Employee Appreciation Day: When is it?

When is Employee Appreciation Day?

Employee Appreciation Day is an unofficial holiday celebrated every first Friday in March.

Employee Appreciation Day: The next 5 years

• Friday 6th March 2020

• Friday 5th March 2021

• Friday 4th March 2022

• Friday 3rd March 2023

• Friday 1st March 2024

What’s the point of Employee Appreciation Day?

The day was devised as a way for employers to thank their employees for their hard work and effort that they have put in during the year. Essentially, Employee Appreciation Day is a way of strengthening the bond between company, manager and employee.

Employees (and to a lesser extent) deserve appreciation and recognition for the effort, work and time they put in their work.

Why is appreciation and recognition important?

Recognition is important as it is an effective method for driving employee engagement. Despite being the easiest and fastest way to improve engagement, it often goes underused in the modern workplace. In the search for new and innovative approach to boost engagement and retain the best employees they may be overlooking one of the easiest and executable strategies: recognition.

Workplace recognition and appreciation have the potential to motivate an employee. It also provides them with a sense of accomplishment and provides employees with a sense that they are valued. Recognition and appreciation do not solely act at the individual level for motivation and engagement, it also works to increase productivity and retention. Further, the act of appreciation conveys a message about what excellent work looks like to other employees. Therefore, recognition and appreciation not only represent a tool to boost engagement (among other workplace elements), but also represents what exceptional work looks like to other employees and acts to reinforce the desired culture of an organization.

It’s time for a rethink on the Employee Appreciation Day!

The concept of a day for employee appreciation appears nice – and it is! But it does also provide an opportunity for organizations to get away with underappreciating their employees during the year and relying on that Friday in March to show their appreciation.

Instead you should be cultivating a culture of appreciation and recognition throughout the year to reap their benefits continuously!

A Glassdoor ‘Employee Appreciation Survey’ indicates a range of benefits associated with appreciation. 53% of employees reported that they would stay in a company more if they were more appreciated by their manager. 81% say they are more motivated to work harder When their boss shows them a higher level of appreciation (as opposed to 31% who say they work harder over fears of losing their job, and 38% who report they work harder when their boss is more demanding). This evidences that appreciation is perhaps the best mechanism for promoting motivation to work.

Appreciation also has an effect on:

• Productivity
• Morale
• Employee Satisfaction
• Reduced Absenteeism
• Lower Stress
• Improved Customer Feedback

So, how can you improve your employee appreciation strategy?

In their paper, ‘Rising above a toxic workplace’, Gary Chapman and Paul White outline a few conditions which help to make the employee feel more appreciated. They are communication, genuine and authentic, individualized and personal and tailored. We expand upon these conditions and consider a few more extensions to help you boost employee appreciation in your organization in this blog.

You should be building a culture of appreciation as opposed to resting on the once a year, Employee Appreciation Day, to exemplify your appreciation for the workforce!