6 Ideas for an Employee Appreciation Day Win (Parks and Recreation-Style)

Friday, March 6th, is Employee Appreciation Day! It’s the perfect time to let your colleagues know they’re doing a great job, and to boost morale, with a bit of a celebratory event. But maybe you’re not sure how best to approach it – after all, work parties can be tricky.

Here’s our take on it, inspired by NBC’s Parks and Recreation, one of the greatest shows ever, because – let’s face it – they seem like the most likable and entertaining group of people you could ever hope to work with. Without further ado, the list!

Image credit: NBC

Consult your resident party genius. Have someone on staff who’s great at planning? Ask them to join forces.

Give individual gifts. This can be difficult, as it requires knowing your colleagues well and paying attention to what makes them tick. However, done properly, this can really let people know you care. Note: You may want to start a binder now, for next year.

Give a group gift in the form of a new company benefit. Let your employees know you know work isn’t everything, by introducing a benefit (such as flex-time) that respects their other priorities.

Encourage a little luxury. Don’t want to have a staff party on-site? Consider hosting a spa afternoon or a fancy lunch. (With wine or shots – Take your pick.)

Get the atmosphere right. Especially if you’re the boss, it’s important to let folks know they can relax and have a good time. Which means YOU have to relax and have a good time.

Photo credit: NBC

Give everyone the day off—or be okay with a late start—the next day. Let’s be honest, it’s just the nice thing to do.

Good luck planning your event, and if you have other ideas, post them in Comments below. Also if you’re planning, you can use our app to organize your event. With features like sharing images and video with event attendees and receiving notifications every time there is a chat in your event, it’ll make your planning duties a breeze.