Employee Appreciation Games

Show employees they are valued.

Showing employee appreciation is a great way to show workers they are recognized as valued members of the workplace, and their contributions and efforts are a vital part of a company's success. It's also beneficial to an organization to recognize the efforts of its staff, as a study at Northwestern University showed "a direct link between employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction, and between customer satisfaction and improved financial performance," Fun games are a great way to show employees gratitude for all they do. March 5th is officially Employee Appreciation Day, but it's always a great time to provide thanks and encouragement.

Stage an Awards Show

Show your appreciation with awards.

Determine the strengths and high points of every employee's office performance, and create a mini awards show inspired by the Oscars and Grammys. Purchase ribbons or trophies at a party supply store, or make customized awards by hand, and give them out to employees to recognize what they do. Someone might receive an award for having the most inspiring attitude, making a big sale or completing projects the fastest.

Get to Know Your Co-workers

Have employees guess the identities of baby photos.

Have every employee bring in a baby photo of themselves, and pin it up on a bulletin board. Then, have the employees fill out a sheet of paper with guesses as to who is in each photo. Employees will bond as they get to know more about one another, fueling camaraderie in the workplace while enjoying a little break from their duties. The winner of the contest receives a prize, and bonus awards can be given out to runners-up.

Trivia

Create a set of trivia questions related to the office, asking things about company history, clients, other employees and anything else related to work. Then, have the employees break into teams to answer the questions, competing against each other for prizes. It will create a positive, team-building atmosphere while taking advantage of employees' workplace knowledge. It's possible to place the questions into categories such as "easy" and "hard" or "employee trivia" and "corporate quiz."

References

• Workplace Improvement through Employee Recognition
• Fun Recognition Ideas

Resources

• Top 10 Idea Provokers for Employee Appreciation Day