Is your company celebrating Employee Appreciation Day this year? Organizations that express appreciation for their people activate a more involved, engaged and productive workforce. Gratitude is a compelling source of inspiration that defines and differentiates your business, brand and employer.

Your organization may extend Employee Appreciation Day to a week or month, but when the celebration is over—what's next?

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Transform a day of celebration into a new way of working

Your day, week or month of celebration is sure to provide a boost to morale that will invigorate your employees—a positive step in the right direction. However, as your people settle back into their routines, your expressions of appreciation and the impact of your efforts will not be top of mind.

This year, elevate your strategy to recognize and engage employees everyday—moving the traditional to the transformational to amplify the benefits of Employee Appreciation Day throughout the year.

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The tangible benefits of intentional recognition design

Research shows that employee recognition programs are most effective when they're ongoing and dynamic. When your people are recognized throughout the year and expressions of gratitude are woven into the fabric of your workplace culture, the benefits accumulate—catalyzing stronger engagement, greater retention and higher productivity.

• Top-ranking leaders in employee recognition achieved a 69% engagement rate in their organization¹
  

• 74% of employees who feel a strong sense of loyalty to their companies say recognition is embedded in the company culture²
  

• A 10,000-employee organization can save $16.1 million in annual turnover costs by creating a culture of recognition²

Looking beyond an isolated celebration, utilize Employee Appreciation Day to launch peer-to-peer employee recognition software that empowers every individual throughout your workplace to recognize and reward great work in alignment with your company values.  

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Traditional versus transformative appreciation strategies

A traditional approach to Employee Appreciation Day and a more dynamic, transformational strategy both aim to express gratitude. In practice, both methods have striking differences—which can shift the outcome from a temporary increase in employee engagement to lasting cultural change.

Explore our transformative approach and your new Employee Appreciation Day strategy begins to take shape:

• Influence your culture: Gratitude is fueled by everyone across your workplace, putting company values into practice at every level of your organization
• Extend your momentum: Recognition is an ongoing and daily occurrence that is a defining characteristic of your culture throughout the entire year
• Seize the moment: Your people receive relevant accolades in real time which provides immediate impact
• Personalize the experience: Employees receive individualized feedback connected to a specific action or event that is unique to their employee experience

The traditional approach to Employee Appreciation Day showcases the values your organization aims to live by. Employees are celebrated for a day, week or month—and then it’s business as usual. By contrast, a transformative approach powered by intentional experience design engages and inspires your people 365 days of the year—empowering every employee to live your core values and put them into action.  

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Accelerate engagement with timely & relevant recognition

Traditionally, employee recognition programs are the purview of management—an approach that limits reach. By empowering your people to reward their peers, you’ll add thousands of touchpoints and extend the benefits of your recognition program tenfold.

Peers rely on each other to meet deadlines, catch errors and solve problems. Every day, they experience the strengths and accomplishments of their colleagues. Granting them the ability to reward and recognize accelerates the evolution of how they work.

• Effectiveness: People become more attuned to their strengths and gain confidence when they receive timely feedback on a job well done—ongoing feedback that also provides valuable perspective
• Connection: Connection counteracts siloing and builds trust—and when people feel seen and appreciated by their peers, your community is strengthened through connection
• Purpose: Engagement comes from a human need for purpose—so by shining a light on efforts and outcomes, it reinforces meaning in the workplace which drives higher engagement

Appreciation that originates at every level of your organization is more powerful than top-down recognition.

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Ignite a workplace culture of gratitude on Employee Appreciation Day

A transformative approach to Employee Appreciation Day is a paradigm shift from the traditional approach to recognition. To ensure a successful rollout and make peer-to-peer recognition the centerpiece of Employee Appreciation Day, start with these three objectives:

• Activate: Practice immediate gratitude by empowering all employees to grant monetary, points-based awards to their peers in appreciation of great work through PowerUP rewards
• Reinforce: Encourage ongoing engagement and participation by debuting a recognition platform that makes it effortless and enjoyable to express recognition—with engaging features and gamified experiences.
• Incentivize: Match each recognition with a donation to a cause or organization that aligns with your company values to support corporate social responsibility initiatives that help make a global difference.

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Launch your elevated people experience & extend the moments that matter

Your values become company culture when everyone integrates gratitude into the workday. When recognition becomes a shared and ongoing experience for your people, your workplace is transformed.

With a peer-to-peer recognition program, you can empower and inspire your people every day of the year and amplify the benefits of Employee Appreciation Day. You don’t have to do this alone. See how we can help.

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¹ Harvard Business Review | Do you tell your employees you appreciate them?

² Gallup | Transforming Workplaces Through Recognition