How to Celebrate Employees Every Day—Not Just on Employee Appreciation Day

5 ways to make employee appreciation a foundational part of your company culture 

It’s no secret that a happy and engaged team has a ripple effect. They are your brand ambassadors—while they’re with your team and, just as importantly, after they move on. Here at Franchise Business Review, we spend a lot of time talking about the importance of culture and how we treat all the people we work with—co-workers, clients, partners, and vendors. Since March 6 is Employee Appreciation Day, it seems like a great time to share tips for appreciating your employees year round.

1. Don’t wait for them to leave to throw a party!

A lot of companies throw a party to say goodbye and wish departing colleagues well in their next adventure. Instead, focus on the “first 30” to show new employees what your brand and team are about and express how happy you are to have them join the team. Think about the first 30 seconds, the first 30 minutes, and then the first 30 days. Here at FBR we make a little welcome sign, some goodies, and FBR swag so new team members  know we’re excited to have them join us.

2. Say thank you LOUDLY!

Most leaders have heard some version of “praise publicly, correct privately.” As a leader, if you make a big deal of your appreciation for specific actions you see or hear about, it resonates with everyone about how they can help the organization do great things. Take the time to write your appreciation in emails, in person (or on Zoom) at meetings or when you hear from customers, etc. A side effect is you might notice your whole team will start to do the same.  

3. Reward staff who receive kudos from the team or customers

Recognizing behaviors that help your business can help create momentum. Plus, it gives the whole team examples of what drives your success. Share when someone gets a call out in a customer review, or better yet, reward your team for giving kudos to each other. Hot Dish Advertising has a Slack channel dedicated to team members recognizing each other with high fives when they go above and beyond. Each month they pick one random shout out. Both the feedback giver, along with the colleague they high-fived get a gift card. 

4. Create opportunities for them to connect with each other

Providing your employees with ways to connect builds a culture of accountability to each other and your company’s mission. The key is to make these connections easy and fun, not something they feel obligated to do or dread showing up for. Creating teams and contests tied to business goals or during social events brings out competitive spirits and team building. If the company spends the money on fun activities, or great food and drinks that employees might not splurge on for themselves, they’ll feel appreciated.

We’ve done some fun activities with our team, some for employees only and others with partners and families. A lobster boat cruise, kayaking, axe throwing, escape rooms, scavenger hunts, mini golf and go karts are a few that come to mind as some of the best times we’ve had spending time as a team and stirring up some friendly competition. 

5. Find creative and random perks

Is it hard to park at your office? How about making a great parking spot something employees can earn? A bag of coffee to take home, t-shirts, a subscription to Spotify or MasterClass, office DJ for the day, discounts/gift cards at local businesses…the perks don’t have to be expensive to be appreciated. (Read 7 Simple Ways to Build Employee Engagement for more ideas.)

For the past few summers, we’ve offered our team half day Fridays. It started after the long year stuck at home with COVID, and continued as a way to recognize how hard we work and the importance of down time to recharge and re-energize physically and mentally.

Finally, ask employees for feedback. One of the very best ways to show you value your employees is to show them you’re listening. Ask them what you’re doing well and what you could be doing better to support them. Employees may not always feel comfortable sharing face-to-face, so we recommend doing regular employee surveys. You likely won’t be able to make all the changes, but as long as you acknowledge that you’ve heard them and explain what steps you’re taking, employees will know their input is appreciated.

Most of us have experienced the challenges of finding the right employees to help our business grow and who we enjoy working alongside. There’s no guarantee how long we’ll have them in our organizations, so find ways to show appreciation frequently and make building a culture they want to be a part of a top priority.  

Ready to learn more about the power of employee feedback when it comes to recruitment and retention? Schedule a free demo to learn more about our employee survey process, our employee engagement benchmark data, and our interactive online reporting tool designed specifically for franchise organizations.

Related Resource

The Ultimate Guide to Employee Engagement for Franchises

Employee engagement is critical to the success (or survival) of franchise organizations, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to foster engagement.

Download your free guide to learn how to:

• Recognize barriers holding employees back from fully engaging
• Create a supportive and engaging workplace culture
• Make engagement a key part of your hiring and retention strategy
• Measure and benchmark your team’s engagement against other franchise employers

DOWNLOAD NOW