John F. Kennedy rightly said “We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.” For organizations, its employees are the greatest asset. They are the one’s who ensure customer satisfaction. They are also the ones who keep the organization’s wheel rolling. And what better day then the Employee Appreciation Day to thank your employees.

On second thoughts, we must delve deeper into the appreciation part to understand how appreciation works for employees. According to Harvard Business Review, appreciation in the workplace is the single highest driver of employee engagement. Researcher Marcial Losada found that in high-performing teams, the ratio of positive feedback to negative feedback, is 5.6 to 1. In low-performing teams, the ratio is 0.36 to 1.

The role that an employee plays in an organization is well compensated for through salaries, perks, rewards etc. so why does appreciation count so much? Psychologically speaking, appreciation is a great motivator at any age. So when employees contribute to the organization’s goals and progress every working day of their life, sometimes excelling in their efforts and at other times simply going out of their way to get things accomplished, they need the motivation to continue with the same zeal. And this is exactly where appreciation plays a key role. Receiving appreciation and acknowledgement from time to time from their peers fuels and refuels their passion. Appreciation also helps in creating a positive mindset, increasing productivity and building harmonious and long lasting relationships.

And when we refer to the above statistics again, it is quite clear that employee appreciation is not a one day event but a year long process that organizations need to follow. So the point here is to make appreciation a deeply embedded part of your culture. And how do you do it? Well we speak to a few organizations to understand how they have made appreciation a part of their DNA. Here are some inputs that we got.

Nishigandha Shendge, HR Manager at Fynd, India’s largest omnichannel platform says that her Organization believes in valuing employees and thanking them for their contribution throughout the year.



We prides ourself in being a people-centric company, and ensuring that our culture is constantly evolving to welcome different people who thrive in different ways, especially with the hybrid work environment. With open and honest communications being one of our core values, what better way is there to show the members of Fynd that they are valued and to thank them for all that they do! Besides this, for Employee Appreciation Day, along with the founders’ direct video messages expressing their appreciation for all the members, Fynd’s People Success team has also planned a surprise anonymous appreciation of the members!”

Edward Life Sciences’, Head Human Resource, Malcolm Dsouza shares that his Organization is committed to appreciate and recognize its employees at every instance, monthly, quarterly and annually.

“Edwards Life Sciences strongly promotes Rewards and Recognition through its online Heart Awards Platform where employees can recognize any one within the Organization for their contributions & employees receive the Awards in the form of heart Points. Besides, FIRE (Focus, Innovation, Resilience, Excellence) Awards every Month, Quarterly Town Hall presentation opportunity for employees who have excelled in their work and showcase the same to a larger audience, Restricted Stock Units every Quarter to be won for sales excellence. In addition, Annual Awards, President Club Awards which is in the form of International tour with spouse, Business India Cup, Additional perks with Growth/learnings opportunity to employees who are identified are other ways in which we continuously recognize our employees.”

Indeed, having strong best practices for your Rewards & Recognition embedded in your culture is a sure way of appreciating employees and showing them that you truly value their contributions.

Ayush Sinha, VP – HR at SugarBox Networks feels that “Employee Appreciation Day is a great opportunity and a sure reminder to be compassionate, kind and grateful to one another. Even more so as we continue to work virtually, which often results in emotions of withdrawal and detachment.”



Ayush further adds that while one could take a more extravagant route to express gratitude –we could probably begin with small steps such as saying a “thank you” or “You did a good job” over a call or during a team meeting, as a best practice on a day-to-day basis. Most importantly, we need to cultivate a culture of gratitude, where appreciation is an essential and not a luxury – reserved only for special moments.

“At SugarBox Networks we know that employees are our biggest assets and thus ensuring their well-being and keeping them engaged has been a top priority for us. It was imperative for us to put in place key milestones and benchmarks that would help employees take time away from work, get appreciated for their contribution as well as avail of opportunities for future growth.”

“Last year we have worked on launching a learning charter that focuses on a continuous upskilling journey (both functional and behavioral). We have also looked at providing breaks at regular intervals to ensure that fatigue does not set in, and employees do find the time to recharge and switch off from work. Focus on – monetary benefits, promotions, and organization wide recognition at regular intervals, have also been additional ways of showing our appreciation towards all employees. We are thrilled to have launched our Rewards & Recognition program every quarter through an innovative campaign. The “Wellness Fridays” received a heart-warming response from employees, for the long weekend option (a mandatory once a month Friday off)! And we are focused to continue this effort through some interesting initiatives in the coming months.”

Ritika Arora, an Entrepreneur and Life Coach is a genuine believer that in addition to offering employees’ incentives, it is important to adopt subtle yet unique ways of ensuring that employees stay motivated to deliver to their best capabilities.



She adds, “Few things we have tried to build as a practice is recognizing employees as Employee of the month, showing our appreciation through gift cards, goodies etc on small wins, providing for special time off and also discouraging employees to work beyond office hours. It’s crucial to keep the momentum high, and what’s better than acknowledging the good performance of the employees regularly and giving them additional time off, especially in the remote work environment.”

As we celebrate Employee Appreciation Day this year, let us be reminded of Simon Sinek’s quote “True love exists in business. It’s when Employee and Employer are amazingly grateful to have each other. We should all have true love at work.” As an employer or a leader, it is important for you to understand that appreciation should not be an event but a daily practice. Remember that a simple, pat on the back can go a long way in building positive and productive relationships at work.

It’s definitely a great chance for you as an employer to make the first move in acknowledging the contribution that your employees make and it a part of your Company’s culture!

Source links– Employees Appreciation Throughout The Year