Show Your Care To Your Employee

It can be really easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks of running your small business, but remember to take a step back and recognize the employees helping you make your dream a reality. While “Employee Appreciation Day” is technically the first Friday in March, there’s no wrong time to show support and reward your team. Here are a few tips to get you started.

Pick a Theme
A theme lets everyone know you are ready to have fun. If your team loves music, you can host a “Rock On” day with musical video games set up around the office. Do you run a team of coffee lovers? Perhaps a celebration with personalized coffee mugs and fresh ground beans are in order. Whatever theme you pick, make sure it represents your full team.

Change the Dress Code
If you typically dress up in the office, use this as a chance to let your employees dress down (within reason). Send out an email alerting everyone of the big day and any new rules around your one-day dress code. Keep the guidelines light — this is supposed to be a fun day, right? — and related to the theme like “Casual & Jeans welcome!”

Plan Lunch
You’d be surprised at just how far a free lunch can go in the minds of your staff. Have a favorite local restaurant bring the food to you with a full catered lunch. If your team is small enough, you can all head out for lunch, too. (Who doesn’t like to get out of the office from time to time?) You can also open up the food choices to a vote!

Bring Some Fun
Get people away from their computer monitors and get them involved in some team-building fun. You can try some ice-breakers like “What was your dream job as a child” or “Share one thing few people know about you.” Trivia games are also fun, or you can plan an office-related scavenger hunt. If you have an outdoor space, think three-legged or sack races, water-balloon toss and volleyball.

Give a Gift
Depending on the size of your team and your overall event budget, you might be able to swing a nice token of appreciation, like a leather journal or chocolates. For larger teams, set up a candy station with everyone’s favorite. Then, give out plastic bags for everyone to fill up and take home. Or reward everyone with an early leave for the day.

Say “Thank You”

Take the time to tell your team how much you appreciate their dedication and hard work. You can give a speech during lunch or hand out personalized handwritten “thank you” notes. You can also present personalized awards to each member of the team like the “Born Leader Award” or “Team Spirit Award.” However you do it, make sure it’s genuine and comes from the heart.