Employee Appreciation Day arrives on the first Friday of March, which means the holiday falls on March 6th this year. The holiday celebrates the dedication and achievements of employees in all industries. It was the creation of a founding member of the group, Recognition Professional International.

There are no specific rules when it comes to celebrating this holiday, and your gifts may range from a catered lunch for everyone at the company to individual gifts like gift cards or bright vases of flowers to each employee. If you’ve regularly celebrated this holiday in the past, perhaps it’s time to try something different this year as a surprise to your employees.

Meaningful Yet Simple Gifts

Recognizing employees for their dedication to the company is an important part of being a good manager, but sometimes it’s easy to forget those small compliments and accolades during the year. Fortunately, Employee Appreciation Day makes it easy to show your thanks.

It’s likely your gifts will depend upon the size of your company, who hired each employee, and whether there are other managers at work. One simple way to arrange gifting is to make each manager responsible for his or her team. This allows for diversity and personalization in the recognition process.

For example, the IT department might head out for lunch at a local bistro while the members of Development might receive fresh fruit baskets. For small businesses with less than 10 or 15 employees, a communal celebration with a nice catered lunch is an entertaining option.

The gathering will give everyone a chance to do some socializing away from their desks. You can even use the event as a way to strengthen the working relationships between each of your employees and to bring some laughter and humor into the office.

Bromeliad Plant

Beautifying the Office with Flowers

The fluorescent lights, cubicles, and manila envelopes that decorate the average office can seem a little gray after a while, and Employee Appreciation Day is the perfect time to introduce a little color to the desks of your employees.

If you’re looking for gifts for male and female employees, you might choose a potted plant like a blooming bromeliad, which is easy to grow on an office desk. You may also choose to beautify the entire office with vases and flowers placed at the entryways or in the employee break room as a reminder of the celebration.

Flowers and potted plants from Gordon Boswell are an easy yet meaningful way to show your employees you care on Employee Appreciation Day.