Employee Appreciation Day ideas can ignite your workplace culture and renew team engagement. With Employee Appreciation Day 2025 on the horizon, now’s the perfect time to start planning!
If you’re a boss, business owner, or leader, you’ll want to start preparing to treat your employees and show them how much you care. Employee Appreciation Day is the perfect opportunity to give employees the thanks and recognition they deserve for their hard work.
Besides being a nice gesture for your employees, Employee Appreciation Day can also benefit your business. It can boost morale, strengthen relationships, and increase employee retention.
This guide has everything you need to make the most of Employee Appreciation Day 2025. We’ll cover the benefits of celebrating it, how to prepare, and amazing Employee Appreciation Day event ideas to give your staff the best Employee Appreciation Day ever.
When Is Employee Appreciation Day 2025?
National Employee Appreciation Day takes place on the first Friday of March every year—it lands on March 7th for 2025. Though it’s coming soon, you still have plenty of time to prepare for a grand celebration. But first, let’s look at some of the history behind Employee Appreciation Day so you know what the holiday is supposed to be about.
History of Employee Appreciation Day
Employee Appreciation Day was created by Dr. Bob Nelson, and the first celebration was in 1995. Dr. Nelson initially intended it to be a one-off event to coincide with the release of his book, “1,001 Ways to Reward Employees,” while reminding employers to appreciate their staff.
However, Nelson soon decided that the holiday should be celebrated annually on the first Friday of March. He worked with Workman Publishing to include the holiday on workplace calendars, slowly making it widespread in the US. Employee Appreciation Day has also caught on abroad, becoming a worldwide celebration of employees and their hard work.
What About Employee Appreciation Week?
Employee Appreciation Day is often expanded into Employee Appreciation Week in today’s workplaces. The week kicks off on Monday leading up to Employee Appreciation Day—in 2025, it runs from March 3rd to March 7th.
Employee Appreciation Week ideas often revolve around staff appreciation themes with one celebrated on each day of the week. Here are some common staff appreciation day themes to get you started:
- Pajama day
- Sports jersey day
- Superhero day
- Sci-fi day
- Safari day
- Cartoon day
- 80s day
- 90s day
- Favorite meme day
Pick themes that match your staff’s interests or build anticipation by letting them vote on themes the week before. Or just skip ahead to our Employee Appreciation Day ideas and pick one for every day of the week.
Why You Should Celebrate Employee Appreciation Day
Though many businesses might think Employee Appreciation Day isn’t worth the time and effort, there are numerous reasons why you should celebrate it. Here’s why you should celebrate National Employee Appreciation Day:
1. Because They Deserve It
First and foremost, your employees deserve to be appreciated and feel special. Even if there weren’t business and financial benefits, this reason alone should justify the expense. Your employees work hard every day to make your business successful. Without their work, your business wouldn’t be able to function. They deserve to feel noticed, cared about, and appreciated for everything they do.
It’s also important to remember that you should appreciate your employees year-round. Though Employee Appreciation Day is an opportunity to go above and beyond, your employees should feel like their efforts are recognized all year. Have fun celebrating their work on Employee Appreciation Day, but keep it up throughout the year, too.
2. Morale and Motivation
Another reason to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day is morale and motivation. Employee Appreciation Day is designed to be an opportunity to show your employees how thankful you are for their efforts. As expected, giving employees recognition can have numerous benefits.
Motivation and morale are essential to a successful team. If your team members feel optimistic, excited, and motivated about their work, they’ll produce better results. Conversely, a team with low morale will be slower, make more mistakes, and ultimately do a worse job.
Employee Appreciation Day can be a great way to improve morale. An activity like our Music Tour Bus can show employee appreciation and boost morale at the same time. In this event, we will take your teams to different locations on a bus. Centered around the search for the band’s lead singer, your team will encounter challenging puzzles, zany activities, and a hilarious original story as they work together to crack the case.
3. Team Bonding
Team bonding is another reason to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day. It’s no surprise that team members who are close and have strong relationships work better and more efficiently than those who aren’t.
For example, our food-focused team building events are a perfect way to show appreciation and help your team develop their relationships simultaneously. Cooking and indulging in delicious food while working together becomes a dual-purpose activity combining celebration and team building.
4. Retention
One final—and super important—reason to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day is retention. This is probably the most significant financial benefit, so it’s not something you should overlook. Giving your employees recognition can encourage them to stay with your company longer.
A study by Gallup found that well-recognized employees are 45% less likely to leave their jobs after two years. The study also found that employees who receive high-quality praise from their bosses are 65% less likely to be actively looking or waiting for a new job opportunity.
How to Plan for a Successful Employee Appreciation Day
Before we explore our favorite Employee Appreciation Day ideas, let’s discuss how to plan a successful celebration. Planning is essential to ensuring the success of your event, so here are a couple of basics to keep in mind.
Know Your Team
If you want to show appreciation to your employees properly, you need to know what they like. Some employees prefer direct acknowledgment of their work and efforts with awards or public recognition. Others may choose something like a fun party, event, small gift, or half-day off. Whatever your employees prefer, it’s your job to figure that out.
Ask Your Team
Still not sure which Employee Appreciation Day ideas your team would prefer? Ask them instead of trying to guess.
Take our top 13 Employee Appreciation Day ideas from the next section, put them on a survey, and let your teams vote for how they’d like to celebrate. If you’re on board with a full Employee Appreciation Week, let them vote for five total ideas and save the best for last.
