Employee Appreciation Day: when it is and 30 ways to mark it

Is today Employee Appreciation Day? If it is the first Friday in March, yes. If it is any other day, the honest answer is that today is still a good day to thank someone.

This article tells you when Employee Appreciation Day falls in the coming years and where it came from. It gives 30 ways to mark it on any budget, shows how to plan the day in six steps and explains how to stop it becoming an empty gesture.

If you would like appreciation to happen all year, where the whole team can see it, explore New Dynamics employee recognition.

When is Employee Appreciation Day?

Employee Appreciation Day is observed on the first Friday in March. We have worked out the dates for the coming years from that rule.

You may also see it called National Employee Appreciation Day, worker appreciation day or staff appreciation day. It is an informal observance. It is not a public holiday, nobody gets the day off by right, and we could find no official body that sets it. It appears to have begun in the United States, and Wikipedia describes it as still gaining adoption there and abroad.

Where did Employee Appreciation Day come from?

The day is credited to Bob Nelson, the author of 1,001 Ways to Reward Employees. According to the Wikipedia entry for Employee Appreciation Day, he created it in 1995, initially to celebrate the publication of that book “and to remind employers to thank their employees when they do good work”. Indeed's guide for employers gives the same account: the day was “created by Bob Nelson and his publisher, Workman Publishing”, started in 1995 and “falls on the first Friday of March”.

We were not able to open Dr Nelson's own account or the publisher's, so we have relied on those two sources, which agree.

It is worth being clear-eyed about this. The day began as part of a book launch. That does not make thanking people a bad idea. It does mean that the day has only the meaning you give it.

Why mark it at all?

It is a prompt. Most managers mean to thank people more often than they do. A date in the calendar turns the intention into an action.

Appreciation is good for the giver too. The NHS lists giving to others among its five steps to mental wellbeing, with “saying thank you to someone for something they have done for you” as its first example.

It can restart a habit. A team that spends one Friday noticing good work may carry on noticing it.

The risk is the opposite effect. If appreciation appears once a year, on a date the internet chose, people may reasonably ask where it was for the other 364 days.

30 ways to mark Employee Appreciation Day

The ideas are ours. Pick a few that suit your team. Doing one thing well is better than doing ten things thinly.

No cost

1. Write each person a short, specific note. Our staff thank-you letter templates show how.
2. Open the team meeting with a round of thanks, in which each person thanks one colleague for something specific.
3. Tell a senior leader about one person's work, and tell the person that you did.
4. Pass on customer praise, word for word.
5. Ask each person what they are proudest of this year, and listen.
6. Post a thank-you wall, physical or online, that anyone can add to.
7. Thank the people behind the scenes: cleaners, reception, IT support, payroll.
8. Finish early, with no catch.
9. Cancel a recurring meeting that nobody values, as a gift of time.
10. Give someone the chance to present their own work to senior leaders.

Low cost

11. Buy breakfast or lunch, and eat it together. Check dietary needs first.
12. Give a book chosen for each person, with a note inside saying why.
13. Send a small delivery to remote colleagues on the same day, so that nobody is left out.
14. Offer a voucher for a local business.
15. Bring in a coffee cart or an ice cream van for an hour.
16. Give each team a small budget to spend on something they choose together.
17. Plant something, or make a donation to a charity that the team chooses.
18. Frame a team photo or a customer's thank-you letter for the wall.

Time and development

19. Give an extra half-day of leave, to be taken within the quarter.
20. Offer a “development day” for a course, a conference or a visit to another organisation.
21. Fund a professional membership or a subscription that the person has asked for.
22. Arrange a mentoring conversation with a senior leader of their choice.
23. Let people spend the afternoon on a work project of their own choosing.
24. Start the conversation about a development plan that has been postponed.

Together

25. Hold a short awards moment with categories voted for by colleagues. Keep it kind, and avoid joke awards that sting.
26. Share a “year in numbers” that shows what the team achieved.
27. Invite a customer to say what the team's work meant to them.
28. Organise a volunteering afternoon.
29. Hold a team lunch at which leaders serve.
30. Ask the team how they would like to be appreciated, and act on the answer before next March.

