Employee appreciation has a reputation for being difficult. First you’ve got to think of some way to do it. What will my employees respond to? What will they enjoy?

And then you’ve got money to consider. It can’t be too expensive or you won’t be able to do it often enough to make it worthwhile.

Despite the undeserved reputation, there are plenty of ways to show that you value your staff without breaking the bank.

In this article, the workforce management experts at Sling discuss some of the best employee appreciation ideas you can use to show your team you care.

What Is Employee Appreciation?

At its most basic, employee appreciation is the effort your company exerts to recognize your employees’ direct and indirect contributions to the success of the business.

As you’ll see in this article, employee appreciation can be as simple as a few words of gratitude in passing, as complicated as a formal reception and ceremony, or somewhere in between.

The key is finding what works for your employees, your team, and your business.

When you find that sweet spot where employee appreciation feels effortless and part of your company culture, everyone in your business — from the CEO all the way down to the person in the mailroom you hired last week — will feel a sense of camaraderie and cooperation that benefit everything they do.

But the importance of employee appreciation ideas goes beyond just making your employees feel good.

It actually has a direct effect on some of the most important aspects of your business.

Why Are Employee Appreciation Ideas Important?

To put it simply, the employee appreciation ideas on this list are important because they have a powerful influence on key components of your business, including:

• Job satisfaction
• Workplace happiness
• Employee morale

Executing these employee appreciation ideas also provides benefits to other difficult-to-control aspects of your success.

1) Productivity

Whether you manage a team face-to-face or online through the internet, productivity is the issue of the day (not to mention being one of the keys to your team’s success).

You can make your team a more effective unit — and help them get more things done in the process — by implementing any or all of the employee appreciation ideas on this list.

Showing your appreciation for a job well done — or even just recognizing them for their hard work — helps them maintain their motivation to go above and beyond for your business.

That willingness to work hard, then, contributes to the success of your business.

The first step on that road to success is using the employee appreciation ideas on this list — or coming up with your own — to show that you value everyone’s contributions.

2) Engagement

Employee engagement is the ability of your team members to be present in the moment, focused on the task at hand, and energized about achieving good results.

This feeling motivates your employees to go above and beyond what you expect of them because they feel that they have a higher purpose — be it for the success of your business or the betterment of your clients and customers.

So when you incorporate employee appreciation ideas into your workflow, you show your team that you care about them as individuals, not just as cogs in the machine.

That sense of engagement will get them excited and invested in making your business a success.

3) Positive Company Culture

Company culture is the way your employees act — towards customers and clients, towards each other, and towards management — and the meaning that people attach to that behavior.

Company culture can be good, bad, or any gradation in between, and it’s up to you and your HR department to make the culture in your business the best it can be.

A big factor in the maintenance of your company culture is the employee appreciation ideas you choose to express your gratitude towards your employees.

When you take every opportunity to show that you value your employees, the feelings and behaviors that permeate your business will improve dramatically.

4) Employee Retention

Employee retention is a big part of what makes your business successful.

If you don’t put a priority on hiring and keeping talented employees, you run the risk of allowing (or sometimes, causing) them to leave for greener pastures.

While that might not be a huge problem in itself, it’s essential to remember that one employee leaving doesn’t just impact you, it also causes ripples that can extend to every corner of your business.

Not knowing if the former employee left by their own choice or was let go, team members may start to wonder if they are next to get a pink slip. Some may even start searching for a job at another company just to cover the possibility.

Those feelings have a significant effect on the way your team and your business operate.

But when you use the employee appreciation ideas on this list and you make all your team members feel valuable, you improve employee retention by leaps and bounds and prevent one person’s leaving from demoralizing the whole group.

5) Customer Satisfaction

When everything is flowing smoothly in your business, and everyone is enjoying high levels of productivity and engagement, along with positive company culture and increased employee retention, your customers and clients will start to pick up on the good vibes.

That, in itself, is often enough to improve customer satisfaction, but, when you add in your employee’s willingness to give their all for customer service, your business will enjoy more customer loyalty than ever before.

And, like everything we’ve talked about so far, it all starts with using the employee appreciation ideas on this list to show your team that you notice what they do, value their efforts and the results, and want to reward them for a job well done.

The Best Employee Appreciation Ideas

1. Rent a barista for a day

Rent a fancy coffee machine for a day. Bring in all the flavors and fixings (whipcream, caramel and chocolate sauce, nutmeg, etc.) and then hire a barista to make all the drinks your employees want.

