxes
Ok, so maybe everyone has had enough of Zoom. It’s not the only way to show love to your employees! Send them a fun gift instead, like a box of snacks they choose themselves. Our clients say it’s surprisingly social, with employees enjoying messaging each other upon receiving their boxes and sharing their favorite new snack finds. We let you include extras in every box too, like company swag.
Whatever you do, do something
These are some of the ideas we’ve seen work best with our clients who have turned to virtual gifting and celebrations. They’ve learned you can’t go wrong with snacks—and anything else is a nice bonus.
Whatever you choose to do, just don’t let the day pass you by. Here’s to making Employee Appreciation Day as annoyingly huge as all the other special days of the year, yeah?
Employee appreciation gift ideas is a popular way to motivate your employees. For a personalized gifting experience, you can use SnackMagic. Companies can send a link to the recipient via email.
Then, depending on the recipient’s dietary restrictions and preferences and the gift donor’s budget, they can build their snack baskets. Buying in bulk appreciation gifts would be more suitable for big companies. Whether you’re delivering gifts to one person or a thousand, SnackMagic makes it easy to keep track of your orders not only for your employees and but your client’s employees.
