5 Ways To Recognize Employee Anniversaries

Today’s job market can be pretty competitive sometimes. To recruit, retain, and develop your talent, it’s important to take certain initiatives like offering employee recognition and recognizing anniversaries or milestones. Indeed, recognizing employee anniversaries is a magnificent way to show how much you appreciate a worker’s loyalty, while simultaneously lauding them for being an integral part of your company. Consider that anniversaries are an important event for most employees. Just like other special occasions (like Christmas or birthdays), people love receiving gifts and recognition. When your employees hit that crucial first anniversary, they should feel as though they’re a good fit for the company culture and are typically very comfortable with their jobs. By that time, employees also learn the ins and outs of the company, making them a more valuable players in their role—and more likely to stick around a while. The longer someone has worked for you, the more likely it is that the employee is happy in their job. That’s why it’s prudent to use their anniversaries as a basis for rewarding their loyalty and hard work. Here are five ways to help employees celebrate their milestone anniversaries at your organization.

Give Out A Service Award

An employee’s first anniversary with the company or any strong milestone with the company is usually a memorable occasion. If they’ve stuck around that long and are doing well, they’re more likely to perform better when their achievements are recognized. To recognize their achievements, consider handing out a service award. Service awards are a fantastic way to recognize employees who have decided to dedicate some time and effort to your organization. This might come in the form of a trophy, a plaque, a gift card, or even a trip of some kind. Whatever you choose to do—whether it’s a service award in the form of a tangible item or perhaps vacation—make sure that they know how much you care about them. Show you value their contributions by treating them to a service award and highlighting your company values at the same time.

Send Them A Card

Sometimes it only takes a small gesture to show you care. And nothing says, “thank you for being an integral part of our company” as a commemorative card. Sometimes, all it takes to make someone’s day is to send them a thoughtful card. A card can be a small token of appreciation for the work they do, or it can be a small token of gratitude for the time and effort they put into their job. Taking the time to choose a card, customize it, and personalized it for the employee shows how much they matter to your company. Appreciating their contributions and showing that you mean it with a card is simple, but effective. The inclusion of cake or a gift card can be an additional special bonus for really making your employees’ day!

Create A Video

Another idea for commemorating an anniversary is to create a video that highlights their accomplishments. It can be customized with a personal message, shared with friends and family, and even posted on social media channels. It can also be an opportunity for other employees (, who may not know the employee being celebrated very well) to get to know them better. Moreover, showcasing happy, celebratory videos might even be a great way for potential applicants who may be familiar with your brand to learn more about the company. Showing off your company culture/values through an anniversary video can be fun, beneficial, and lead to a content workforce throughout the organization.

Have A Short Office Party

Recognizing an anniversary is only the first step in making an employee feel valued. They need to know that you remembered their anniversary and other employees should have an opportunity to see that you care in that capacity. When someone’s been with the company for a long time, sometimes a party or a small gathering can be a great way to celebrate their achievements. But how do you make an office party a success? By making it short, friendly, professional, and with plenty of food and drink. Everybody can pitch in to do a potluck of sorts or you can provide food for the employees. We’re not talking about pizza parties here. It’s best to have something a little bit more elegant that can enhance a celebration instead of being intended as a reward. You can try finding out what each person likes best, then do something related. There’s nothing wrong with sticking with tradition as long as everyone is happy and able to enjoy their anniversary celebration. Remember that employee anniversary recognition and awards can be great for team building and should be just as exciting for the employee as that first day in the office, so planning your party or gathering appropriately is critical to ensuring it’s a rousing success!

Take Them To Dinner

Although it might seem a bit strange at first, taking or treating an employee to dinner as a milestone/anniversary celebration can be quite beneficial. Going to dinner can be a great way to talk about how well things are going at work. It’s also a good opportunity for you to catch up with employees while celebrating their anniversary. Providing employees with the opportunity to feel like they’re valued and appreciated by your company creates a better overall environment. By going the extra mile to make people feel good about where they work, they’ll be more likely to be happy to come to the office every day (or report remotely) and do their best to help the entire team thrive well into the future.