15 Awesome Virtual Employee Appreciation Ideas
We can all agree that showing appreciation to employees is very important, as it affects not only your workers but also the success of the company as a whole. This is especially true for virtual teams that experience a lack of face-to-face interactions.
That is why we have decided to walk you through the benefits of virtual employee appreciation and give you a list of fun things you can do in your virtual meetings that can make your workers feel admired.
So, without further ado, let's get started!
What are Virtual Teams?
Groups of employees working together using digital tools are known as "virtual teams." Even though these groups may sometimes be in the same office space, they usually work remotely from different parts of the world.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual teams have become increasingly popular—in fact, they have become more popular than ever. Statistics show that when the pandemic started, 80% of corporate work moved to virtual teamwork, with 64% of these companies adopting this change permanently.
Benefits of Virtual Employee Appreciation
Even though virtual work has many benefits, it lacks the face-to-face interactions that make work more enjoyable. Still, the fact that you’re working from home doesn't mean you can't make things better and show your employees how much you admire them at any time.
Using virtual staff appreciation ideas can lead to great results and an improved employee experience. Now that we know this, let’s check out some of their prominent benefits:
Virtual Appreciation Can Boost Morale
Recognizing your employees for their efforts can lead them to develop emotional connection with the company. Needless to say, this is one of the best ways to define and improve employee engagement.
When employees are engaged, they care more about their jobs and coworkers, which is important for any business to succeed. In fact, 71% of company leaders say that their company's success depends on how engaged their employees are.
Virtual Appreciation Can Increase Productivity
According to research, 81% of survey respondents state that they are more motivated to work when company leaders show appreciation for their work.
It's not a surprise that employees like to be praised, and since it has a direct effect on their motivation, you should pay more attention to virtual employee appreciation. After all, motivated employees are happy employees, which means they don’t have any reasons to leave the company and go somewhere else.
Virtual Appreciation Can Decrease Turnover
54% of people who quit their jobs said it was because they didn't feel appreciated by the company, while 52% said it was because they didn't feel appreciated by company leaders specifically.
This implies that using online employee appreciation ideas can definitely help you retain good employees and cut down on employee turnover.
How to Implement Virtual Employee Appreciation
When it comes to implementing virtual employee appreciation ideas, there are a few things you should consider.
Do it Often
Even though it's nice to show employees your gratitude, it won't make much of a difference if you only do it once. In this case, consistency is key.
The more you show your employees that you appreciate them, the happier they will be with their work and the company as a whole. And, as you might expect, happy workers are more motivated to do their jobs and get better results.
So, you can plan to have fun virtual employee appreciation meetings once a week or every other week, depending on what works best for you and them.
Tailor it to the Individual
People like to be recognized in different ways. Some prefer gifts, while others like words of praise.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to how well you know your employees and whether or not you can make employee appreciation ideas fit each individual. Making it unique to them will only create a greater sense of admiration and satisfaction in your employees, which will lead them to stick around.
Make it Sincere
Don’t prepare virtual employee appreciation gifts or think of virtual employee appreciation ideas just because you have to. Make sure to put thought into them and make this a funny and wholesome activity.
It will always be clear if you are doing something just to do it or if you really want to show your employees that you cherish them. Remember that nothing is more special than a well-thought-out gift or activity that is made or planned with the person's interests and preferences in mind.
15 Virtual Employee Appreciation Ideas
Now that you know more about employee appreciation, including the benefits it brings, it's time to look at the 15 virtual employee appreciation ideas we've put together for you.
#1. Say “Thank You”
Thanking your employees verbally or in writing is a simple but effective way to express gratitude.
You can do it either by sending them a digital or physical thank-you note or just saying it in person. Of course, you can be as sincere as you wish in your expressions of gratitude and mention what you’re thankful for. This will let your workers know that you cherish their hard work and dedication and want to give them credit for that.
#2. Do a Social Media Shoutout
What can possibly be better than saying “thank you” to your employees? The answer is—doing it publicly so that everyone knows what a good addition to your team they are.
The best way to do this is to dedicate a post on your social media platforms to them or send a thank-you email to everyone in the company and mention specific people. You can also give them a shoutout in the activity stream or communication channels of your company—the possibilities are endless!
#3. Give Gift Cards
Rewarding employees works just as well as the other ways of showing appreciation—or even better.
For example, gift cards make for very simple yet effective rewards. They can be either digital or physical and include things such as meal vouchers, store credits, subscription discounts, and so on.
The best thing about gift cards is that you can purchase them while keeping the recipient’s preferences in mind. For example, if you know that a specific employee enjoys sports, you can get them a gift card they can use to purchase sports clothes or equipment, gym memberships, and similar.
#4. Write a LinkedIn Recommendation
Another way to show appreciation for an employee is to write a recommendation for them on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is a popular place for professionals and anyone else interested in networking. If you are willing to say a nice word or two about your workers, it can boost their reputation and make them come across as true professionals.
#5. Send a Care Package
Do your remote employees expect a care package to show up on their doorstep? Certainly not—and that’s why this idea is so good!
Not only is it fun to tailor such gifts to each employee's preferences, but it's also a nice surprise since not everyone thinks their employer would go the extra mile to deliver presents to their address.
Besides surprising employees, care packages really help create positive associations with the workplace. They show how much you know about your workers and how grateful you are for their efforts.
#6. Celebrate Events
Celebrations are always a lot of fun, and just because you are working on a virtual team doesn’t mean that you have to shy away from such events.
