According to a study conducted by Bersin, 75% of U.S.-based organizations have an employee appreciation program but only 58% of employees are aware of it. This signals a disturbing disconnect between management and the employees, essentially negating the benefits of an appreciation program. However, you can improve these numbers in your own organization by hosting an event. Doing so will allow you to recognize employees in a larger and more formal setting.

Choosing a Venue

You have one of two choices when selecting a venue for your company’s employee appreciation event: you can host it in the workplace, or you can rent a venue elsewhere. Hosting your event in the workplace will save you money, but it doesn’t provide the full experience to employees. Spending the extra money on a venue rental will make the event more enjoyable and memorable, which is exactly what you should aim to accomplish.

Here are some tips on choosing a venue for an employee appreciation event:

• Check to see whether or not audio equipment is included in the rental. If it’s not, you may need to bring your own.
• Avoid venues that are located far away from your company’s workplace.
• Ideally, the venue should have a podium on which you, or the host, can deliver a speech.
• Book the venue well in advance to ensure the date for your event is open and available.
• Call around and get quotes from multiple venues before making your final decision.

Recognition Awards

No employee appreciation event is complete without awards and trophies. There’s nothing wrong with telling employees “thanks for the hand work,” but giving them a tangible gift, such as personalized plaque or crystal trophy award, creates a stronger connection; thus, improving the effectiveness of your company’s appreciation event.

The Speech

While each and every employee appreciation event is different, most consist of either the employer or the host giving a speech in which he or she calls the names of employees. When the employee walks down to the podium, the employer/host hands them a recognition award. Assuming you wish to follow a similar format with your event, you should begin by creating a speech along with a list of all employees to whom you wish to recognize at the event. You don’t have to follow your written speech verbatim, but it will prove immensely helpful when planning your event.