5 Great Ways to Show Your Team How Much They Mean on Employee Appreciation Day

National Employee Appreciation Day 2025 is on Friday, March 7, and it’s a great opportunity for your business to let employees know exactly how amazing they are. Companies across the country have taken this holiday even further by expanding it into Employee Appreciation Week. No matter if you celebrate one day or all week, the holiday serves as a reminder that employees and teams should be recognized year round as a way of boosting team morale, productivity and overall happiness in the workplace.

Hallmark has some great ideas for you, from employee appreciation activities and appreciation gifts for employees to employee appreciation week food ideas and more! Whether you’re on a budget and looking for small employee appreciation gifts or you need employee gifts for large companies, we offer corporate gifts like bookmarks, calendars and notebooks that are on trend and perfect for making a lasting impression.

Benefits of Celebrating Employee Appreciation Day

Your employees are the ones you trust to get things done every day. They are meeting deadlines, taking the heat, staying late, coming in early and, every now and then, taking their laptops home to finish projects on their personal time. To put it mildly, they work hard, so when their day (or week) rolls around, they should feel celebrated and appreciated.

Research shows that nearly half of employees experience burnout in the workplace, but according to a Reward Gateway report about employee engagement, 69% of employees say their overall well-being would improve if they were recognized more for their hard work. By showing your team members that you see that extra effort and care about their well-being, you can improve morale AND reduce fatigue in the workplace.

69% of employees say their overall wellbeing would improve if they were recognized more for their hard work.

By letting your employees know you care about them and recognizing their achievements, you are going a long way toward building trust and strengthening your relationships. Plus, you’re infusing positivity into the workplace that will drive productivity and a sense of well-being for everyone. It’s a win all the way around!

You can use Employee Appreciation Day and Employee Appreciation Week 2025 as a way of reminding yourself to engage with and recognize your staff all year long. Whether it’s with kind words, heartfelt greeting cards or inexpensive employee appreciation gifts, your efforts will be noticed and remembered by your staff.

5 Great Ideas to Show Your Employees You Care and Notice Their Hard Work

Leave it to the creative pros at Hallmark Business Connections to give you some great employee appreciation ideas to get you started. Our specialty is helping businesses connect professionally and in a meaningful way with team members and employees as well as external contacts like clients and other business partners.

Here are our top five ways to show employees how much they mean when Employee Appreciation Day rolls around this year:

Send a personalized greeting card. At Hallmark Business Connections, we have a curated selection of greetings that are perfect for sharing your gratitude with employees. Just make your selection, then choose a personalized greeting for the inside of your card that we’ll then add in a special handwriting font. For an even more personalized greeting card experience, our Mail to One service allows you to select a card for a single recipient, personalize the inside and then we’ll even address, stamp and mail your greeting for you!

Give a small gift. A token of your appreciation is something tangible your employees can keep as a reminder of your gratitude for their hard work and dedication. Don’t worry, your gifts don’t have to break the bank. Think about giving things like fun office supplies, motivational stickers, mugs, brand swag or bookmarks and notebooks like the ones we offer especially for businesses. Small employee appreciation gifts will make a big impact when they are given with sincere words of thanks and acknowledgement.

Recognize accomplishments. This week is a great time to highlight individual and team accomplishments like large projects completed, successful client pitches, outstanding creative work and overall excellence. You can even add in fun and complimentary awards to liven things up. Consider awards like PowerPoint Guru, Fastest Coffee Runner, Most Morning Person or Best at Mondays. Keep it fun and lighthearted (but never derogatory) and be sure to call out all the things they are great at doing.

Get involved. Enjoy giving back to your community with your employees. Plan a volunteer event that everyone can participate in. Be sure to start building excitement for this well before the event so everyone who wants to participate can do so. Need ideas? Food and clothing pantries are always accepting donations, and you could even turn this into a friendly competition between teams in the workplace by giving out a prize for the team who donates the most. Community clean-ups are also super popular, especially in the springtime when everything is starting to bloom. Be sure you participate, too, so your employees can see you rolling up your sleeves and giving back alongside them.

Satisfy their hunger. Everyone loves food! So, whether you opt to load the breakroom up with a variety of delicious snacks or have lunch catered to the office, your efforts won’t go unnoticed. And if you really want to wow a stand-out team, an amazing admin or a can’t-live-without-’em office manager, place an order for a box of artfully handcrafted Christopher Elbow chocolates, available now from Hallmark Business Connections. These luxury chocolates are sure to delight and impress your recipients.

Remember, Employee Appreciation Day only comes once a year, but it’s something that is easy to integrate into your employee retention program all year. Plus, it gives you an opportunity to assess how you’re doing as a company when it comes to building relationships, boosting engagement and maintaining employee happiness. When you invest a little time into letting your team know exactly how much they are appreciated, you’ll end up with a happier, healthier, more productive workplace.

For more ways to inspire and recognize your employees, read about how to make work anniversaries a special occasion by celebrating individual contributions.