Every day on the calendar is at this point claimed for a celebration of something or another. Did you happen to miss Employee Appreciations Day which was March 3rd? If you did, don’t worry.  We’re suggesting 13 small acts of appreciation that you can do throughout the year to show your employees you value them.

Employee appreciation enhances morale, which in turn leads to better customer service, lower turnover, and increased innovation. This can improve productivity and be a boon to the bottom line.

Yet recognition is not always simple. Ideas abound, but you’ll need to find the tactics that best suit your company culture. To help you find the right fit for appreciating your employees, we’ve gathered 13 ways to show your appreciation.

#1 Cater Breakfast

Give employees advance notice that a caterer will be setting up a hot breakfast in the conference room.

#2 Bring Your Furry Friend to Work Day

Invite employees to bring well-behaved cats or dogs to work one day. You might also make cat and dog treats available in the break room.

#3 Food Truck Lunch

Bring a food truck to your location and let everyone eat al fresco on the company’s dime.

#4 Thank You T-shirts

Design a branded company T-shirt and surprise everyone coming in one morning with a folded thank you shirt waiting in their seats.

#5 Let the Games Begin

Bring in Nerf guns, blast great music throughout the office, and give employees an hour to simply have fun. End this throwback activity by setting up a sundae bar in a conference room.

#6 Pay for the Commute

Having someone else pay for the commute can provide a lift. Gas cards or public transportation passes in small denominations are a kind gesture.

#7 Work Off Site for a Day

Invite employees to work from home, at cafes, libraries or anywhere else away from the office for a day. The change of pace can actually boost productivity.

#8 Personalized Notes

A manager could leave personalized Thank You Notes on everyone’s desk overnight. Employees will start the day feeling appreciated. To be even more surprising, send the notes via snail mail!

#9 Bring in a Caricaturist

Hire an artist to provide personal caricatures in the office. It’ll make people laugh and give them a keepsake to brighten up their workspace.

#10 Action Figure Fun

Borrow this inventive idea from RoundPegg, which offers its employees their very own action figure. Or Dutch design firm Resoluut, which has replaced business cards with 3D figures.

#11 Focus on Positives

Invite everyone to a conference room for coffee, cookies, and compliments. Ask people to prepare in advance acknowledge their gratitude for someone in the office. This channels positive thinking into powerful team building too.

#12 Share Kindness

Provide employees time to contribute to the community by setting up a few hours of service.

#13 Social Media Stardom

Recognize employees with a public #thankyou on social media. Actually, any time you do any of the acts above, you could also share the recognition on social media to show the world you value your employees.

At Forrest Solutions some of the ways we show we value our employees include:

  • Sharing client commendations of our peoples via our “Kudos”
  • Sending an “In the Spotlight” email featuring success stories and sharing upcoming birthdays and anniversaries.
  • Hosting a monthly Bell Ringing, which invites people in our HQ and locally to meet and mingle and enjoy treats with one another while standout employees of the month get to ring the company bell.
  • Hosting an annual employee awards ceremony honoring our star performers.

Forrest Solutions recruits and retains passionate, purposeful people who are excited about what they do and committed to contributing to your organization’s success.

Let us do you the kindness of finding the right people for your business needs. Connect with us today!