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Employee Appreciation Day is almost here (If you missed it on March 3, start planning for next year!), and while most organizations tend to think about physical gifts to give employees, have you considered other ways to show your appreciation?
When you take the time to recognize and reward employees' hard work in various ways, you show them that you care about their well-being and their efforts are appreciated. Here are a few ideas to help you show your employees how much you value them on Employee Appreciation Day and every day.
1. Recognize their contributions.
One of the best ways to show your employees how much you appreciate them is by recognizing their contributions. You can do this in many ways — you just need to figure out what your team values the most. Some people prefer public recognition while others like more private praise. For example, if an employee helps with another team member’s project, consider having someone mention it during a meeting or send an email thanking them for their help.
2. Establish a relief fund.
Disaster and hardship relief funds, like those administered by Emergency Assistance Foundation, can have a direct impact on the lives of team members in need who are impacted by disasters and personal hardships. When an organization sponsors a relief fund, it is demonstrating that it cares about the well-being of its team members and their families.
Relief funds can also help boost employee morale and foster a sense of community within your organization. Launching a relief fund can help mobilize employees around a common goal of assisting team members around the world and making a real difference in the lives of colleagues in need.
3. Create opportunities for employees to give back.
82% of employees that volunteer feel more committed to their employer, according to Harvard Business Review. Empowering your team to give back through volunteer opportunities, workplace giving to causes they care about, and donating to a relief fund that helps co-workers in times of need are great ways to make a positive impact and create a sense of community within your organization.
Volunteerism is a great way to encourage employees to become more involved in their community, and corporate volunteering can help to improve retention and increase morale. Creating partnerships with nonprofits that need ongoing support and/or offering paid time off for volunteer efforts are both effective.
Workplace giving is a way for companies to engage their employees with small acts that create a big impact. For example, if I make a small personal donation and my company matches that donation – the cause I’m supporting gets more funds. One way to do this is by establishing a partnership with companies like Benevity, blackbaud, or deed that enables employees to donate to different causes.
While it has always been important for companies to show employees that they care, there has been an even bigger focus placed on this in the last few years. According to Gallup in 2022, “Employees who feel their employer cares about their wellbeing are 69% less likely to actively search for a job and 5x more likely to advocate for their company as a place to work.”
Regardless of what your organization chooses to do for Employee Appreciation Day and throughout the year to show your team that you care, the effort you put in will make a real difference.
If your organization is interested in learning more about how a relief fund can help your team during challenging times, you can review additional information about how a fund works or contact us today. We look forward to helping you make a difference for those who need it most!
