So here's the thing... I am all for appreciating your employees, really, you can't run your business without them and they deserve to feel appreciated for sure. My hesitation is gifting and spoiling them only because this day tells you to. I am hoping that if you are one of our loyal followers you would already be showing appreciation to your employees way before now.
So if you dropped the ball on acknowledging this day you're okay if you already do a good job of making them feel appreciated. If you could use some improvement in this area take a look at our Administrative Professionals Day post. The key is to making them feel appreciated throughout the year.
Employee appreciation needs to be a consistent and important part of business planning. It's important not only to tell them how much their contributions matter, but also to show them. This can be done in a number of ways. Lunch on the boss is an easy one as is a coffee run on you too.
Other ways to engage in employee appreciation is through strategic gifting. Acknowledging special days such as birthdays with gifts and cards are a good start but there is an easy way you can go above and beyond. You can go that extra mile by doing something special for their anniversary or their children birthdays as well. I know for me that anything done for my child has a greater impact than if done for me. I know as a parent I am not alone in this sentiment. You can also reward their good work with allowing them to work remotely on occasion or gifting just because. There are many other ideas you can find by scouring our blog posts. One suggestion you will constantly find is to not underestimate the power of a hand written *typed would work too* note.
There are many customary days to show your staff you appreciate them. The holidays are a given and you have "appreciation days" too throughout the year. However remember that true and authentic appreciation happens all year long with or without a day to remind us. So if you are one of those bosses that missed Employee Appreciation Day use it as an opportunity to begin implementing systems that show them how much you appreciate them all year long.