Employee Appreciation Day is over – now what? A manager’s field guide to yearlong gratitude
If you’re like us and like to keep an eye on the pulse of workplace trends, you might be feeling a certain way about some of the latest stats:
- 79% of employees are phoning it in – they’ve reported they are not engaged or are actively disengaged at work.
- 50% of currently employed workers say they are watching for or actively seeking a new job.
- 40% of global employees say they experienced stress the previous day (and that jumps to 50% when looking at just the United States and Canada.)
Source: State of the Global Workplace 2025, GallupOpens in a new tab
Between low morale, slipping engagement, and relentless workplace changes brought on by AI, it can feel a bit bleak out there. All right, it can feel like the culture apocalypse.
But we’re here to help. If you still believe a strong, positive employee culture can make a difference in achieving your business goals – you are not alone.
In fact, in the 2025 Workhuman Global Research Study: Recognition as an Engine for Strategy, we found a trifecta of encouraging results between frequent appreciation, improved psychological safety and cultural alignment to strategic initiatives:
Read on to discover how recognition can be incorporated within your organization to support employees and supercharge your culture, starting with Employee Appreciation Day and lasting all year long.
The advantages of appreciation
Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for positive cultural transformation. When recognition is done right in the workplace, organizations see the advantages of appreciation come to life.
Research shows that employee recognition:
| Boosts motivation | Improves engagement | Increases retention |
|---|---|---|
| Employees are 5x as likely to see a path to grow at their organization. | Employees are 4x as likely to be engaged. | Employees are 56% less likely to be looking or watching for job opportunities. |
And it’s not just studies and data that reveal the benefits of recognition. Our customers often share with us how their organization’s entire employee experience changes once they start building recognition habits at scale.
Improved Connection
“As our organization has grown, the TBOP Rewards program has evolved to play a vital role in fostering connection and recognition across our branches. By providing a space where employees can acknowledge one another’s contributions and share moments through photos and messages, TBOP Rewards helps bridge the distance between teams, promotes mutual appreciation, and strengthens our shared culture of excellence.” -Aleksandra Kaczor, Human Resource Manager, The Bank of Princeton
Increased eNPS Scores
“We had lots of great data from Workhuman. … We were able to combine that with our engagement surveys, explore those two sets of data and work with our leadership teams to increase the recognition activity, to in turn increase our eNPS scores for colleagues.”
-Chris Jones, Colleague Recognition Manager, British Airways
More Belonging and Goal Alignment
“Daily, we can see upwards of 100 or more recognition moments shared across the platform. Recognition builds team rapport and contributes to a sense of belonging internally – it serves as a good reminder that we are all working towards the same goal.”
-Mara Notarfonzo, Vice President of Total Rewards, CAA Club Group
Use Employee Appreciation Day to jumpstart a culture of recognition
Employee Appreciation Day has been celebrated annually on the first Friday in March since 1995. It’s a vital day for leaders to remind employees of how valued they are – and it’s an opportunity to see the power of appreciation in action.
If this is your first time celebrating, we have a list of 28 ideas to make this occasion special for your employees. But you don’t have to wait for Employee Appreciation Day to roll around each year to show your gratefulness. Establishing recognition habits is the foundation for a year-round culture of appreciation.
Where to begin? No-cost ways for managers to build year-round appreciation
An employee experience rooted in recognition takes time to develop, especially across an entire organization. Here are some small (but mighty) ways that you can help managers integrate recognition into their flow of work. We’ve provided a recommended cadence to ensure it is year-round.
Manager Recognition Checklist:
| Weekly | Schedule time to say thanks after Employee Appreciation Day ends. | It may sound corny, but scheduling a weekly “recognition time” block on your calendar can serve as a reminder to intentionally continue to thank your colleagues. Think of it as a digital post-it note – a quick way to start building the habit of pausing and reflecting on what you’re grateful for at work each week. Using an employee recognition software to send your gratitude allows a digital record to be created of all your team’s recognition moments. (Plus, with Workhuman, the recognition analytics will give you unmatched insight into skills, patterns and growth opportunities for your team.) |
| Monthly | Take a moment to cheer for achievements outside of work, too. | What are your colleagues involved with outside of work? Workhuman® research found that celebrating life events in the workplace leads to a 23% increase in employees’ mental health. Growing a family, getting married, buying a home, becoming a dog mom, running in a race, finishing a degree – the list goes on and on for Life Events to commemorate. Continue to recognize the whole person by celebrating your team’s achievements or milestones outside of their work roles, too. |
| Quarterly | Schedule a team meeting, lunch, or get-together and share why you’re grateful for the team. | According to New York Presbyterian’s Health MattersOpens in a new tab, practicing gratitude has social benefits that can lead to more intentional relationships, stronger morale, motivation and engagement, and less frustration. All good things to bring to the workplace, right? Even if it is just a few moments, reap the social benefits of a team meeting once a month solely focused on gratitude. And with Workhuman, you can follow up your meeting with a Team Award to recognize your whole team at the same time. |
| Quarterly | Ask your team if you're checking in enough. | Checking in with your team – with the right cadence – is an important part of building connection. After all, to authentically appreciate your employees, you have to break the ice. Each person has their own preferred cadence to feel seen and heard by their manager. Support your team by seeking to understand their needs and striking the right balance of support year-round. If you use a performance management software, you can set up reminders for your check-ins and store summaries of your notes in one spot. With Workhuman, you can integrate your check-ins, feedback, and recognition moments for holistic development. |
| Annually | Start a “pass-it-on” chain by recognizing your team and asking them to recognize again. | Extend the length of a recognition moment by encouraging the colleague you thanked to thank someone else, too. New York Presbyterian’s Health MattersOpens in a new tab reminds us that gratitude improves self-esteem and confidence, which often inspires optimism and improved mood for the thanker. Watch as a chain of kindness begins to unfold across your organization. With a platform like Workhuman, you can amplify these recognition moments to your networks on LinkedIn and Viva Engage through Social Sharing. |
“The number of colleagues who’ve voluntarily posted about awards they receive, merchandise they purchase through Workhuman’s e-commerce store, or life events they’ve celebrated has been amazing. It’s wonderful to see people promote Conga Stars unprompted. It really means something to them, and they want to share that experience with their networks and the world.”
- Adrienne Alesandro, Senior Director of Colleague Engagement and Leadership Development, Conga
Changing culture doesn’t happen overnight. But the benefits of appreciation can make a surprising difference in employee morale. To all the HR champs, managers, and unsung heroes tasked with rejuvenating and sustaining organizational culture, thank you. From establishing small habits of recognition to leading seismic shifts across an organization, we see you and all the good work you’re doing. And this Employee Appreciation Day and beyond, we’re thankful for you, too.
About the author
Erika Roemer
Erika Roemer is a writer, editor and dog mom to Oscar the Boston Terrier. She oversees the customer evidence and proof points program at Workhuman.