If your team’s appreciation efforts feel routine (cupcakes, gift cards, a shout-out here or there) you’re not alone. Many businesses default to the same year-end recognition plans year after year. But creative, genuine appreciation doesn’t require a big budget. Just a willingness to do things a little differently. When employee appreciation (specially during the holidays) becomes part of your company culture, it can do more than boost morale.
Consistent engagement has measurable benefits for employee well-being, including:
- Improved mental health: Employees who feel recognized experience lower stress, stronger emotional resilience, and higher job satisfaction.
- Greater physical health: Engaged employees are more likely to adopt healthy habits, take fewer sick days, and feel motivated to care for their health.
- Better financial confidence: Regular check-ins, recognition, and support can help employees feel more secure in their roles by improving financial stability and reducing burnout related to money stress.
When appreciation is genuine, inclusive, and consistent, it fosters a sense of belonging, which is a key driver of both performance and personal well-being.
7 Creative, Low-Cost Ways to Show Employee Appreciation During the Holidays
Here are 7 ways your team can recognize employees and boost morale this holiday season and well into the new year.
1. Let Employees Shape the Experience:
Instead of leadership planning appreciation events solo, invite employees to shape the process. Ask how they want to be recognized. Let them vote on fun award categories, peer shout-out themes, or even how to spend the team budget for a year-end treat. When employee appreciation is collaborative, it lands more meaningfully.
2. Try a “Gratitude Swap” Instead of a Gift Exchange:
Host a Secret Santa-style appreciation exchange. Have employees anonymously draw names and write personal notes of gratitude or fun mini-awards (“Most Likely to Calm the Chaos,” “Slack Reaction Royalty”). It’s simple, heartfelt, and builds real connection.
3. Build a “Thank You” Playlist:
Invite team members to contribute a song that makes them feel energized, proud, or appreciated. Compile them into a team playlist and share it with a message about why each song was chosen. It’s a creative way to reflect your team’s personality, and it’s something they can return to throughout the year.
4. Host a Reverse Lunch & Learn:
Flip the script and let employees teach. Set aside time for team members to present short, casual sessions on their passions, from dog training to woodworking or fitness tips. These moments celebrate individuality, build trust, and foster deeper appreciation for teammates beyond their job titles.
5. Launch a “Random Acts of Recognition” Game:
Create a fun, rotating system where employees are assigned weekly to “surprise and delight” a coworker with a small token of appreciation; a decorated desk, a coffee delivery, a short thank-you note, or even a joke of the day. It keeps recognition playful and ongoing.
6. Celebrate the Firsts, Not Just the Milestones:
Recognize “firsts” like someone’s first client win, first team presentation, or first referral. These often-overlooked moments are deeply motivating, especially for newer team members, and show that progress matters just as much as big milestones.
7. Put Employees in Charge of Recognition Committees:
Form small, rotating teams responsible for planning creative appreciation activities each month or quarter. Giving employees ownership over how recognition is delivered brings fresh ideas and distributes the effort in a fun, engaging way.
Bringing It All Together with the Right Tools
If you’re looking for ways to keep these ideas moving beyond the holiday season, our Employee Engagement Platform is a valuable resource that helps make appreciation more consistent, visible, and meaningful. Not only can the platform be used to share shout-outs, celebrate milestones, and track team engagement, but it also supports employee well-being through tools and resources that address mental health support, physical wellness, engagement, and financial education and confidence-building.
By aligning your appreciation strategies with ongoing wellness tools, the platform gives you a way to engage employees as whole people (not just workers) and keep that engagement going long after Christmas.
Contact your HR Consultant today for more information on the Employee Engagement Platform or for support with your employee engagement initiatives.
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