Celebrating an employee work anniversary
Employees who stay with your company are a big deal and great team members can be hard to find. Make sure they’re aware of how much you appreciate their loyalty and great work by celebrating their work anniversary the right way! Whether they have been at the company 6 months, one year, or even 10 years, here are some great ideas on how to say thank you and congratulate them on their Work Anniversary.
1) Paid time off
One of the best ways to celebrate a work anniversary is to reward your employees for their good work with time off of the job. While your employees will appreciate a card or a gift, a day off to spend to refresh themselves or to spend with family and friends will often be much more appreciated and shows you care.
You might consider giving them the day off on the day of their milestone, or give it to then as a flex PTO day allowing them to choose the day.
2) Do something visible in the office – flowers, balloons or decorate their desk.
If you don’t want to give your employees the day off, surprise them by decorating their work space! Purchase flowers or a new plant for their desk. Put up a sign or streamersof buy balloons or something funny.
Get creative and have fun with this. It is an inexpensive and fun way to say congrats on another successful year and it will involve more of your team members, will be visible to the whole office and can help raise team morale. However, if you are doing this for an employee, don’t forget to do it for others.
3) Give a personal gift
Another great way to recognize an employee’s anniversary is with a well-thought out, personalized gift. While a branded mug with your company’s name on it is great, this is a good opportunity to do something special for this one person . Especially for longer-term employees. If they have been there longer, you should know what something about what they like. If not, this might be a bigger issue to consider!
Do they come into work with a to-go coffee mug everyday? Consider getting them a company cup with their initials. Are they always cold in the office? Get them a blanket with the company logo on it for their desk! Showing your employee that you took the time to get to know them will make them feel valued and is the best type of work anniversary wishes.
4) Company-wide card
Create an anniversary card and have it signed by the whole team! Even a simple card thanking them for all they’ve done can mean a lot. Moreover, this will make your team pause for a moment from the hustle and bustle to say thanks to their coworker and happy anniversary. Although it’s simple, this is a classic that never fails.
5) Share the news in an announcement
Take time in an upcoming team or company-wide meeting to thank your employee for all their hard work. This is another good chance to personalize this. Highlight specific work they’ve done over the past year. This is a great way to let your employee feel appreciated for their individual contribution, shines a light on their role on your team and, more importantly, helps them feel seen and recognized for their work they are doing. It also shows your team that their work is being appreciated.
6) Take time to check-in
Another great way to celebrate your employee is to arrange for some one-on-one time with them to go over their growth and career development. While this might not be the time for a formal review, it is a good chance to look at how far they have come, how they’ve improved or where they want to grow in the coming years.
Use this time to help them to set some goals, and come up with a plan for how you can support them in achieving these goals. This is a time to focus on them, so stay away from work or company goals and keep it about their development and career growth. Doing this over lunch or coffee is a more personal way to make it less about work and more about them. . It is a great way to show an employee that you care and are invested in their success.
7) Next-level swag gifts
Having specific company swag that you share for anniversaries is a great way to make everyone work towards a goal. But, this kind of gift can’t be your regular swag or promotional products giveaways.
For a one-year anniversary, maybe some great apparel options. Year two, maybe a hot tech gift like a great bluetooth speaker or wireless headphones. Beyond that, options are endless. The classic gift long-term service gifts is a watch, Swag.com can do twist on this with customized Smart watches that would be a fun nod to tradition, but with a more modern, fun look!
While it can be hard to keep up with each employee’s anniversary, is important and gives a great chance to show appreciation. Don’t let busy schedules or stressful deadlines get in the way of celebrating – there should always be the time to make employees feel appreciated and valued!
Recognizing their work anniversary is an easy way to show them (and the entire team) that you take employee appreciation seriously, that you are invested in your team members future success and that you hope to have the as part of your company for many more amazing years. But, as stated above, make sure you do this for all employees as forgetting some or playing favorites can have a negative effect.
