Did you know today is Employee Appreciation Day? What better time to shout out about how amazing your staff are and let your clients know what a talented bunch you have working for you.

Employee Appreciation Day was invented by author and management consultant, Bob Nelson. He has written a lot of books about positive recognition in the workplace. He believes that if staff are praised often they will feel valued. This, in turn, means they will be more loyal and productive.

So, if you’re a manager what can you do on Employee Appreciation Day to show employees how much they are appreciated. Here are some ideas:

Include a big thank you in the work newsletter

It’s a great way to say thank you to everyone and if your newsletter goes out to clients as well, they will know that you have staff doing a great job.

Let Employees go home early

Give out a voucher for each employee to go home earlier or come in later at a day that they choose. It will mean your staff get to spend an extra hour to do something they enjoy. That might be time with family, a session at the gym, or snuggling up in bed.

Organise a workshop

Treat your employees to a workshop. Choose something that will interest and educate them. You could invite a yoga teacher to come in, or someone to talk about mindfulness or how to avoid work stress.

Free Donuts

Bring in some treats!. Better still, give them 15 minutes extra break so that they have the time to enjoy them.

Play bingo

Yes, really. It’s bound to get everyone laughing and it’s a great way to reduce stress. Include some prizes and make sure you learn the lingo so that you can be the bingo caller.

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