The first Friday of March is Employee Appreciation Day!
In 2021, it happened on Friday March 5. Although Employee Appreciation Day is not an official holiday, it is a day marked to take the time to celebrate and thank your employees. Finding good employees and people you enjoy working with can be challenging. Taking the extra step to let your coworkers know that you appreciate them, can go the extra mile in boosting their morale and providing support. Here are some fun and unique ways to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day at your workplace:
- Have a potluck breakfast or lunch celebration at work.
- Have an early work closure day.
- Write thank you notes to your coworkers for all that they do and mean to you.
- Bring in your favorite treat to share.
- Make a small gift of candy or another item to brighten their day.
- Send them an email just to thank them for their work.
- Make a staff shout out board in the office where everyone can pin a note of encouragement to one another.
- Gift them with a new office/desk supply item.
- Leave an anonymous note on their desk with an encouraging quote.
- Treat an employee out for a meal.
Any small gesture can go a long way in showing someone that you appreciate them. Use Employee Appreciation Day as an opportunity to say how thankful you are for your coworkers. You can try one of these ideas or get creative and come up with something you know they’ll enjoy!
A suggestion to healthcare workers operating in stressful environments (like Health Unit Coordinators and RNs): even if your colleagues are not your employees, it pays off to find ways to brighten their day in any way you can. As an HUC for instance, you are at the crossroads of many communication channels. Why not add small uplifting post-it notes to the notes you route from one RN to a physician, to let both know you appreciate them? You are in a privileged position of service, and from that position you are empowered to impact how well your department or medical service runs. Suggested reading: our article on the responsibilities of a Health Unit Coordinator.
