How to Treat Every Day Like Employee Appreciation Day

Employee Appreciation Day is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate your staff and make them feel special. But the appreciation doesn’t have to end at the close of business that day. As a leader, it’s important to foster a positive work environment that celebrates and motivates your employees. Here are seven habits that will help you to create a culture that values and appreciates employees every single day.

Acknowledge Accomplishments Regularly

One of the most simple and effective ways to celebrate your team members is by acknowledging their accomplishments on a regular basis. When employees feel appreciated and recognized for their hard work, it motivates them to continue performing at their best.

One-to-one meetings are the perfect opportunity to provide this valuable acknowledgment. Set a recurring weekly agenda meeting to call out one thing your team members did well the previous week. 

Depending on the personality and preferences of your individual team members, they may also appreciate having their accomplishments highlighted during team meetings or through a team or company-wide email when appropriate.

It isn’t just the big wins that deserve recognition. Celebrate the small steps that they are taking towards their growth and development by sending a simple Slack or Teams message or an email.

Provide Opportunities for Growth and Development

Investing in the growth and development of your team members is another way to show your appreciation. When you provide employees with opportunities to learn and grow, you not only help them perform better in their current role, but you also help them to achieve their career goals. 

There are many ways to foster growth on your team. Consider what training programs, workshops, and mentorship programs your organization offers. You can also look for courses or conferences online or in the local community that align with your employee’s interests.

Even YouTube videos, podcasts, or blogs that align with your team’s growth goals are great to share to encourage growth and development.

Offer Flexible Work Arrangements

The ability to add flexibility to their schedule can make employees feel appreciated. Flexibility can include working from home, flexible start and ending times, or job sharing. By offering flexibility, you show that you trust and value your team members and that you recognize their need for a work-life balance. This, in turn, can lead to increased productivity, job satisfaction, and employee retention.

Give Employees Autonomy and Trust

When you allow your team members to take ownership of their work and make decisions, you demonstrate that you trust them. By doing so, you show that you have confidence in their abilities and this can lead to increased motivation, job satisfaction, and creativity.

Celebrate Birthdays and Work Anniversaries

Remembering important dates, such as birthdays and work anniversaries, is a great way to show that you value and appreciate your employees. This recognition can be done through a company-wide email, a team meeting, or even a small team celebration with lunch or a cookie delivery. 

It is important to remember how your team members like to be celebrated when providing this kind of recognition. Do they prefer public recognition or a smaller acknowledgment? For people who don’t love the spotlight, try surprising them with a few of their favorite snacks or a gift card to their favorite coffee shop.

Did you know the Leadr software alerts you of team members’ birthdays and anniversaries, making it easier to celebrate these significant milestones? Leadr also shows a list of each team member’s “favorites” to help you offer more personalized and intentional celebrations.

These gestures not only show you value your team members, but it also helps to foster a sense of community among employees.

Encourage Teamwork

Fostering teamwork helps to create a positive work environment and allows team members to work together to achieve a common goal while utilizing their own personal strengths.

You can encourage teamwork by creating an environment of collaboration, communication, and trust among team members. Team-building activities, project work, and regular team meetings all help to foster a culture of teamwork in your organization.

In team projects, try to assign responsibilities based on each team member’s unique strengths for more effective results that drive engagement.

Provide Recognition and Rewards

Your team members work hard, and taking the time to recognize and reward their hard work will help them to feel appreciated. Recognition and rewards can come in many forms, such as bonuses, promotions, or public recognition. It can also be as simple as a thank you note or an appreciation email. These actions not only acknowledge an employee’s hard work but also shows that their efforts are valued and appreciated.

Leadr’s Recognition tool allows you to give shoutouts at any time to team members who are going above and beyond. Request to see it in action here.

Showing that you appreciate each member of your team doesn’t have to mean organizing and planning a big event every day. By including several of these small habits, you will show your employees that you value their hard work each and every day. That frequent recognition will go further to creating a positive work culture than a single day of celebration ever could.