We've compiled 10 fun and creative ideas you can try to show employees your appreciation. Take a look and get inspired!

1. FRESH IDEAS FOR
APPRECIATING EMPLOYEES
10

2. Presented by

3. Click the “tweet” button above to tweet
the information on each slide

4. Looking for new ways to celebrate and
appreciate your team this Employee
Appreciation Day? Check out these 10 ideas to
refreshyourcelebration thisyear.

5. 1. OFFICE OLYMPICS

6. There’s nothing better than some competitive team spirit, so divide
the office into teams for an Olympic celebration. Gift all the
participants team shirts, start the day off with a company
meeting “opening ceremony,” host the games, and then deliver
commemorative medals to the winning teams in the afternoon.

7. 2. MAKE IT ROCK

8. Show your team how much they rock on Employee Appreciation
Day by having a music-themed celebration. Start with a Rock Band
station or some karaoke, and add to the fun with music trivia,
musical chairs, or Name that Tune.

9. Don’t underestimate the power of beautiful flowers.
Flowers symbolize love and gratitude, and adorning
your employees’workspaces with an in-season bouquet
can go a long way.
3. FLOWERS

10. The St. Louis Children’s Hospital extends employee recognition
through social media during their employee recognition gala.
Facebook posts of employees, and Skype calls to include employees
who are remote or offsite, show just how much the hospital values its
employees.
4. INCORPORATE
SOCIAL MEDIA
St. Louis Children’s Hospital wouldn’t be the best place for childrens
chare without our amazing staff.
St. Louis Children’s Hospital
40 mins | St. Louis, MO, United States
Our employees are the best arounds, and no one works harder then
our wonderful nurse Meredith.
St. Louis Children’s Hospital
25 mins | St. Louis, MO, United States

11. 5. USE YOUR WEBSITE
Use your website. Dedicate a page on your company website to
appreciating your hard-working employees. Ground Floor Media, a
Denver-based communications firm, incorporates employee stories in its
homepage year-round. Employees featured on the page are recognized
for their contributions and passions.
THIS GUY IS
AWESOME!

12. 6. BE ORIGINAL

13. Typical employee appreciation celebrations give gifts like pens or mugs.
But Two Rivers Marketing recognizes employees with much more
company flair, delivering personal caricatures to employees. It’s a great
idea for this Employee Appreciation Day. Employees will share their
caricature with family and friends and most importantly, keep it forever as a
tokenofyourappreciation.

14. For employee appreciation day, hire a team of massage
therapists to come to your office for the day and give every
employees a chair massage. It will be a great way to show
your appreciation for their efforts and those“back-breaking”
times they’ve gotten the company through.
7. MASSAGE

15. SOURCE
Take pictures of anniversary and performance recognition celebrations
throughout the year. Then, on the night before Employee Appreciation
Day, transform a big wall next to your office entrance into a wall of fame
and feature pictures of teams and employees all over. Give employees
sharpies to autograph the photos they find of themselves and friends,
and hand out frames so they can keep the memories forever.
8. WALL OF FAME

16. 9. PICNIC BASKETS
Deliver a picnic basket full of delicious food to each employee’s desk on
employee appreciation day. And have them invite a friend or family member
in advance to join them for lunch during your Employee Appreciation Day
celebration.

17. TICKET
10. MOVIE MARATHON

18. Have the company vote on a favorite movie series (Star Wars and Lord
of the Rings are always hits!) and then rent out a movie theatre for
employees and their families. Host a movie day, complete with snacks,
to show your appreciation for your great team.
3

19. O.C.TANNER ANDTHE O.C.TANNER INSTITUTE
O.C. Tanner, number 61 on the 2016 FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For®
list, helps organizations create great work environments by inspiring and
appreciating great work. Thousands of clients globally use the company’s
cloud-based technology, tools, awards, and education services to engage talent,
increase performance, drive goals, and create experiences that fuel the human
spirit. Learn more at octanner.com.
The O.C. Tanner Institute regularly commissions research and provides a global
forum for exchanging ideas about recognition, engagement, leadership, culture,
human values, and sound business principles.

20. 12RESOLUTIONS
FORA
GREAT YEAR AT WORK
WHAT WILL THE
PERFORMANCE REVIEW
LOOK LIKE IN 2016?
EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMEN T
STRATEGIES FOR YOUR
REMOTE WORKFORCE
7
KEY INSIGHTS FROM
HR TECH 2015
THE MILLENNIAL EFFECT ON
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
MORE PRESENTATIONS BY O.C. TANNER