Employee Appreciation Day is March 1st this year. That dreaded calendar flip day when you realize you didn't look ahead and now you're not prepared AT ALL. Well, have no fear! Here are 10 great last-minute ideas that will delight and impress your team!

1. Head to the local gas station or grocery store and pick up some candy bars - lots of them have appreciation sayings . Pass those out with a personal hand-written note to show them you're grateful for all that they do.

2. Stop by the local coffee shop on your way back from lunch and surprise your team with an afternoon pick-me-up. Sweet treats and coffee are best when they're a surprise!

3. Check out our FREE, downloadable Winning Ways to Recognize Your Stars ebook for some great last-minute ideas.

4. Can't get out of the office? No problem! Send a thoughtful ePraise to your team members. You could even leave an element of surprise in the note and bring them a special breakfast on Monday or grant casual days for the next work week.

5. Use our FREE downloadable Freedom Passes to let your team members out an hour early in honor of your appreciation for them.

6. Attach one of these download-and-print wraps to a sucker, candy bar, or another sweet treat to show your appreciation.

7. Hold an impromptu morning meeting and spend time publicly thanking each team member for their specific contributions to the team. Tip: Be prepared with notes before you head into the meeting!

8. Take your team out to lunch! Or order in if you can't get out of the office.

9. At a loss for words? It's ok, our Sample Employee Recognition Messages list will help!

10. Split your group into teams and have a friendly office scavenger hunt throughout the day. Use this idea list to get started, and modify it for your office environment.

Most importantly, have fun with your team! And, to never find yourself in this unprepared predicament again, check out our Recognition Survival Kits; they’ll keep you equipped for every recognition moment, every time.

-------------------------------

As a team member since 2005, Falon has worn just about every hat the ‘ville has to offer. She’s seen both sides of working life — as an employee and as a manager — so if it sounds like she knows what she’s talking about, we’re pretty sure that’s why. When she’s not juggling between the IDville and Baudville brands, she’s been known to whip up a mean diorama - just like that!

Baudville recently launched Team Shirts which provides hundreds of pre-made t-shirt designs with your logo in mind. Here’s why I believe custom t-shirts are just the gift for your team members on Employee Appreciation Day, March 1st, 2013.

1.    Team Shirts appeal to the whole team and build camaraderie
Team Shirts are great gifts that every team member will appreciate and cherish. Custom t-shirts create a sense of pride and accomplishment amongst team members in the workplace. Say thanks to your team during Employee Appreciation Day with a Baudville theme t-shirt and add your team members' names, an accomplishment, and your organization's logo to create a personal touch to the business t-shirt.

 

2.    Categories and designs you can't get anywhere else
Don't waste your day choosing different clip art and placement options when Baudville's talented designers have already done the work for you. Simply choose from one of our 300 designs, add your name, logo, or both and sit back and relax.  

Baudville offers three categories of team shirts tailored with your logo in mind. Smart Sayings provide fun sayings to show off your company spirit. Events provide designs for every business, school, healthcare, philanthropic, and religious events. Baudville Themes use your favorite themes plus your logo to help promote your organization’s message.

 

Team Shirt: Events - Squares Reaching EV 076

Don't see a custom t-shirt that fits your organization? Don't worry. Baudville has a talented in-house design team that is ready to help. Simply call us up at 1.800.728.0888 and we'll help you create the perfect t-shirt to fit any event and organization.

3.    A lasting reminder of your appreciation
Custom t-shirts are a gift that can be used time and time again. T-shirts are a constant reminder of your appreciation for your team members' hard-work and dedication over the year. Celebrate the important milestones your organization accomplished with a custom t-shirt.

4.    Have a companywide Team Shirt casual day
Purchase a company shirt for your team before Employee Appreciation Day. Pass out the t-shirts to your team members in the days before Employee Appreciation Day and allow them to wear their Team Shirt for a casual day on Employee Appreciation Day. Don’t forget to add your company’s logo and name to the t-shirt to make the day extra special.

 Team Shirt: Smart Sayings - Big Deal SS001

5.    Quick Turnaround
Once you have approved your t-shirts, Baudville will ship the custom t-shirts to you within five business days. This fast turnaround helps you celebrate Employee Appreciation Day on time and in style!

Not sure what team shirt will fit your team for Employee Appreciation Day? Check out my favorites.

