Remember, your employees are what makes your business shine. Without them, you don’t have a business. You employees reflect who you are and what your business is all about. Treat your employees with respect, remember you were once an employee too.

The first Friday in March is National Employee Appreciation Day.  Per Business Insider, Dr. Bob Nelson, co-founder of the holiday, admits the concept dealing with the day is “a little silly.” He says employee appreciation should be an ongoing recognition and not reserved for one day out of the year.

Work, we all must do it. If we want to continue having food on the table, a roof over our heads and the all-important upgrade to the latest phone, we need to work.  If you started working at 16 years-old and retire at 67 years-old, you would put in around 102,000 hours of work in your lifetime. This is based on working a 40-hour work week, with two-week vacations. But, most Americans work much more hours, with overtime and working multiple jobs.

Most of the workforce are unsatisfied with their jobs. But, the employees are the essential part of any company. Without them, your company will fail. So, it’s time to appreciate your employees and here are a few ways you can go about it.

Have a Potluck

Have you employees bring in their specialty dishes. During this time give them an extended break time. Don’t forget about the night crew.

You Pay for the Party

You are the boss, why not have it catered. Have a pizza party. Don’t forget to bring the cake. During this time give your employees extended break time. Again, don’t forget the night crew.

Contests

Hold contests with prizes like a gift certificate, a paid day off, leave work early and get paid for the whole day, or lunch with the boss.

Gifts

Give small tokens of appreciation to your employees. You can give cards, gift cards, flowers, or something they need.

Work Picnic

When I was working at County Market, we would have a gathering for all the staff. The store shut down for the day, or people from another store would fill in. The owner gave everyone bonus checks equal to your paychecks. When the store changed hands, the new owners had an awards assembly. When the store got bought out and the named changed to Kroger, the employees could go to events like the zoo, and prizes were handed out.

Day-to-Day Recognition

Don’t let there be one day set aside for recognition for your employees. Congratulate your employees doing a good job. When slow, let your employees learn something new. Send out thank you notes. Have your employees start a baseball team, bowling league or pool league.  Take part in team building exercises. When I was working at Kroger they asked the employees if they would like to sign up for a “Lose to Win” challenge. It is a weight-loss incentive program where prize money is awarded to an individual and a team that loses the most weight during the program.

Photo by Paulien Osse / Flickr

Remember, your employees make your business shine. Without them, you don’t have a business. You employees reflect who you are and what your business is all about. Treat your employees with respect, remember you were once an employee too.

How will you celebrate National Employee Appreciation Day?