Why Recognize?  You’ve heard lots of numbers and statistics for years – so let’s keep it simple.  Happy employees work harder for the company, period.  So today for Employee Appreciation Day the management team at Baudville is kicking things up a notch – Hollywood style!!

That’s right, the Oscars may be over, but every employee arrived at work today to find a Twist Top Tumbler and a personalized movie ticket entitling them to a little time to chill in our very own Theatre (it’s always the name of one of our conference rooms, but especially appropriate today). The final act is a customized award delivered by their manager and a delicious lunch for all.  This day won’t break the bank but it will break through the sometimes mundane day to day and give employees a chance to have a fun shared experience – one that is sure to deliver great reviews and be a big hit! 

You don’t have to wait until next year to tell your employees you appreciate them. A little creativity and a personal note go a long way!

At Baudville, we encourage all of our customers to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day. Annually acknowledged on the first Friday in March (March 4 this year), Employee Appreciation Day reminds managers, bosses, and employers to appreciate the individuals who keep the company running.

Celebrating Employee Appreciation Day can be a simple celebration when you get the entire team involved. Peer recognition will make everyone feel appreciated on Employee Appreciation Day, and it can be continued long after the day has passed.

Ben over at UpstartHR is one of our friends in the HR industry (I told you about his ebook yesterday) who recently tried out Shout Outs at one of his facilities. Even before the program was officially launched, employees were using the notes to thank and encourage their teammates. He wrote his own blog entry about the program here.

Shout Outs in use.

To use a peer recognition program on Employee Appreciation Day:

 First thing in the morning on Employee Appreciation Day, clearly communicate how the program works.
 Make the tools accessible to everyone.
 Utilize the power of public recognition. Post the notes in a public location so everyone can read them.
 Talk about the recognition at the end of the day. Pull the team together and read some of the outstanding notes.
 To make your Employee Appreciation Day peer recognition activity even more exciting, create small awards and present them at the end of the day. For example, you could honor the most eloquently written shout out, best haiku shout out, and the individual who received the most accolades.

Read more about peer recognition in these blog posts:
Everything You Wanted to Know About Peer-to-Peer Recognition Programs
How to Boost your Recognition Program with Peer Shout Outs
Peer Recognition is Coming to your ‘Ville

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Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (she's officially a Certified Recognition Professional, too)  and a member of the Millennial generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook.

Did you have problems joining my Recognition TV webisode ? Unfortunately, we had some technical difficulties that prevented some people from viewing the broadcast. If you weren’t able to join us, we’re so sorry! You can watch the recorded webisode on our website. We are still editing out the 2 minutes of technical difficulties, but you can view the video now. I recommend you can skip from 50 seconds to 3 minutes.

We had some great questions about Employee Appreciation Day from our chat audience that I wanted to elaborate on. If you have questions or ideas, please post a comment!

1. How do you celebrate Employee Appreciation Day at multiple locations?
Bridging the gap between multiple locations is always a huge challenge. Create a planning team made up of members from all the different locations and assign one chairperson for each location. This team can even plan virtually.

I recommend using the same recognition theme and hosting the same activities and celebrations at each location. Then share your experience through pictures and videos. Post these on your Facebook or intranet page so employees can experience the activities at all the different locations.

2. What if employees can’t get away from their desks or work in a retail environment where you can’t play Employee Appreciation Day team games?
In the past, we’ve created custom Bingo games and puzzles that employees can complete at the desk. We’ve played trivia games virtually and given prizes to the first correct answer.

Bring Employee Appreciation Day to the employee. We’ve brought around a treat cart to each employee to hand deliver a small treat. You could also put snacks or treats in a break room where everyone can see them. Make sure to communicate your plans with employees so they don’t miss out on the Employee Appreciation Day treat.

3. What are some cost effective Employee Appreciation Day ideas?
My favorite means of recognition are handwritten notes, and they’re one of the most affordable ways to appreciate employees on Employee Appreciation Day! Encourage managers to have a personal note at each employees’ desk in the morning.

You can also host a potluck! The company can provide a few items, and employees bring in dishes to share. This is always an employee favorite at Baudville because employees get to swap recipes and try new dishes.

If you want to play a few games, we often host Minute to Win It games, and these are easy to do and affordable. You often only need a couple of items from the grocery store.

Finally, Employee Appreciation Day gifts don’t have to be expensive. Use our Employee Appreciation Day gift finder to search for gifts by price. We have lots of options under $5 each!

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Cindy is the Human Resources Manager at Baudville and has over 14 years HR experience. In addition to her HR Generalist duties, she’s the center of positive mojo for the company and heads up many of our recognition initiatives, events and awards. In other words, she’s got it going on! Follow Cindy on Twitter @CindyGilmanPHR for HR updates from the place for daily recognition!

