March 3rd is Employee Appreciation day! We here at Adafruit always say “You are what you celebrate” and today we celebrate our amazing team. Thanks to everyone from all the departments who keep Adafruit up and running. Pictured above is our latest team photo with folks from the QA team, Team Office, the Shipping Group, Receiving, Photo, Kitting, Intercept, Facilities, Fab, Dev & IT, Community Support & Publishing, and, of course, Phil and Ladyada.

Adafruit takes the year-round gratitude route – we have “state of the fruit” every Friday with beverages and pizza for the team where we all share our metrics from the week and give out “hug reports” for each other. It’s a fun way to celebrate the team every week of the year and make every feel appreciated and valued (because they are!)

Here’s some more information on the holiday:

Employee Appreciation Day is a secular holiday celebrated on the first Friday in March in the United States and Canada. It is a day for companies to thank their employees for their hard work and effort throughout the year. This day was created for the purpose of strengthening the bond between employer and employee.

Though the holiday is still gaining adoption in the US and abroad, like Boss’s Day, Employee Appreciation Day has become an opportunity for managers, company leadership and HR to remember the importance of appreciating employees. Companies often celebrate by offering gifts, events or special recognition for workers. Studies show that recognition and appreciation are growing in importance as drivers of employee happiness and engagement. This has resulted in more and more companies and organizations using the day to thank their employees.

Many publications such as Inc. Magazine, Forbes, and Boston.com, are writing about the holiday to remind employers to recognize and reward employee effort and to offer tips for building a stronger corporate culture through appreciation. Showing employees appreciation can result in a company’s higher retention rate, not only increasing the productivity of employees but the company as a whole.

Read more.

Below are some links for ideas on how to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day with your team:

• Value Your Workforce this Employee Appreciation Day

• Ideas on a Budget – Employee Appreciation Day
• 5 Ways To Celebrate Employee Appreciation Day
• Suggestions for “Department Appreciation Day – Friday, March 3”
• How to Celebrate Employee Appreciation Day on March 3, 2017
• Infographic: Employee Appreciation Day Is March 3, 2017

Year-Round Gratitude

• Beyond Employee Appreciation Day: 5 Tactics For Year-Round Gratitude
• 3 ways to make employee appreciation day a year-round celebration

Tools and Samples

• Employee Appreciation Week/Day Announcement
• What activities should we plan for Employee Appreciation Week/Day?
• Thank You Letters for the Workplace
• Appreciation Emails