In addition to getting that long-awaited promotion, the second most exciting thing in every employee’s work life is reaching a significant milestone. Whether that happens after two, four, or five years, achieving such an accomplishment should be celebrated the right way.
While some companies stick to the traditional giving of a letter of appreciation and a thoughtful gift to their employees, others wish to go a step further and mark their milestone with a suitable celebration. The great thing about this is that it doesn’t have to be anything over the top. Instead, it can be something meaningful that will make the employee feel honored and appreciated.
Fortunately, there are many unique and memorable ways you can show the individuals on your team they are valuable to you and to those around them. From decorating their desks to sponsoring a company trip, here are six creative ideas on how to celebrate your dedicated employee’s milestones.
Throw a team party
Probably one of the most common ways of honoring an employee’s work anniversary is to throw them a party. This type of celebration is actually affordable and in most cases organized by the worker’s immediate team members in the office. If the coworkers are already close with each other, they will certainly love the opportunity to get together and celebrate.
On the other hand, if you are socially distancing, then you have the option of throwing the employee a virtual party. You can come up with a virtual event theme and provide your guests with an impressive celebratory experience by sending them food, beverages, and gifts. Come up with some amusing party games and activities and celebrate your coworker the way they deserve.
Create a gift box
Another memorable way of celebrating an employee’s milestone is to give them a thoughtful gift. While most companies go for watches and gift cards, others are more innovative and create a customized gift box to give their coworker.
For example, you can start by including some of the individual’s favorite snacks and drinks. In most cases, these are boxes of chocolate and a bottle of wine accompanied by a customized coffee mug with the employee’s name on it. If you want, you can be even more creative and write the person’s most commonly used saying or add a design that best represents them.
Wrap everything nicely in a box or a basket and leave it on their desk for them to see.
Decorate their workstation
Decorating the employee’s workstation is an excellent way to mark their work anniversary. You can do this before they come to work which will certainly be an amazing way to start their special day.
You can put their gift on their desk and decorate it with some balloons, personalized tokens of appreciation, and lots of thank-you cards. Although such handwritten notes may be old-fashioned for some, they can offer that same level of care that your coworker will definitely appreciate. You can even ask your boss to write something as well because employees love when they are also honored by the head of the company.
Lastly, don’t forget the cake because no work anniversary is complete with it.
Grant them a day off
One of the reasons why employees reach their significant milestone stage is because they have invested a lot of effort and dedication to get there. Granting them a paid day off from their busy schedule is an excellent way to recognize their hard work. The individual can take this opportunity to relax and come back feeling refreshed and ready to tackle new work challenges.
If you can’t swing giving them a full day off, then you can consider allowing them to arrive later at work and leave early.
In general, celebrate your employee’s work anniversary by giving them some self-care time. Simply means that you care for your workers and acknowledge their need of having personal time off.
Make them a custom video
Sometimes, a custom-made video honoring your employee is one of the most memorable gifts you can celebrate them with. This is an excellent idea for coworkers who are already close and friendly with each other. You can either send it to them via email or play it during your festive get-together event.
You can ask the individual’s closest colleagues and even your boss to say a couple of things. This can include things they appreciate the most about the employee and any fun experiences they may have had throughout the years. You can record their responses on the video in a touching way to make the entire celebration more remarkable.
Don’t forget to include photos of the employee from over the years and any key achievements they have made.
Give them a place of honor
When dedicated employees reach their milestone stage, all they really want is to be recognized and appreciated for what they have done for the company. Therefore, giving them a place of honor on the firm’s bulletin board is one of the best ways to show how much you value their contribution. Anything from the funniest to the most memorable photos can be put up on the board. This way, everyone in the company can see them.
Finish off their special day after the ceremony by tossing some confetti and applauding the hard-working employee as they watch how they are taking their rightful place in the company’s history. This can also serve as a motivation for the rest of the workforce to work harder and make more contributions to the team.
Final thoughts
If you have an employee who has spent a notable amount of years in the company, it is high time that you acknowledged their hard work in an appropriate way. This could be a team-organized celebration, a custom-made video or a simple token of appreciation. It is important that you make this individual’s milestone stage as remarkable as you can. Not only will you help the guest of honor feel appreciated, but such work anniversaries are also an excellent way to build strong teams. This is an excellent opportunity to remind everyone that the company cares about their needs and achievements.
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