 

Smart Sayings:

 

We all know that small acts of kindness can make a big difference. Whether it’s a stranger holding open a door or a friend treating you to a cup of coffee, an act of kindness can change your perspective and your mood.

February 11-17, 2013 is the official Random Acts of Kindness Week, and it’s a great time to encourage team building and camaraderie in the office. Celebrate the week (or month, or year!) of kindness with your team by equipping them with information and ideas for both in and out of the office.

Educate your team that Random Acts of Kindness Week is coming up, and you hope everyone will participate. Fuel the group with ideas from our free 75 Random Acts of Kindness eBook and the Baudville Pinterest board. Post the ideas on a public bulletin board or print them out and keep them in a bowl. Encourage teammates to select a kindness idea and do it! At your next team meeting, ask individuals to share their Random Acts of Kindness experience.

We spend a lot of our time at work, and sometimes it feels like we see our coworkers more than our families! Make your work environment friendly, welcoming, and safe for all your employees by creating a place where acts of kindness are the norm, not the exception. A great work environment attracts and retains great talent, making your organization stronger and more successful.

As your team begins to practice acts of kindness around the office, you’ll notice the effect kindness has on your culture and your team’s attitudes. You may even decide to promote acts of kindness year round!

Do you have a great Random Act of Kindness story? Tell us about it!

-----------------------

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.

Every week I have the privilege here at Baudville to review and approve the amazing reviews you all write and send in. Once and awhile we will get photos of our products bringing smiles upon your recipient's faces. Every time I receive a photo I ecstatically usher everyone over to my desk so they get a chance to see our product bringing joy to a deserving person.

 
This week Baudville was touched to have a video about our Midnight Star Galaxy Trophy being put to amazing use. We here at Baudville, want to thank Kodiak Island Borough School District (KIBSD) for sending this outstanding video giving us the opportunity to see the amazing job they are doing for their coworkers.

 

                                   Click here to watch the video

 

Keep up the great work KIBSD! We applaud you for making the difference in your employee’s lives every day.

 

 

-------------------- 

Kendra has moved from Web Marketing Intern to her current position as Product Coordinator. She is a recent graduate and is ready to help with your recognition wants and needs. Watch out because this young professional just touched down at Baudville. 

Wow, I don't know about you, but this week flew by for me! I finally sat down to think about this post and the first thing that came to my mind was how obsessed I am with the color red right now and I literally want to eat, drink, wear and give RED. So, in light of that, here are some of my favorite red hot items for the week.

1. Red Velvet Waffles with Cream Cheese Frosting. I have never even seen these first hand. I have not been to the restaurant that serves these. I was just innocently watching one of my favorite shows, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, on the Food Network and my life changed forever. I just about flew through my TV to try and take a bite of these magnificent looking waffles. Then ironically, my friend (who lives by this restaurant in California), took a picture of them and posted it on Facebook like the next day. I have NOT stopped thinking about them and I am about to get on a plane to get them. YUMMY!

 

2. Sweet Treats. Last Friday for Employee Appreciation Day, these Sweet Treats were one of the goodies in our bag and honestly, I forgot how much I love red jelly beans. They really hit the spot. You should definitely get a stash of them to give out to your employees and let them know how awesome they are!

3. Red Exotic Heel Shoes. So, I went to a wedding last weekend and was so tempted to buy these shoes to go with my dress. I know you don't know me, but I am so not a heel kind of gal and yet I still think about them daily and it's taking every ounce of my being not to buy them. Do you have your eye on something right now that you know you shouldn't buy but can't stop thinking about? It's so hard!

4. Funny eCards. I am thoroughly addicted to Pinterest and one of the type of pins that is constantly floating around are these hilarious ecards. I just love them because they make me LAUGH OUT LOUD and are usually so true it hurts. This one especially, I always find myself in this situation... why am I always so hungry?

5. Employee Appreciation Day T-Shirt. We had a great day last Friday celebrating Employee Appreciation Day, and another one of my favorite gifts in the goodie bag was the t-shirt that everyone received. Who doesn't love a good t-shirt with a fun saying on it?

Well, that's it for me - I hope you had a great week and wish you a wonderful weekend! Don't forget Spring Forward!!

------------------------ 

Kimberly is the Baudville Website Manager and star of our online product videos. She applies her knowledge of the web to create the ultimate online experience for Baudville customers.