Employee Appreciation day is a work “holiday” celebrated in the US and Canada since 1995 where superiors can take a day to recognize their employees for all the hard work they do. After all, management would be nothing without the team of employees that support them. It is always the first Friday in March, so this year it falls on March 5th. But this year looks a lot different than all the previous years it has been celebrated because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For many companies, the option of having an in-person ceremony, potluck or team-building event is out of the question, because everyone who is able to is working from home right now. So, how exactly can you still celebrate your employees on this day without actually being with them at the office?
Remote Celebrations Might be the Perfect Solution
A virtual awards ceremony doesn’t exactly carry the same honorary vibe as a live one. What are you supposed to do? Ship awards to employees beforehand and have them hold them up to the screen during a Zoom meeting? It’s possible, but it doesn’t exactly sound easy or fun. But awards and plaques aren’t the only kind of gifts you can give- you have many other options that might not immediately come to mind. You can hold a virtual happy hour after work. You can send gift certificates to help everyone make their home offices into great, comfortable spaces. You can also still order your employees physical items that aren’t trophies, like engraved mugs, personalized vases, engraved water sets or even candy jars. These are all items you could ship remotely to your employees that can still be customized, but show your employees that you are considering their experiences of being stuck at home until the pandemic is under control. Even better, these are still items they can display at home, just like a trophy or plaque, but they are also utilitarian. They can serve a purpose while at home or when everyone is ready to return to the office.
Things are hard for everyone right now, no matter at what level or what company you’re working. But bosses don’t have to, and shouldn’t, skip over opportunities to show their employees appreciation just because it can’t be in person. You just have to get a little creative. Employee morale is more important than ever in this time where no one gets to physically interact with each other, neither professionally nor personally. So, who knows, maybe your employees will appreciate the gift of a mug or a glass set even more than a trophy or a plaque, because they can make it a part of their daily routine. Work life might not look like it used to, but if we just change our perspective, we can still cultivate productive and happy remote teams at our companies
