March 4th is Employee Appreciation Day

Most of us like to feel appreciated for a job well done. Most of us do not like to go to work when our boss is a jerk. When employees are treated well by their bosses they will likely enjoy their jobs more and be more productive. I remember what I consider to be my first "real" job, even though summers of babysitting and a paper route counted as work. As it turned out, my boss was an evil dictator. She would demand I work faster then demand I work slower because I was rushing and doing what she claimed was a terrible job. I was 15 years old, quite shy back then, and just tried to appease her. A co-worker of mine was in her late 40's and was a very anxious woman. Because of the constant verbal "whippings" she got from our tyrant boss, I thought the poor woman was going to end up having a stroke. Needless to say, the anxious co-worker did not last as long as I did at the job. I took a lot of abuse from that woman and the concept of employee appreciation would obviously elude her because in her mind she was not capable of appreciating anyone. From that experience I gained the knowledge that I would never work for another person that treated people that way and I never have.

Employee Appreciation Day encourages the boss to let his or her employees know they are valuable. Employee Appreciation Day was introduced in 1995 (post my first "real" job...but she would have scoffed at such an idea anyway) (Recognition Professionals International, n.d.). Before this day took a place on the calendar many bosses that have shown appreciation for their employees.

Since the day is observed on the calendar, many bosses will feel pressured to do something nice for employees on this particular day, despite all the nice things they may do regularly anyway. You know, it's like a couple's anniversary or Valentine's Day. You can bring flowers or candy on other days of the year and that's great but if you miss the big calendar event you risk losing major points.

Following are a few ideas on how to show employees they are appreciated:

1. Offer a gift card.

2. Hold a special luncheon.

3. Give "Get Out of Work Free" cards for employees to use a few days out of the year.

4. Give employees the gift of relaxation - Perhaps give a gift certificate for a spa treatment or hire a professional to come in to hold a relaxation techniques workshop.

5. Give a personal, handwritten note to each employee that says 'Thank You', and if possible, highlight an area you notice they have excelled in. This shows them you are paying attention and appreciate their efforts.

We all like to be appreciated for our good work. Happy employees are more productive employees. Organizations, big and small, can participate in Employee Appreciation Day by doing something to let their employees know they are valuable to the organization and they are valued as people.

References:

Recognition Professionals International. (n.d.) Employee Appreciation Day - It's always the first Friday of March. Retrieved from http://www.recognition.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=495