Every year on the first Friday in March, workplaces across the globe choose Employee Appreciation Day as the opportune moment to thank staff for their continuous efforts in the workplace.
But much like how expressing love to a significant other shouldn’t be limited to Valentine’s Day, recognising your hardworking employees shouldn’t be limited to Employee Appreciation Day.
In fact, in the modern workplace, employee appreciation is not a nice-to-have — it’s a must. Data from Great Place To Work® shows that not only is recognition a key driver of great work, it also correlates with:
And whilst many businesses are feeling the pinch of the current business landscape, recognising your employees doesn’t have to involve grand gestures or excessive budgets. Here’s 4 ways to help your employees feel appreciated on a day-to-day basis:
Regular, ongoing appreciation helps sustain employee engagement and motivation. By providing regular opportunities for recognition — for example through building recognition into team meetings, newsletters, or daily stand-ups — you’ll give employees the opportunity to feel appreciated more frequently. During these moments, it can also help to provide specific praise for what the employee has excelled in (rather than a generalised ‘well done’).
Employee appreciation is not one-size-fits-all. As a result, it’s important to tailor your recognition to what each employee values most. Some employees may prefer a public shout out in your next staff meeting, whereas others may appreciate praise in a one-to-one setting. Take the time to understand what kind of recognition each team member likes so that your gestures resonate with them.
According to our 2023 population study, reward is one of the lowest performing areas of the UK employee experience. This is despite most UK workers believing they are fairly paid for the work they do. Showing employees how much you invest in them outside of salary, for example through using Employee Reward Statements, can help employees feel more appreciated by showcasing the reality of what their workplace contributes towards their employment.
Tangible gestures of employee appreciation, such as office parties and free lunches, are easy to envision. But dive beyond the surface, and you’ll find that one of the most powerful ways to make your employees feel valued is to listen to them. By giving staff the opportunity to feedback on their workplace experience — for example by running an employee engagement survey — organisations can help employees feel they have a voice. Ask them what’s going well, seek suggestions for improvement, and act on the feedback you receive. That’s where the true element of listening lies.
A 2024 data comparison found that UK-based Certified workplaces scored a combined average of 72% in recognition and reward aspects of the Trust Index™ survey — a whopping 21 percentage points higher than the average UK workplace.
With research from Dr. Alex Edmans at London Business School highlighting the financial benefits of great company culture, there's never been a better time to discover how your workplace measures up. Get in touch today to start your Great Place To Work journey.
Sources: 2024 Population Study (Great Place To Work UK), 2024 Certified Benchmarks (Great Place To Work UK, Creating a Culture of Recognition: Tips for Driving Loyalty (ÐÓ°É Inc.)