2. Have 1-on-1 time

Too often, your office is a place people go when they’re in trouble—it’s like the principal’s office.

Instead, make it a habit to call employees to your office to show your appreciation. It will make you (and your office) seem less scary.

3. Memory Trophy

Purchase a trophy and award it to an outstanding employee each week. At the end of the week, the employee must return the trophy with something personal attached.

After 52 weeks (one year), have a trophy party and review all the attached objects and the memories they represent. Then retire the trophy and start again.

4. Institute summer hours

Show you appreciate your employees by rewarding them with summer hours. Give each employee four opportunities to only work a half day.

Summer is a time when people want to be outside so give your employees the chance to do so.

5. Swap desks

This is a fun, easy, and inexpensive employee appreciation idea and is a great way to show your team you value their efforts.

Switch desks with a high-performing employee for a day. They still have to do their work, but now they get to do it from the comfort of your office.

6. Special parking

Designate a parking space for a star employee. Then reward a team member by letting them park there for a week or a month.

7. Upgrade the coffee machine

Coffee is the lifeblood of your workplace. As such, the coffee machine is like the holy grail. Periodically replace or upgrade the machine as a way to show your employee appreciation.

8. Send a fancy note

Get some nice paper and handwrite a thank-you note to the employee who did a great job. In addition, send a copy of the letter to the employee’s manager or supervisor. And be sure to put a copy in the employee’s permanent file for future reference.

9. Rent a car for a week

Rent a luxury car for a week and let the special employee drive it. This is a great way to show your employee appreciation for a big job well done.

It saves the employee gas money and it saves the wear and tear on their car for a week. Plus, it’s just fun to drive a rental sometimes.

It can be a bit expensive so you might want to reserve this for once-a-year rewards.

10. Funny money

Create your own office cash (or use Monopoly money) and distribute it when someone does a good job. At the end of each quarter, employees can then redeem that funny money for prizes.

11. Have a pizza party

It’s by no means an original idea, but everyone loves pizza. Ordering pizza for a high-performing team or as a way to recognize an individual accomplishment is still a great way to show your appreciation.

12. Put it in the newspaper

Newspapers are always looking for things to print. Harness this need for a way to show your employee appreciation.

Write up an article about the employee of the month and submit it for publication in your local newspaper. When the issue is printed, cut out the article, frame it, and give it to your employee.

13. Give a subscription

For a job well done, reward an employee with a subscription. It can be a magazine, a newspaper, a website, an Amazon membership, a local coffee club—the sky’s the limit.

Give the employee the choice which subscription to get and you’ll make it all the more personal.

14. Hand out boxes of Girl Scout cookies

This is a fun way to reward both an individual employee and all your employees at the same time. If the employee who did a good job has a daughter in the Girl Scouts, buy a bunch of cookies from them and then give them out to the other employees.

15. Movie time

Show your appreciation for an employee by giving her a gift certificate to the movies and an afternoon off to use it. You can also reward the whole team by arranging for a movie night after work.

16. Play the lottery

Nothing says thank you like a million dollars…or the chance to win it. Lottery tickets are usually pretty cheap (under $5) so you can give them out periodically as a reward for going above and beyond.

17. Bring donuts

Like pizza, donuts are a tried-and-true way to show your employee appreciation. Have a box or two delivered every other week or at the end of the month and then watch your employees smile.

18. Video games

Rent a big-screen TV and a video game system and give your employees an afternoon to play.

19. Upgrade the breakroom supplies

Most breakrooms have the bare minimum—coffee and creamer. Why not go above and beyond and stock it with the works: juice, candy, water, snacks, and other little treats.

20. Feature them in a newsletter

If your company produces an email newsletter, write up a blurb about an outstanding employee or team and publish it there. Everyone likes to see their name in print and it can be a great way to make the other employees aware of a job well done.

21. Pay it forward

This is the one time when gossip can be good.

If you hear a positive remark made about an employee, let that employee know about it. Let his managers and supervisors know about the positive remark too.

22. Present to upper management

Arrange for a team or employee to describe what they’ve done to upper management. This can make the employee or team feel like their accomplishment is worthwhile and forge connections between them and their managers.

23. Games for the win

Surprise your employees by bringing in a ping pong table and/or board games. Then give them time during the day to relax and unwind.

24. Pay transportation fees for a week

Getting to and from work can be expensive. Show your employee appreciation by paying for gas for a week. If they don’t drive, consider paying their bus or cab fare instead.

