Employee Appreciation Day is an annual event, which means you are ALWAYS looking for new ideas to make this recognition celebration fun and memorable. We’ve put together a list of our favorite Employee Appreciation Day Ideas to help fuel your creativity for 2011. 

If you’re a recognition guru or the Director of Positive Mojo at your organization, you probably celebrate your employees on Employee Appreciation Day. Employee Appreciation Day is always celebrated on the first Friday in March. This year, that falls on March 4, 2011.  

All this month, we’ll be sharing Employee Appreciation Day ideas to help you plan an impactful appreciation event. Check back each week or sign up for email updates (in the navigation on the right) to have our ideas delivered right to your inbox. 

Management support is a vital part of a successful recognition program, especially when a program is just beginning. This month, we’ll bring you tips and ideas to help gain and maintain management buy-in for your recognition program. Whether you are starting a new recognition program this year or trying to preserve momentum internally, these tips will help! 

Also this month, we will be discussing management buy-in for our first Recognition TV webisode of the new year. Don’t miss any of our tips, watch the webisode today! 

I'm not going to tell you that it's all fun & games up here in creative-ville, but every once in awhile, we do get to have a laugh. We certainly did when we were working on the new Positive Praise recognition theme. The Goofy Guy Squeezable Praise became everyone’s favorite new projectile and the Goofy Guy Pens were the perfect remedy whenever things started to get a little too tense.

Having fun at work not only lowers stress and improves morale, it can also increase productivity. I’ve see it first hand in our department, but this WorldatWork article does a great job of backing me up as well.  

If you need to have more fun in your office, our Positive Praise theme is an excellent place to start. Maybe you took the quiz in that link I just posted. If so, let’s see how you scored.

If you answered mostly no, I’m afraid your situation is pretty grave. You’re going to need to take serious measures to increase employee morale. For this, I prescribe:

Totally Wacky

Last week I made the case for “why” to recognize nurses during National Nurses Week, so I thought this week it would be helpful to talk about “how.”

We know nurses are always on the go, on their feet, and on their game. So, why not give them the gift of:

Convenience. Travel mugs, tote bags, and key chains are all gifts that busy professionals can use every day. Plus, they give a constant reminder of your appreciation.

Comfort. Being run ragged all day can take its toll. Our Recognition Moments Tin has as assortment of 25 soothing gifts to give your nurses a little breather. This tin has enough to recognize your entire staff, and the variety of items means you’ll find something for everyone.

Encouragement. Remember what I said about thankless? Sometimes people just want to know that they’re appreciated. A simple thank you card with a personalized, handwritten note can go a long way.

Opportunity. Breaks don’t come often in the nursing profession. A little time off—or something just as valuable like a free lunch, snack, or coffee—could be all your nurses need to recharge. Our On-the-Go Appreciation Kit has fill-in notes and coupons that let you choose what you want to give.  

Admiration. Show them some respect by giving a gift they will wear with pride. Themed badge reels and lapel pins attach perfectly to scrubs and carry inspiring messages that your nurses will be thrilled to show off.

So, there you go! You have the who (nurses), what & how (see above), where (in their natural habitat, of course), when (May 6-12) and why. Now, go out there and celebrate National Nurses Week!

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