Embrace corporate recognition with luncheons & team building

Employee Appreciation Day is Friday, March 5, and it has never been more important to recognize your team. They endured, innovated, and exceeded expectations during a year that was unimaginably challenging – a sentiment that’s captured powerfully in a recent video from O.C. Tanner.

Corporate recognition truly makes a difference. When you show your appreciation for your employees, it has long-lasting effects. Gifts big and small communicate your gratitude for their contribution and reinforce the importance of their role in the company’s success. Your appreciation also keeps them motivated to work at their highest level.

This year’s event is the perfect opportunity to let your employees know just how valued they are. And given the magnitude of what they’ve achieved, you can go even bigger, with a one-week event.

A 5-Day plan to recognize your team

There’s a plethora of ways to show your appreciation – gifts can be elaborate, simple, or somewhere in-between. What matters most is that everyone can join in on the fun. Below, you’ll find a simple five-day plan to recognize your team, show your thanks and turn Employee Appreciation Day into an impactful, weeklong event.

Monday – A Day of Thanks

The first day of this week is all about thanking your employees for consistently delivering high-quality work. Some ways to do this include:

• Unexpected phone calls from managers or executives to individual employees, to say “thank you” in a tailored, personal way
• Companywide shout outs via internal workspace forums or an applicable messaging platform
• Personalized letters or emails detailing why each employee is valued

Tuesday – The Giving Challenge

This day is all about your team’s passion for service and volunteerism. By giving them space to volunteer or financially supporting their favorite causes, you can show that you care. For the Giving Challenge, you can:

• Donate to employees’ favorite charities or nonprofit organizations
• Grant them time off from work to volunteer at the organization of their choice

Wednesday – Team Lunch

On this day, the team can refuel and break bread together, be it in-person at the office or virtually. You can approach this in a few different ways:

• Schedule a virtual luncheon or cater lunch for the full in-office team
• Deliver snack boxes to each team member’s home
• Send employees a Nordic Ware Bundt Kit Bundle (along with various cake toppings) and organize a Bundt cake decoration challenge

Thursday – Milestone Celebrations

This is a day to call attention to significant professional and/or personal milestones in your employees’ lives.

• For work anniversaries, you can present plaques, certificates or choose from 250+ fun gifts for less than $50
• For big achievements, like sales goals or stellar quarterly performances, you can award bonuses along with a premium corporate gift from Bose or any of our brand partners
• You can also host celebrations to recognize employees’ birthdays or successes with personal goals

Friday – Team Building

It all comes together on the final day with team building. Allow your employees to choose the activity. If it’s in-person, make sure it’s safe and try to do something off-site. Additionally, make it a short workday as an extra “thank you”. Some ideas to try include:

• Virtual icebreakers on creative meeting platforms
• Virtual escape rooms
• Outdoor games like badminton, giant Tumble Tower, or bag toss (if weather and local mandates permit)

Build your culture of rewards and recognition

Whether you need help with your Employee Appreciation Day strategy, you’re planning for a special event (e.g., a quarterly all-staff meeting, an annual conference, a summer retreat, etc.), or you’re looking to enact a long-term recognition plan, Incentive Concepts can help.

Choose premium corporate gifts from our catalog of top global brands, organize virtual or in-person gifting events, or work with our team to create broad-scale rewards and recognition solutions for a more dynamic workplace.

Need more ideas? Contact us using the form below or call our team at 888-862-9283 to discuss your needs and explore the best recognition options for your workplace.