Friday, March 3 allows employers to honor the dedicated workers who make their businesses successful. Companies both large and small are focusing more time and resources toward employee recognition, and that is exemplified on Employee Appreciation Day.

 

According to a global study by the O.C. Tanner Institute, appreciation and recognition is the number one thing employees say their managers could do to inspire great work, or work that exceeds expectations.

 

National Employee Appreciation Day was created in 1995 by Bob Nelson, a founding Recognition Professional International board member, together with his publishing company, Workman Publishing. Businesses and organizations across the country will plan special celebrations on this day to show their employees how much they value their contributions.

 

Forbes provides a list of few simple tips for employers to make this day impactful:

 

  • Communicating a meaningful message of why the workers contributions are valued.
  • Go big by offering something surprising or out of the ordinary to show that the day isn’t being taken for granted.
  • Make it personal through specific reasons they are appreciated.
  • Start fresh by making a promise to your team that you will be better every day at recognizing their efforts, rewarding their results, and celebrating their career milestones.

 

“What I have learned over the years is that companies who routinely recognize employees find themselves in the “Top Employers to Work For” lists and thus will have a better bottom line,” says former Southwest Airlines Executive Lorraine Grubbs. “Above all, however, we believe satisfied employees are definitely our biggest asset because they create satisfied customers. As a core business philosophy, customer-oriented employees don’t just ‘happen’. It takes time and effort to create and sustain this mindset.”