For employee birthdays, company anniversaries, holidays, and other events, you can plan a virtual get-together. You can even prepare some icebreakers for virtual meetings and other fun games to get people in a good mood and help them relax.
#7. Buy a Meal
While working on a remote team, team connections aren't as strong. However, having a meal together can change that.
As a company leader, you can set up a virtual lunch or dinner where everyone eats food that you ordered for them or that they chose but that you paid for. This is a good opportunity for the team to enjoy each other’s company while having a nice meal.
#8. Give Time Off
Everyone needs a break every once in a while. And if you really care about your employees, you'll make sure they get enough rest and that they aren’t overworked.
One way to do this is to give them extra time off on top of what they are already entitled to. Enabling your employees to get more time to rest and relax is a great gift on its own, and if it comes as a surprise, it will be even better!
#9. Send Snacks
Sending snacks to your employees is a great way to make their day a little better. I mean, who doesn't like to munch on sweets and treats while they work?
You can put your employees' favorite snacks in snack baskets and send these to their homes. Chocolate, marshmallows, crunchy potato chips… you name it. This is not only a nice thing to do, but your employees will also be pleased to see that you care enough to know what treats make them happy.
#10. Provide Wellness Benefits
Taking care of your employees’ physical and mental health can be beneficial for both their private lives and their overall work performance.
While working on a remote team, you cannot directly ensure that your employees are well taken care of. That’s why you should provide wellness benefits that may include gym memberships, cash rewards, premium discounts, and so on to help them cope with their work responsibilities more easily.
The availability of wellness benefits will also incentivize your team to take care of their overall health and thus be at peak performance capability.
#11. Host Virtual Events
Who says you can't have fun at a virtual meeting? Well, whoever it is, they certainly haven’t tried to organize a scavenger hunt, a charade session, or anything similar during the online company retreat.
You don’t necessarily have to be in the same space to plan an activity and have fun with your team. There’s always room to organize wonderful game nights, beer parties, and other entertaining gatherings via Zoom or any other channel. Sure, such events are not a regular way of saying “thank you” to your employees, but they allow workers to relax and have a nice time with their colleagues, which can definitely benefit them mentally.
#12. Give Company Merchandise
Giving your employees company merchandise will help them feel like they are part of the company and enable them to represent the organization they are working for.
Depending on the type of merchandise you produce, you can give them hoodies, tote bags, notebooks, pens, mugs, and much more. These gifts may not be as interesting as personalized items and presents, but they still show the company cares about its employees.
#13. One-on-Ones with the Boss
One-on-one meetings with company leaders are a great way for employees to talk openly about their work experiences so far. And not only that, but they also enable your workers to talk to you about different things, get or give some valuable feedback, and get more familiar with you as an employer and also the type of person you are.
Moreover, these meetings show that company leaders care about what their workers have to say and want to get to know them better. This will make any employee feel admired and comfortable expressing their opinion.
#14. Online Award Shows
Have you heard of virtual employee award ceremonies? If not, now is the time to discover them and organize a funny online event for your employees to show them your appreciation.
All you have to do is invite everyone to a virtual meeting, make a slideshow with the award explanations and winners, and send the gifts and some other goodies to the winner’s and other participants’ addresses.
To make sure everyone gets acknowledged, you can have different categories with multiple winners or a category for each team member. This activity is more appropriate for smaller teams, but even if you have a larger group of employees, you can pick the winners and give the rest of the team other goodies.
#15. Peer-to-peer shoutouts
Similar to social media shout-outs, you can create a channel where team members can praise each other. You can always use an app like Discord to do this, but to make things easier, you can always add a new channel to your existing communications network and whatever platforms you use within it.
As a company leader, you can start by praising some of your employees and then giving them incentives to do the same for the rest of the team. This will give the remote team a stronger sense of appreciation, gratitude, and recognition and make it easier for everyone to connect and talk to each other.
Tired of Virtual Meetings? Offsite Can Help You Organize Your Next Retreat!
While you can use various employee appreciation ideas during your virtual meetings, face-to-face interactions are still very important for team building.
To create a team that works well together, you can take them on a company retreat. Work retreats are a great way to get all of your employees together in one place, build stronger teams, make people more productive, resolve conflicts, and so on.
When it comes to planning your corporate retreat, Offsite can take care of everything in your stead. All you have to do is provide some information about your goals, preferences, budget, number of guests, and anything else you think is important. Once you do it, our team will take over and use their rich experience to create a top-notch work retreat for you!
Wait no more—visit Offsite and start planning your next company retreat now! We promise to make your team feel even more valued, and they will definitely have the time of their lives!
Closing Thoughts
Now that you've reached the end of the article, you should have a lot of virtual employee appreciation ideas that you can use in your upcoming meetings in mind.
By learning more about the benefits of employee appreciation and the different activities you can use to let your workers know how much you care, you’re halfway there! With all these tips, you can make your team feel cherished but also happier and more productive.
Virtual Employee Appreciation Ideas FAQ
#1. How do you show virtual employee appreciation?
There are many things you can do to show virtual employees how much you admire them and cherish their contribution to your company. For instance, you can write a thank-you note, give them surprise time off, provide wellness benefits, or even take them on a work retreat.
#2. How do you thank a colleague virtually?
A great way to thank your colleagues virtually is to create a company communication channel devoted only to praising each other. This will only motivate your coworkers to appreciate each other, too, and build stronger relationships with their teammates.
#3. How do I know if my virtual employee appreciation ideas were successful?
You will see a change in the way your employees act during meetings. Team members who feel appreciated and valued bring better energy, display higher levels of positivity, and are more open to communicating with the rest of the team.