Need to Update Your Employee Appreciation Efforts? Try These 17 Tactics

Want to show some genuine employee appreciation? A word to the wise: Steer clear of worn-out tactics that can read as hokey, like free pizza at the office. 

While it’s true that most employees won’t say no to free pizza, that can’t be where your employee appreciation ideas start and end. That’s even truer in today’s hiring market, with its attendant rates of high turnover. Employees, rightfully, expect to be shown some appreciation by the employer who receives so much of their waking time and energy, and if they don’t feel appreciated at your organization, it’s only a matter of time before they look elsewhere. 

If it’s been awhile since you’ve consciously taken stock of your company or your team’s system for employee appreciation, it may be time to correct that. A simple “thank you” here and there is nice, but that should really be your baseline. Making an effort to invest in creative, actually impactful appreciation tactics help everything from morale and productivity to employees’ average length of tenure rocket upward.

Read on for 17 employee appreciation tactics worth incorporating at your company, according to the experts we heard from. 

1. Gamify your appreciation.

To re-energize your organization’s employee appreciation efforts, try gamifying them, Teo Vanyo, CEO of Stealth Agents, said. 

“Implement a gamification system for the workplace,” he said. “Each team member might claim tasks of their choosing, and upon completion of the activities, they would receive the point values connected with those tasks. Employees might redeem these points through a corporate rewards platform for anything from more vacation time and work-from-home days to company-sponsored continuing education courses and seminars.”

2. Spend quality time with your team.

Showing care toward and investment in your employees in a 1:1 way can help score appreciation points, Bram Jansen, Chief Editor of vpnAlert, said. 

“Taking an employee out to lunch or for a cup of coffee might be enough to encourage them and make them feel valued,” Jansen said. “It might even be as simple as sitting down with them and discussing their opinions on the work in detail. Alternatively, you might do a personal evaluation of their performance and provide them with some constructive criticism.” 

3. For employees who work from home, take care of their snack expenses.

Free coffee and snacks have long been in-office perks that help power work days. For employees who now work from home, extend them the same courtesy, Michelle Hayward, CEO of Bluedog Design, advised. 

“Once the pandemic began and employees began working remotely, Bluedog’s snack, beverage and lunchroom, Bluedog Bodega, easily extended from the HQ to offer an ‘always on’ website stacked with snack and beverage offerings,” she said. “The offerings are carefully curated and selected to support black-owned, woman-owned, and fellow B Corps companies in the community.”

4. Implement micro-bonuses.

Let’s be honest: Few forms of employee appreciation carry as much weight as financial ones. Though you’ll want to show your appreciation in a range of ways, be sure a financial reward is part of the package, Omer Reiner, President of FL Cash Home Buyers, said. 

“Many people do good work that is never recognized; however, having micro-bonuses given to the top 30 to 50 percent of employees each month, or providing bonuses for completed work that does not exceed $100, will help to improve morale and make employees feel appreciated,” he said.

5. Throw in some free trips. 

The opportunity to travel on company dime is one that many employees — particularly those who aren’t usually in the habit of traveling for work already — will appreciate, Reiner said. 

“Find some conferences in special areas of the world to send an employee so that they can not only learn specialized knowledge, but travel to a new spot of the world,” he added. 

6. Get to know the causes your employee values.

Most employees today are looking for a values alignment with their employer, Hope Griffin, founder of Creative Bay, said. 

“Create a program that allows them to take a paid day off once a month to work with the nonprofit of their choice or provide grants they can apply to on behalf of their favorite nonprofits,” she said. “In the end, this will improve your relationship with the employee and your social impact footprint in the local community.”

7. Create self-managed expense accounts.

Gael Breton, Co-Founder of Authority Hacker, says he picked up the idea of self-managed expense accounts from the founder of Netflix —and that they’ve already majorly paid off at his organization. 

“Instead of constantly asking for approval to buy things, we copied Netflix’s single rule of ‘act in the best interests of the company,’” he said. “Any extra cost you may get from occasional frivolous expenses is made up 50 times more by the productivity boost you get by giving employees freedom and getting rid of needless process bottlenecks. And that’s not even counting the value of trust being built up between you and your employees.”

8. Pay for their parking.

For employees who are still coming into a physical office, offset some of their commuter costs by taking care of parking, Sienna Harris, Co-Founder of iKissBags, said. 

“Parting with parking fees each day can be costly and even frustrating,” she said. “You can make your employees feel appreciated by paying for their parking garage passes or reimbursing some of the incurred expenses during their commute to work.”

9. Put them on the company website.

It may be a small thing, but spotlighting your team and their bios on your company’s website is a simple way to show appreciation, Harris said. 