Thank you for joining me for today's Recognition TV webisode!  You can watch the complete recorded webisode with all my Employee Appreciation Day ideas on Baudville.com or on Baudville’s Facebook page. Several of my tips, ideas, and best practices are below, but I recommend you watch the entire video (it’s only about 15 minutes!) to catch everything.

Last year, Baudville celebrated Employee Appreciation Day by hosting our very own Winter Olympic games. We even had an official torch bearer, multiple teams, and intense competitions. Our event was so popular with employees, that some called it the “best Employee Appreciation Day ever”! You can see the pictures from the event on our Facebook page.

Lessons from Baudville’s Winter Olympics Employee Appreciation Day

#1 Plan as a Team. I don’t plan the employee events at Baudville alone. I have a team of employees from across the company help me with the brainstorming, preparation, and execution. Create your own team to plan Employee Appreciation Day 2011, and begin by brainstorming as many ideas for the day as possible.

Pink team competes in the chair luge.

 #2 Connect to your Culture. An Employee Appreciation Day event or activity should fit your culture. The Winter Olympics worked well for us because it was consistent with our work hard-play hard culture. To create an Employee Appreciation Day celebration that fits your culture, ask yourself, how do my employees want to be appreciated? It could be as a simple as a team lunch or a handwritten thank you note from a manager.

#3 Get Everyone Involved. Baudville’s Winter Olympics gave everyone an opportunity to participate. Teams were comprised of individuals from all different departments, and the teams rotated through the competitions. Plus, the different games provided opportunities for every team member to contribute.

 
Green team celebrates a victory!

#4 Memorable Memento. Incorporating a memento or gift into your Employee Appreciation Day celebration will make the event more memorable for your employees. We gave employees a travel mug with a custom removable insert and encouraged teammates sign each others’ mugs. For help selecting an Employee Appreciation Day gift, use our Gift Finder Tool.

#5 Use a Theme (and stick to it!). Employee Appreciation Day is all about making your employees feel appreciated, and using a theme can make that happen. Our Winter Olympics theme was reinforced in emails, posters, and our TV dashboard throughout the building. Browse our collection of more than 100 recognition themes to find one that works for your Employee Appreciation Day celebration, then use it!

 
You Are Truly Appreciated Recognition Theme

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Cindy is the Human Resources Manager at Baudville and has over 14 years HR experience. In addition to her HR Generalist duties, she’s the center of positive mojo for the company and heads up many of our recognition initiatives, events and awards. In other words, she’s got it going on! Follow Cindy on Twitter @CindyGilmanPHR for HR updates from the place for daily recognition!

Employee Appreciation Day is coming up Friday, March 4. In our experience, using an Employee Appreciation Day theme is a surefire way to put on a fun and memorable day for your employees. The last few Employee Appreciation Days at Baudville have had drastically different themes.

In 2008, we gave every employee small gift boxes of cashews. Our theme was “we’re nuts about you!”

In 2009, we enacted our own Employee Stimulus Package. The package included breakfast and a casual day for every employee!

In 2010, we hosted our very own Winter Olympic games. You can see all the pictures and videos on our Facebook page.

For an Employee Appreciation Day theme to be effective, it should express appreciation and coordinate with any events, activities or gifts you have planned. Here a few ideas for 2011:

Employee Appreciation Day Theme Ideas

Tropical Escape – Break out of the winter blues with a tropical Employee Appreciation Day theme. The Baudville Making a Difference Starfish theme can help tie everything together. Place an image of a starfish on all your emails and newsletters about Employee Appreciation Day. Host a luau and serve fresh fruit, smoothies, and pulled pork sandwiches. Have a limbo contest and vote on the craziest Hawaiian shirt!

Hollywood or Bust – Employee Appreciation Day is on the heels of the Oscars this year, so continue the glamour at your organization. Roll out the red carpet for employees and express your appreciation with a gift from our new Star Performer theme. Serve popcorn and give each employee their own personalized star tile.

Community Involvement – If your organization is active in the community, Together We Can Make a Difference is the Employee Appreciation Day theme for you. Center all your activities on community involvement. You can host a blood drive or collect can goods for a food pantry. If you can get out of the office, spend the day volunteering for a local charity. At the end of the day, give each employee a Character Pin to recognize their contributions both in and out of the office.

Customized Olympic Games – Our Olympic games were such a hit with employees, some even called it the best Employee Appreciation Day ever! You can use this Employee Appreciation Day theme, too, with the help of our World’s Greatest Team theme. Create your own competitions and ward every employee with a button for their participation. Some of our games included ID card toss, rubber band shooting, and office chair luge.

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Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (she's officially a Certified Recognition Professional, too)  and a member of the Millennial generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook.