So, your employee has spent another year around the sun with your organization. Congratulations! This is something worth celebrating. Employee loyalty isn’t guaranteed, and your team has shown that they want to support you.
So, how do you make this event memorable for your team? We want to shed some light on this topic today.
Why You Need To Pay Attention To Work Anniversaries
Have you ever experienced an anniversary? For example, a wedding anniversary or a school reunion? When these dates approach, we think about our current lives, what we’ve accomplished, and what we want to do.
Work anniversaries evoke the same feelings.
For example, in a post from Harvard Business Review, the fifth job anniversary was highlighted. Employees who have been with your company for a long time can get antsy and bored if they aren’t challenged.
Anniversaries are a yearly reminder to take a look in the mirror. Is the job serving you? If yes, great. If not, it’s time to look for another source of employment.
5 Ways To Make Work Anniversaries Memorable
You don’t have to let anniversary blues take your best employees away. Here are five tips to help you celebrate your staff every year.
1. Post Reminders To Yourself Before Work Anniversaries
Before you can make anniversaries memorable, you have to remember them! With so much going on and new things to celebrate all the time, you have to set yourself up for success. Add a few reminders to your calendar about work anniversaries.
Depending on what you want to do for your employee’s work anniversary, you might want different reminders. We encourage a reminder for the day of, two weeks before, and a month out.
If you need to do something extra special, you might want to set a couple of other reminders, so you have time to prepare everything.
You want to celebrate the day of or before the day, if possible. Give yourself time to deliver while your employees are reminiscing about their time with your organization.
2. Give Your Employees A Bonus
It can be easy to get wrapped up in the perfect gift, but sometimes all your employee needs is cash. If you know your employee is saving up for a big purchase or is struggling to pay a bill right now, forgo the fun gift cards and give them what they need to make ends meet. You can explain why you are giving cash if you want something more personal, but don’t hesitate to keep it simple.
3. Write A Handwritten Thank You Note
A handwritten note can go a long way with your team. It will probably be the thing they remember the most. Take a few moments to find a fun card that matches their personality and write some kind words inside the card. It only takes a few minutes to make your team’s day.
4. Use A Service Like Levy Recognition To Create Incentive Medals & Trophies
One awesome thing you can do to celebrate your team is creating year of service awards for your team. You can order unique medals, plaques, and trophies for different service levels (for example, one-year, five-year, ten-year, etc.) We suggest creating a suite of awards that you can send to your team as appropriate for their work anniversaries.
5. Celebrate What Your Employee Has Done For You In The Past Year
During your employee’s tenure, they have contributed a lot to your team. Don’t forget to thank them for the hard work they have put into your organization. Sit down and go through all the work they’ve accomplished. What stands out to you? Let them know that you admire their work.
Conclusion: You Can Make Tenured Employees Feel Loved
Work anniversaries are a special occasion. Your team members enjoy working with you, and it’s time to show how much you value them. Hopefully, today’s article gave you some insight into making this occasion special for your team.