“It’s an excellent way to show your workforce that you trust them and value their work,” she said. “You will be creating an opportunity for customers to get to know your staff before meeting them in person.”

10. Take your team out.

Instead of ordering pizza to the office, give your team a much-needed scenery change by taking them out on occasion, Maria Alfano, founder of The Silver Diaries, said. 

“This allows them to unwind and get to know you as well as their fellow team members with whom they may not always have a chance to communicate,” she said. “You’ll find that if you listen to those conversations, many important gems will be shared — like feedback for processes, suggestions for improvements, upcoming events to make note of, and much more.”

11. Recognize personal achievements outside of work. 

It’s not only your team’s professional successes that should be celebrated, Sam Shepler, CEO of TestimonialHero, said. 

“We all have lives outside of work, and while some may be dedicating that time off to their own personal growth, others may be dedicating it to their community,” he said. “Show your appreciation by recognizing what they’re doing and giving them some words of encouragement. Maybe they finished their Ph.D, participated in charity work, won a particular award or mastered a new skill. Whatever it is, you should be there to give them a pat on the back and let them know that you value them, not only as employees but also as people.”

12. Facilitate peer-to-peer appreciation. 

A culture of appreciation doesn’t work when it only functions top-down, Mark Valderrama, CEO of Aquarium Store Depot, said. 

“Provide opportunities for staff to praise and recognize one another,” he said. “It helps in the recognition of efforts that may have gone unnoticed, as well as the development of improved working relationships. Peer-to-peer recognition also boosts engagement and enriches business culture. If you have remote employees, a strong virtual recognition infrastructure will keep them connected to each other no matter where they are.”

13. Give out extra PTO.

For a lot of folks, what’s even more valuable than money is time, Robert Calderon, Marketing Manager at Dalvey, said. 

“When the pandemic affected our company, it was impossible to do what we were used to during the holiday season. Because of that, we gave our employees extra paid days off and a few long weekends,” he said. “This way, they get to spend more time with their loved ones…. Our employees were pleased about these efforts made by the company. We have seen greater positive employee behavior and excellent work output.

14. Set up learning opportunities, both formal and informal. 

If an employee expresses an interest in learning more about another function of the company, help them see that interest through, Andrew Dale, Technical Director at CloudTech24, said. 

“Satisfy their curiosity by providing a chance for them to participate,” he said. “This could range from a lunch with the CEO to an event that pushes them to pursue a position they’ve expressed an interest in. Employees who are valued in this manner benefit your company as well because it encourages your staff to have a growth mentality and consider how they might advance within your organization.”

And on the formal side, support employees’ professional development financially, Sep Niakan, Managing Broker of Condoblackbook, said. 

“Showing your employees that you’re serious about financially contributing to their professional development, in my opinion, suggests that you’re ready to take the risk of investing in them and, as a result, value their existence in your organization,” he said. “Furthermore, employees will find their work more important if they know they will be given the necessary skills and tools to further their careers.”

15. When your employees are appreciated by others, share it.

While acknowledgement can be “a terrific motivator,” it also runs the risk of feeling “a little monotonous when it usually comes from direct management,” Anthony Mixides, Managing Director at Bond Media, said. 

“Keep in mind that comments from others might pack a little more punch—and remind your staff that they are valued not only by you, but also by clients, coworkers, and even executives,” he said. “So, pay notice when a client sends you an email to tell you about an excellent experience she had with an employee… Then, spread the word. Whether you do it quietly, through a one-on-one chat or email, or publicly on a company message board or during a team meeting, you’ll let your employees know they’re having an influence on clients and coworkers.”

16. Personalize your praise (and your rewards). 

Appreciation goes a lot further when it feels like someone genuinely took the time and effort to celebrate you as an individual, Gerrid Smith, CEO of Criminal Defense, said. 

“One of our employees had just completed her fifth year of employment, and our human resources department spoke with her coworkers and discovered that she enjoys performing various art projects with her 7-year-old daughter,” he said. “A pottery class for the two of them was our gift. She was moved and later showed us photos of the mugs and bowls she and her daughter had made together. Personalized appreciation is a great approach to making your staff feel special.”

17. Now sure how employees would prefer to be shown appreciation? Ask.

Employee appreciation doesn’t have to be a thought exercise that you cook up solo, Mixides said. 

“Holding polls and hosting town halls are important tools for getting employee feedback, and you may learn a lot about what makes your employees feel valued,” he said. “For example, your teams may disclose that they value public displays of gratitude, such as employee of the month announcements… Introducing regular opportunities for recognition and reward, or expanding your present perks and benefits, will establish the groundwork for a strong internal brand, allowing you to cultivate a pleasant and healthy working environment for years to come.” 

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