15 Employee Appreciation Ideas for Large Companies

You can’t have a successful workplace without a skilled and motivated body of staff. Today, when there’s greater competition than ever for talented individuals, it’s important to have a clear staff retention strategy in place. This is true for all businesses, but especially more sizable operations, which can get bogged down in a laborious hiring cycle.

One of the pillars of your plan should be acknowledging and praising your team for a job well done. To help give you some inspiration for how this can be achieved, we’ve assembled some diverse examples of employee appreciation ideas for large companies.

1. Why Is It Important to Appreciate Employees in Large Organizations?

Particularly in bigger organizations, individual employee contributions can get lost in the maelstrom of the workplace. Taking the time to implement even no-cost employee appreciation ideas can have a positive impact on staff engagement, morale and retention. Research by SurveyMonkey found 82% of people were happier when they were recognized at work.

2. Employee Appreciation Ideas for Large Companies

2.1 Give LinkedIn Recommendations

Some no-cost employee appreciation ideas for large companies such as shout-outs on LinkedIn are an excellent option when it comes to acknowledging great work. LinkedIn is the most important social media platform for businesses, so it makes sense to single out employees for praise via this medium when they do a good job.

There are a couple of different ways you can approach this. One, you can craft a single post that draws attention to the recent successes of an individual or team. Two, for a person who consistently delivers on their KPIs, you can write a personalized recommendation that will appear on their profile page for everyone to see.

2.2 Provide Concert/Movie Tickets

Movie tickets are usually a solid employee appreciation idea for large companies because they provide a bit of flexibility. Staff can choose what they would prefer to see, whether it’s the latest rom-com or a detective thriller.

You can also give out gift cards for popular sites like Ticketmaster or Live Nation, so your team can choose what theater shows or concerts they might like to go and see. Even if the vouchers are for a modest value, they will still be appreciated for offsetting the overall cost.

2.3 Take Them for an Office Trip

There are so many employee appreciation activity ideas to choose from. For starters, there are numerous team-building scenarios available, from problem-solving games like scavenger hunts and escape rooms, to physical activities like zorbing and whitewater rafting.

Employee appreciation day ideas for large companies could involve a more learning-based experience designed to improve soft skills, or they could be purely for leisure, visiting a notable tourist site or city. You can even take them on a virtual tour of famous spots like Machu Picchu or the Great Wall.

2.4 Host Annual Award Programs

Annual awards ceremonies or programs are a great way to acknowledge employee contributions. They also have the additional benefit of acting as a motivational tool, encouraging individuals to strive harder so they, too, can receive an accolade or prize.

These events can be as elaborate or as simple as your budget requires. The important things are public recognition and confidence-building effects.

2.5 Introduce Employee of the Month/Quarter

Rather than splashing out on annual awards, a more inexpensive employee appreciation idea is to create an employee of the month or quarter scheme. This has the additional benefit of being a more regular way to acknowledge the hardest-working staff.

The employee of the month can be presented through a newsletter or, for remoting working teams in particular, a virtual wall of fame.

2.6 Praise Them During Meetings

There can be as much as a 10-20% boost in revenue and productivity if people receive weekly praise. Working employee appreciation into your regular meetings allows you to call out any sterling work without having to make any scheduling shifts or introduce new procedures or software into the mix.

2.7 Reward for Long Service

On the other end of the time scale from frequent shout-outs, commemorating employment milestones is another easy employee appreciation idea for large companies to implement. Marking long-term service with an employee appreciation card, gift or award is a nice way to show all staff that their loyalty is noted and valued.

2.8 Send Inexpensive Gifts on Their Special Occasions

Scented candles, a box of chocolates or desk plants are all simple gifts that won’t break the bank. Giving staff small presents on special occasions is a more personal way for managers to show they are invested in their team.

2.9 Allow Them to Choose Work of Interest

Something as simple as self-selection of work can be empowering for staff. It demonstrates a degree of managerial trust in an individual’s ability to identify their own strengths, which in turn can foster productivity – particularly in jobs that involve independent, specialized tasks.

2.10 Offer Free Lunch/Dinners Every Week

Big tech companies like Google offer all employees free meals every day of the year. Your business doesn’t have to go that far. Instead, consider treating your team once a week to lunch or dinner. This could be in the office canteen, at a nearby restaurant or, if everyone is remote working, a delivery straight to their door. Alternatively, some companies subsidize in-house catering so food is cheaper for staff.

2.11 Introduce Various Activities for Entertainment

Brainstorm some fun employee appreciation ideas with your staff to find out what kind of fun activities they’d most like to see happen. These could be creative contests, bake offs, afterwork karaoke or a whole host of other entertainments. The most important thing is to get everyone’s input.

2.12 Make Room for Mistakes

We all make mistakes, as the truism goes. Giving people the benefit of the doubt not only builds stronger relationships between managers and their teams, but it also means individuals are more likely to admit their failings sooner so any issues can be addressed and rectified.

2.13 Promote Diversity and Inclusion

Employee appreciation ideas for large companies should also address how to make everyone feel supported and included. You can promote diversity by acknowledging the holidays of all cultures, running unconscious bias training sessions and making sure the company policies on equality are clear and accessible for everyone to view at any time.

2.14 Provide Mentorship

As part of some Inexpensive employee appreciation day ideas for large companies, career guidance or mentorship is a great option. Set aside sessions to provide one-on-one career advice with each member of your team. Ask them what their long-term goals are and help them create a plan for how to achieve them. In tandem, give regular constructive feedback to help them improve their day-to-day performance and develop their skills.

2.15 Give Them Day Off When Needed

Everybody needs to take a day off, whether for a doctor’s appointment or perhaps just because they’re going through a particular stressful time at work or home. Being flexible with days off shows you appreciate someone’s contribution and are therefore willing to give them some leeway when it comes to taking a necessary break. You might even consider letting people take the day off for their birthday as an added bonus.

3. What Are Benefits of Employee Appreciation in Large Organizations?

3.1 Increases Loyalty

Staff retention is key to any organization. Introducing employee appreciation ideas for large companies gives the impression that individuals are valued within the wider workplace, leading to a decrease in churn.

3.2 Boosts Productivity

A lot of research has shown a direct link between praise and productivity. A study by Harvard Business School, for example, demonstrated that people who receive compliments about their capability go on to perform better at subsequent tasks.

3.3 Creates a Positive Work Environment

Surveys often reveal that employee recognition for large companies ranks higher than pay and bonuses. That’s because people would rather work in a positive environment where they are valued and acknowledged for their successes than somewhere that pays well but has a bad work culture.

3.4 Increases Employee Engagement

Line managers who motivate and support employees have previously been identified as one of the key pillars involved in increasing staff engagement. Engagement is linked to productivity as well as workplace satisfaction.

4. FAQs

What Are Some Employee Appreciation Food Ideas?

Company picnics are one of the long-standing employee appreciation ideas for large companies. You can also organize an annual dinner or treat your staff to a meal once in a while, whether in person or via delivery. Consider providing sweet treats like donuts or cupcakes to celebrate a team win.

What Are Some Creative Ideas for Employee Appreciation Week

If you have a whole week dedicated to acknowledging staff contributions, you can get creative by trying out different employee appreciation activity ideas such as arranging fun activities, like talent shows, office Olympics or even a food truck cooking up trendy eats.