25. Little gifts

Not all employee appreciation has to be big, once-a-month things. Little gifts can go a long way a as well.

Consider giving out $10 gift cards or candy when an employee does something good. That way, you can reinforce your appreciation more often.

26. Mention her in a meeting

It’s a simple thing, but just the matter of having her accomplishments highlighted during a staff meeting can show how much you appreciate her effort.

27. Singing telegram

Hire someone (preferably a professional) to dress up as a gorilla or a cowboy (or something else fun) and sing the praises of an individual or a team.

Before you reveal the singing telegram, gather everyone together in a conference room or the lobby. That way everyone gets to enjoy the fun.

To really make it personal, try writing your own lyrics to a catchy tune like “All About That Bass”.

28. Reward them with a clean home

No one likes to get off work only to return to a dirty house or apartment. Hire a cleaning service to give an outstanding employee’s dwelling a thorough cleaning once a week for a month.

If that employee is married or has a roommate, they’ll be grateful as well.

29. Just say thank you

Sometimes, just saying thank you is an effective way to show your employee appreciation. Pull the employee aside (maybe to your office), shake his hand, pat him on the back, and express your gratitude for their hard work.

30. Post a sticky note

Along the lines of just saying thank you, surprise an employee by posting a thank-you sticky note on their computer (or on their locker) while they’re away.

31. Detail their car

Arrange for an outstanding employee’s car to be detailed. If you can have it done while they’re at work, it will be an even bigger surprise.

32. Cake

Once a month, have a special cake (or cupcakes) made for an outstanding team or team member. Gather everyone together, thank the employee or team, and then dig in.

33. Take a break and play a game

There are plenty of options for workplace games—both longer ones and shorter ones.

One good option is to have employees bring in a baby picture from when they were two years old (or whatever age you choose). Post them all on the wall and then have employees guess who’s who.

34. Post a thank you video on YouTube

Recording and uploading videos is so simple these days. Take advantage of this simplicity by composing a video outlining a specific employee’s accomplishments and thanking them for their hard work.

Post the video to YouTube or some other social media site. Then send the link to everyone in the office and the employee’s family if you have that information.

35) Wall Of Fame

There’s a reason the wall of fame has been around for so long: it works.

Instituting an employee-of-the-month program and then putting that person’s photo up on the wall of fame is a great way to recognize a job well-done.

Employee Appreciation Ideas And Good Communication

At their heart, all of the employee appreciation ideas on this list are about communication.

In this case, they’re about communicating to your employees that each and every one of them is a valuable member of your team and your business.

But communication goes beyond just showing your appreciation.

Good communication extends to all aspects of your business, including:

• Scheduling
• Inventory
• Clocking in and out
• Ethics
• Customer service

The better you communicate with your employees — about everything — the more engaged they’ll be and the more appreciated they’ll feel.

Plan Employee Appreciation Ideas For Best Results

Finding time to execute your employee appreciation ideas can be difficult in today’s fast-paced work environment.

That can lead to irregularities in your activities that affect the way your team feels, works, and cooperates.

And when your employee appreciation is hit-or-miss — as it is when you don’t plan the activity — the whole process is less productive than it could be.

You can’t just hope that an opportunity to show your appreciation will present itself. You have to carve one into everyone’s busy schedule.

That’s where scheduling and the Sling app come into play.

Sling makes it easy to schedule both simple and complicated events, including:

• A once-a-year employee anniversary
• Day-after-day shift work for one employee or 100 (or more) employees
• Celebrations for the successful completion of a big project
• Grand-opening activities
• And much, much more…

But the Sling app is more than just a powerful scheduling tool you use to plan your employee appreciation ideas.

You can also manage and control payroll, overtime, and other labor costs with Sling’s intuitive user interface. Sling even offers a built-in time clock for a powerful all-in-one workforce-optimization system.

Add to that Sling’s onboard artificial intelligence and you’ve got an extremely beneficial and flexible set of tools that will help you get control of your team, increase workplace productivity, foster good communication, and improve the way your employees work.

So don’t let employee appreciation be something that “just happens”. Plan it just as you would any other important event.

When you do, you’ll take your employee appreciation, team scheduling, virtual training, and every other aspect of your business to the next level.

That’s the beauty and power of the Sling app.

There are so many ways Sling can help improve your business that we don’t have room to talk about them here.

So, instead of reading about it, why not try it out? Sign up for a free account and see for yourself how Sling makes work better.

For more free resources to help you manage your business better, organize and schedule your team, and track and calculate labor costs, visit GetSling.com today.