Traditionally, companies give out bonuses and gifts around the winter holidays, and while that is a magnanimous practice, these generous gestures don’t necessarily surprise employees. 

Christmas, Chanukka, Kwanzaa, and other November, December holidays get a lot of notoriety. 

Labor Day, on the other hand, sort of comes and goes and seems to be more associated with the start of school than anything else. In general, employees don’t feel appreciated in the workplace. According to the American Psychological Association:

“Although a majority of working Americans (81 percent) reported that their employer provides some type of recognition, less than half (46 percent) said their organization recognizes employees for individual job performance. Additionally, less than a third (29 percent) said that team or work-unit performance is recognized and even fewer reported that their employer provides recognition for company-wide results (21 percent), or engaging in specific behaviors, such as those consistent with the organization’s values (18 percent).”

Want to show your staff your appreciation in an unexpected way? Recognize their hard work by making Labor Day about them. 

Here’s how:

1) Gift Baskets

Gift baskets keep growing and growing in popularity. In fact, the gifting industry has been seeing consistent growth levels of 5%, which has created an industry value of an estimated $3 billion. Gift baskets are meaningful because they can be customized, and those containing premium items start at around $50, which isn’t cheap, but certainly not too expensive. 

Any gift can boost employee morale, but gift baskets possess that personalized characteristic that makes them so special. 

2) Company Outing 

With the delta variant raging, I recommend keeping a company outing outdoors, like a picnic. It’s still summer, and a company-catered picnic at a nice venue gives employees the opportunity to bond outside of the physical or virtual office. Go one step further by holding the picnic on a workday, so it feels like time off. 

3) Labor Day Bonus

Talk about being unconventional in the best way. Rather than the expected (and hopefully appreciated) bonus around the holiday season, why not make your employees’ day with a Labor Day bonus?

There is a direct connection between employee performance and bonuses, and surprising your staff like this is not only a generous thank you, but the gesture is likely to enhance motivation and employee engagement. 

Considering this is our second Covid Labor Day, you will no doubt create good will. 

4) Thank You Notes

It’s the thought that counts, right? A short personalized message–addressing employees by name and identifying unique ways they’ve helped the company–can go a long way with your staff. There are companies in industries devastated by the pandemic that may not have the monetary and/or time budget for gifts and experiences. The written word is a powerful thing, and a genuine thank you message is more than a nice touch. 

Labor Day is right around the corner, so now is as good a time as any to deliver good will. If you liked this post, please subscribe to our blog. You can opt out at any time. To learn more about FocusHR and for updates, please like our Facebook page and follow us on LinkedIn.