Plan the Day
This might seem obvious, but planning the day is the next step. You need to figure out what events you want to have if you want to make the day a half day, give out gifts, or host a meeting. Make sure you have a schedule that you can follow to ensure everything goes smoothly.
Also, double-check that everything is good to go. If you’re having a catered lunch, make sure the space is ready, and the caterers are coming at the right time. If you’re doing one of our game shows for work, coordinate with your event planner so they know where to set up. Double-checking and testing may not be fun, but it will prevent unwanted surprises on the day of.
Our Top 13 Employee Appreciation Day Ideas
Not sure how to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day? No worries! We’re here to help with our 13 favorite Employee Appreciation Day ideas for every workplace.
We recommend that you mix and match the ideas your employees would enjoy the most to make an unforgettable celebration. And don’t be afraid to come up with your own ideas, either!
1. Half Day Off
Giving your employees a half (or full) day off is one of the simplest and most effective ways to show appreciation. Everyone likes getting some paid time off, so don’t underestimate the effectiveness of this option. A half-day off also works great when paired with other ideas and activities for staff appreciation day.
If you’re letting your team vote on one Employee Appreciation Day idea for every day of the week, there’s a good chance this will be the capstone. And nothing shows them how much you care like honoring that and giving them the time away from work that they deserve.
2. Culinary Events
Who doesn’t love food? Show appreciation to your employees by organizing a culinary event. Events like our food truck challenge let your employees work together to make incredible food that everyone can enjoy at the end of the day.
This goes beyond treating everyone to tasty food, too. Team members who enjoy meals together are more likely to form close bonds and make memories they’ll cherish for years to come.
3. Professional Development Activities
Professional development activities are another excellent choice for Employee Appreciation Day. An event such as Team PechaKucha can show your employees you care about their futures and skills while having fun.
These Employee Appreciation Day ideas are almost always a hit because you’re supporting their continued success and career advancement.
4. Work Field Trip
Take your team somewhere new and fun for Employee Appreciation Day! Whether it’s a local aquarium, museum, hiking spot, or something else, a field trip is a great way to treat your team and spend time with them.
Field trips have a way of bringing out the childlike excitement in all of us, so pick somewhere fun and make sure everyone can let loose. If you’re not sure what to do, try our Mystery Bus event for a custom-tailored trip to some of the coolest destinations in your city of choice.
5. Personalized Gifts
Finding the right gift for your team members may be tricky, but it’s a great way to show how much you appreciate their efforts. For example, our chocolate-tasting boxes are a fun and delicious gift that can also work for remote employees.
Consider taking a quick poll of everyone’s interests and favorite activities to make sure you get the personalized gifts just right.
6. Health and Wellness Events
It’s always good to take an interest in the health and wellness of your employees. For example, setting up a health and wellness event like laughter yoga or meditainment is an excellent opportunity to help your employees lower stress, feel better, and foster new creativity.
Alternatively, you might get everyone in the office a gift card for a spa day, a gym membership, or something else to support their well-being.
7. Escape Rooms
Escape rooms have become very popular in the past few years, and with good reason. They’re mentally stimulating, fun, and always a popular Employee Appreciation Day idea.
Have a virtual or hybrid team? No problem! There are also some fantastic virtual escape room options to make sure everyone can get in on the fun.
8. Team Games
Playing team games can show your appreciation for your employees by helping them destress and form connections. Whether you play softball together, hold a team game event, or devise something yourself, playing games together helps ensure everyone has fun with your Employee Appreciation Day ideas.
Ask your team members what games they’d be most interested in ahead of time so you can plan something they’ll love.
9. Happy Hour
We all know how stressful work can be, so why not treat your team to a happy hour? You can do this in-house or out at an establishment. Either way, have some fun celebrating with your team and spending quality time together.
If you have a remote or hybrid team, try a virtual happy hour event instead of something in person.
10. Team Building
Team building is one of the most popular Employee Appreciation Day ideas around. Show how much you care about them by organizing fun activities to strengthen their teamwork skills.
Many of our most popular events focus on team building, so find one that everyone would enjoy.
11. Awards Ceremony
What better way to celebrate your team than by handing out awards? Try having an award ceremony for your team where everyone receives recognition for their skills and hard work.
Custom awards are a great way to show appreciation for your team, too. Consider adding fun or heart-felt messages to show how much you care.
12. Care Package for Remote Workers
Showing appreciation for remote workers can seem challenging, but care packages are a simple and effective option. Find out what your team members would like most and send them something that shows how much you care.
If you’re not sure what to get your remote team members, consider offering them multiple options so that each person gets what they want.
13. Casino Night
Ready for a night filled with laughter, camaraderie, and a touch of luck? Organize a Virtual Casino Night for staff appreciation day, offering various games and activities to unwind from the daily grind with your team.
This Employee Appreciation Day idea is a fantastic way to foster team spirit and create lasting memories outside the traditional office setting.
Celebrate Your Employees With TeamBonding
Find the best Employee Appreciation Day ideas to make 2025 special with TeamBonding. Our wide variety of events has something for everyone, making it easy to show how much you care about your employees. Each event is carefully designed and tested to improve morale, boost motivation, and increase retention.
Don’t be the boss who ignores their employees—get in touch with us today and make your Employee Appreciation Day (or week) one to remember!
