Employee Appreciation Day Is March 5: Here Are 3 Ways To Thank Your Team

After a year like 2020, they need to know their work is noticed—and appreciated. Mark’s article, “Employee Appreciation Day Is March 5: Here Are 3 Ways To Thank Your Team,” published at Forbes.com on February 24, 2021.

To be recognized for one’s hard work is a universal human desire. But all too often, employers are missing the opportunity to express their thanks to the employees who bring the work to life.

A recent survey by Workhuman found that over half (53%) of respondents wished their employers would offer more recognition for what they do. Thirty-one percent reported that recognition has a direct impact on their motivation to succeed. Nearly one in four report that recognition from either a peer or manager enhances their productivity.

Other research confirms the value of recognizing employees. According to a paper in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, workers who were thanked regularly were more likely to put in discretionary effort, extend a warm welcome to new employees and pick up slack for coworkers than their non-thanked counterparts.

“The correlation between employee experience and business results is unmistakable by our data—to put it simply, happier humans lead to less turnover and higher quality of work,” says Yuri Brown-Cruzat, Vice President, Workplace Rights at Workhuman.

Despite this, many employers are failing to recognize employees on an ongoing basis. More than half (56%) said their companies don’t celebrate Employee Appreciation Day. Additionally, over 25% rarely or never deploy feedback surveys.

Even worse from the perspective of an inclusive workforce, women reported receiving thanks at a lower rate than their male counterparts at work (less than 19% versus over 25%, respectively). “Managers need to acknowledge this disparity and implement processes to better understand if it’s happening within their own company,” says Brown-Cruzat.

On the first Friday every March, companies celebrate an unofficial holiday: Employee Appreciation Day. This year, it falls on March 5. And there’s no better time to up your game in the area of employee recognition.

Three barriers to employee recognition

With the benefits of regular employee recognition so prominent, why aren’t more companies making strides to thank their employees? There are three attitudes that might be hindering your company’s growth in this area.

• Feeling too busy. We all have a lot on our plate—but how much of it is really more important than retaining top performers? Not to mention enhancing the performance of the rest of the team. Yes, recognizing employees may take time, effort and even money (if you go the bonus route). But the bottom line is that in an ever-digitizing workplace, you can’t afford to not to.
• Believing that recognition is just stroking employees’ ego. Wanting to feel recognized and appreciated when we put in our best work is a natural human desire. Employees don’t want to be played by having their ego stroked; they want to know that their contribution matters and that others care about their effort. Recognizing employees is about motivation, not manipulation.
• Thinking employee recognition has to be complicated. As we’ll show below, letting employees know you appreciate them is not rocket science. There are many low-cost ways to express gratitude to your team for everything they do. Just pick one.

Three ways to recognize employees

So what are employees actually looking for in their desire for recognition? Turns out it’s not very complicated. Here are three ways you can show your employees appreciation not just on March 5, but throughout the year.

• Just say thank you. Over 60% of respondents said offering a simple ‘thanks’ and other expressions of gratitude would meet their need for recognition. Yes, employees are being compensated for their work, but employers need to realize that the paycheck isn’t the thank-you. A personal, human expression of gratitude can go a long way in letting employees know that the work they put in has been noticed and appreciated. This can be verbal or, for even more impact, handwritten in a quick note of thanks.
• Celebrate personal and professional moments. Did your team recently complete a major project? Has anyone reached an employment milestone at your company? What about birthdays and other important personal moments? These are all opportunities to celebrate the very human people who are bringing their best every day to the work at hand. Calling attention to these moments can make your workplace more personal and let employees know they are valued beyond simply their capacity to get the work done.
• Put your money where your mouth is. According to the survey, receiving a bonus was the top way that employees said they would feel appreciated (56%). Saying thank you and even celebrating employee milestones are relatively easy and inexpensive ways to let employees know you appreciate their work. But putting your money where your mouth is, in the form of a bonus, takes appreciation to a whole different level. Employees who receive a monetary thank-you will know it’s more than lip service.

Celebrating your employees in 2021

Employees who don’t feel appreciated have little motivation to stay in their roles. “When companies fail to recognize or thank employees for their work, it can result in the loss of great talent and ultimately damage the culture with a high turnover rate,” says Brown-Cruzat.

How do you get a company-wide celebration of Employee Appreciation Day off the ground? “Start by organizing a virtual event, highlighting a special recognition moment or offering company-wide bonuses,” says Brown-Cruzat. “The way you show appreciation to your employees will vary from company to company, but one thing we know is universally appreciated are moments of gratitude.”

Almost a year ago, Employee Appreciation Day 2020 found our workforce unwittingly poised on the edge of a world-shaking pandemic. In light of the incredible challenges your employees have navigated over the past year, Employee Appreciation Day 2021 is a great opportunity to express just how grateful you are for everything they do.

Read at Forbes.com

About The Author

Mark Perna

Mark C. Perna is an international speaker and bestselling author. He also serves as CEO of TFS Results, a strategic consulting firm at the forefront of the national paradigm shift in education and workforce development.

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