For more, see our employee recognition ideas. Remote and hybrid teams will find suggestions in our remote team building activities.

How to plan the day in six steps

1. Put it in the calendar now. The first Friday in March arrives sooner than you expect.
2. Ask people what they would value. A short poll prevents a well-meant event that half the team dislikes.
3. Make it personal. Prepare one specific thing to say or write to each person. This is the part that matters most, and it costs nothing.
4. Include everyone. Remember part-time staff, night shifts, remote colleagues, contractors and people on leave. Hold it in working hours.
5. Keep leaders visible. A message from the top means more when the leader delivers it in person and names real work.
6. Carry it forward. Before the day ends, decide one habit that will continue, such as a weekly round of thanks.

How to keep it from feeling hollow

Do not make it the only day. Treat it as the start of a habit. Our positive feedback examples show what everyday appreciation sounds like.

Do not use it to cover a problem. Pizza does not make up for unfair pay, unmanageable workloads or a manager who behaves badly. If morale is low, deal with the cause. See our guide to team morale.

Do not send a mass email and stop there. “Thanks to all our amazing staff” thanks nobody in particular.

Do not make it compulsory fun. Let people opt out of social events without penalty.

Do not forget anyone. Being left out on appreciation day is worse than there being no day at all.

Be careful with gifts and tax. In the UK, GOV.UK's guidance on trivial benefits says that a benefit is not taxable if, among other conditions, it cost “£50 or less to provide”, “isn't cash or a cash voucher” and “isn't a reward for their work or performance”. Check with your payroll provider or accountant. This is general information, not tax advice.

Other workplace appreciation days

Many occupations and roles have their own days or weeks, set by professional bodies, charities or campaign groups: nurses, teachers, administrative staff, volunteers and others. Dates vary by country and are sometimes changed, so check the organiser's own website before you plan around one.

Two principles apply to all of them. Mark the ones that mean something to your own people. And never let a calendar be the only reason that someone hears a thank you.

Frequently asked questions

When is Employee Appreciation Day?

Employee Appreciation Day is observed on the first Friday in March. In 2027 it falls on Friday 5 March, in 2028 on Friday 3 March, in 2029 on Friday 2 March and in 2030 on Friday 1 March.

Is today Employee Appreciation Day?

Only if today is the first Friday in March. If it is not, you do not need to wait. A specific thank you is welcome on any day, and it often means more when it is not prompted by the calendar.

Is Employee Appreciation Day a public holiday?

No. It is an informal observance that appears to have begun in the United States. Employees have no right to time off, and employers are free to mark it or not. Many choose to, with thanks, small gifts, shared meals or time off.

Who created Employee Appreciation Day?

It is credited to the author Bob Nelson, who created it in 1995 with his publisher, Workman Publishing, around the publication of his book 1,001 Ways to Reward Employees, to remind employers to thank employees for good work.

What should you do for Employee Appreciation Day?

Start with a specific, personal thank you to each person. Add something that suits your team, such as a shared meal, an early finish or extra leave. Include remote and part-time colleagues, and decide on one habit to continue afterwards.

How do you appreciate employees all year?

Give specific feedback close to the event, pass on customer praise, share credit by name, mark milestones, ask people how they like to be recognised and check that quiet, reliable people are not overlooked.

Your next step: prepare one note per person

1. Put the first Friday in March in your calendar.
2. Start a list today of one specific thing that each person in your team has done well.
3. Add to it each month.
4. In March, turn each entry into a note, and keep the list going afterwards.

For a full approach to appreciation that is specific, timely and fair, read and download our employee recognition guide. The guide is free to read, and the PDF uses our short download form.

Want recognition to be part of every week, not one Friday a year? Book a New Dynamics demo and bring your current habits. You can also email contact@new-dynamics.com.