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Telling someone you appreciate something positive they’ve done can be a simple yet powerful act, especially when it’s done at the right time and in the right way, particularly in the workplace.
From encouraging employees to repeat the feat they’ve undertaken, to giving them an increased sense of purpose in their role, the benefits of giving appreciation are scientifically proven.
In fact, those people who receive appreciation are:
2.4x
more likely to feel inspired
2.3x
more likely to demonstrate commitment
2.2x
more likely to increase their effort
Employee Appreciation Day? We love it!
The many benefits of showing gratitude to colleagues is brought into sharp focus on Friday 7th March with Employee Appreciation Day (EAD).
The annual event is a great chance to highlight the value of recognition and, importantly, put smiles on faces. Given that’s the business that we’re in, it’s a day we really enjoy getting behind.
So much so that on EAD last year, our 160-strong team of Associates in EMEA sent a huge 948 recognitions to each other – that’s almost 6 recognitions each! This year we’re aiming even higher as we look to send A Thousand Thanks.
That’s not really a surprise when you consider one of our values is ‘We Strive For Better, Always’!
Displaying our values in all that we do, and recognising those who do, is important to us as a company. It’s why our values sit at the heart of our internal recognition programmes.
For example, take the value mentioned above. For a tactical incentive we ran last winter that encouraged colleagues to recognise others for displaying our values, it accounted for around 15% of all recognitions sent.
That incentive is just one example of the recognition options we put in place to make sure that…
Every day’s Employee Appreciation Day at BIW!
Although we’re big supporters of awareness days like EAD that bring gratitude to the fore, at BI WORLDWIDE, we treat every day like Employee Appreciation Day. After all, our Associates don’t only live and breathe our values on one specific day – they do it all day, every day.
And when you consider that recognition delivers even more impact when it’s sent in a timely manner, the need to recognise colleagues on any given day is vital.
And that’s exactly what our Associates do. During 2023/24, the EMEA team showed their gratitude over 7,000 times to colleagues through the available recognition tools.
Including everything from notable sales successes to acknowledging smaller acts that keep the company running smoothly, the recognition coverage spans lots of different people and roles.
Whether it’s recognising someone who helped at the last minute, someone who secured a big deal, or someone who’s always positive, it’s all fuelled by our values and deserves appreciation.
But with a wide range of recognition-worthy actions, and a wide range of recognition-worthy colleagues it’s important to have, you’ve guessed it, a wide range of recognition options.
And at BI WORLDWIDE we have just that.
As we tell our clients, it’s not just about sending recognition at the right time, it’s also about sending recognition of the right type. For example, sending a recognition that doesn’t reflect the level of effort reduces the recipient’s desire to repeat it; sending a recognition that’s considered excessive leaves the recipient feeling undeserving.
At BI WORLDWIDE EMEA, our Associates have access to multiple recognition options so they can choose the most appropriate.
- Monthly top performers – recognises Associates who go above and beyond. Winners are selected from nominations and receive points to redeem against merchandise and an invite to an annual top performers event that delivers an unforgettable experience.
- Unsung hero – each year, Associates can nominate colleagues who they feel deserve greater appreciation and the chance to win a significant award.
- Peer to peer – colleagues have the opportunity to acknowledge the everyday acts that deserve a simple thanks.
- Manager discretionary – managers have a points budget at their disposal that allows them to award points on an ad-hoc basis to acknowledge positive behaviours.
- Collaboration & teamwork – Associates can show their gratitude to colleagues by awarding them points from their own budget.
- Team reward – reflecting our We Succeed Together value, groups of Associates can be nominated for their efforts with a monthly points award.
- Service celebrations – Associates have their important career milestones celebrated from year 1 with thoughtful messages from colleagues and a points award.
Check out this reel from one of last year’s top performer winners…
As you can see, we make sure that our Associates get the right recognition at the right time. It’s how we make sure that every day is Employee Appreciation Day at BI WORLDWIDE.
Appreciation should never be reserved for a single day.
Employee Appreciation Day or not, if you need inspiration on who to recognise, we’ve got you covered with our blog, 75 ways to show your appreciation!