As the engaged manager you are, you may have been aware that the first Friday of March was dubbed as worldwide Employee Appreciation Day. As it is a relatively new workplace celebration, many managers and organizations may have found themselves uncertain of how to show their appreciation. Here are five simple and effective ways to show your employees how much you appreciate their daily contributions, all year round!

Simply put, just recognize their hard work!

It’s been statistically proven that employees need recognition: According to Forbes, an open-ended, unaided survey of one thousand randomly selected employees in the United States revealed that the single most important practice managers can adopt to cause employees to produce ‘great work’ is to recognize them.

This sentiment is particularly important to millenials. In a white paper released by the O.C. Tanner Institute on the drivers of great work, of all age groups, the millenial generation are most highly motivated by recognition and also value recognition from peers as influential in performing great work.

Recognition can also be great for the financial performance of your organization. According to O.C. Tanner, employees who consistently perform high levels of work are 21% more likely to have a high impact on the long-term financial performance of the organization than infrequent performers. That being said, these consistent high performers are 20% more likely to work at organizations with excellent recognition practices - places where they are appreciated for their work.

Celebrate with food

Whether it’s something sweet in the afternoon, or a catered lunch, food can be an easy team pleaser. Taking a moment to bond as a team over a snack can not only make employees feel engaged and appreciated, it enhances team relationships.

Time off with pay

Whether you can let your team go for a full day, a half day, or even a couple of hours early, an email or handwritten note notifying your team that they are able to take a bit of time off (a day or two before preferably, so that they can make plans) is always a welcomed surprise. Make sure you communicate that you appreciate what they do for the company, and how you hope they take some time for themselves.

Write notes of appreciation

Sometimes the simplest efforts can make the greatest impact. A handwritten note expressing why you specifically appreciate their efforts in the workplace can often make a longer-lasting impression than bigger gestures. Receiving handwritten notes is such a rare occurrence today that it can really leave a lasting impression with your employees.

For a more creative approach, try holding an 'employee awards' ceremony!

Brainstorm unique aspects of each employee and craft a fun (work appropriate) award category for each of them, which can then be announced in a small ceremony. Some category examples include “most infectious personality” and “best team spirit.” You could even give more specific awards, such as “most instrumental in closing the deal,” where appropriate. Each employee could receive something small, like a gift card, in addition to a print-out using a basic certificate template. They may not be the Oscars, but your employees will surely appreciate the sentiment.

It has been proven that if you want great work from your employees, recognition is the most powerful tool to achieve results. Although these suggestions can work for one day of the year, great work and high retention happen when hard work is recognized and appreciated every day.

For more information about building an engaged workplace with rewards and recognition, see the suggestions of Susan Alley, VP of HR Services at TPD here or check out our Human Resources Cycle E-book below!