Celebrating employee birthdays is a simple way for companies to show gratitude and appreciation for everything they’ve done. Employer’s today rarely notices most workers, so taking a few minutes out of the day for a short birthday celebration is bound to leave a lasting impression. And when employees are happy at their job, they’ll work harder and more efficiently, which is a huge benefit for the company as a whole. But how exactly should you celebrate employee birthdays?

Don’t Forget!

When you’re faced with the task of managing a large company with 20, 50 or even 100+ employees, it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everyone’s birthdays. This is made even more difficult when you’re busy performing your normal work duties as an employer. Rather than allowing employee birthdays to slip past, you should set up a reminder on your computer, desktop or smartphone.

Ideally, the reminder should go off 5-7 days before the employee’s actual birthday, as this will give you time to make preparations. Waiting until the last minute to may not be enough time when you are busy, so try to give yourself a one-week head start.

Tell Them

When it’s an employee’s birthday, take a minute to verbally tell them “happy birthday.” Don’t just send them an email, but actually walk over to them and give them the message in person. Let’s face it, most workers probably don’t want to spend their birthday on the job, so verbally communicating your birthday wishes in person will brighten their day.

Throw an In-Office Celebration

Most companies can’t afford to close up shop and send everyone on a short mini-vacation each time an employee has a birthday. While this would certainly be nice, it’s just not feasible. However, you can still throw a small in-office celebration for employee birthdays. Even if it’s just for 20-30 minutes, celebrating your employees’ birthdays builds stronger relationships while keeping everyone happy.

An in-office birthday celebration may consist of a gathering for birthday cake and beverages. Just remember to stick with non-alcoholic beverages during the celebration. Beer and wine is perfectly fine for Christmas parties and other after-hours work events, but it’s not suitable for in-office celebrations.

Depending on your company’s available time and resources, you may also want to give them a birthday gift during the celebration. While everyone is enjoying their cake and beverages, go ahead and hand them their birthday gift.