Celebrating work anniversaries give everyone a much-needed break from the regular routine. But more importantly, it gives each celebrator a sense of fulfillment over a work milestone they’ve accomplished for themselves.
If you don’t celebrate work anniversaries and just let them pass each year without even a simple mention or recognition, it’s high time to change the tide!
Here are a few benefits that a simple milestone recognition can do for the company:
- Celebrating small wins, including an employee having spent another year in the company, offers a short break from the monotony of work. Even for just a few minutes, you can all wear your celebratory hats and step away from work-related matters.
- By celebrating each year a team member spends with the company, you’re making that person feel that they’re growing with the business. This helps reiterate that the commitment involved with working at the company isn’t a one-way street. Just as they’re committed to getting their job done, you’re also committed to helping them reach their full potential.
- Employees will feel more valued when you recognize their contributions to the company. As a result, they’ll be more passionate about what they do. After all, you wouldn’t want people who are merely working for the paycheck alone. Instead, you’ll want your team to genuinely contribute to the company because they love what they do, and they love the company.
Given the benefits above, it surely pays to make time for work anniversary celebrations.
But how exactly can you celebrate these milestones without breaking the bank and while following health protocols amid the coronavirus disease pandemic? Here are a few bright ideas on how to celebrate a work anniversary to help you get started.
Video Call Meeting Celebration
If you’re looking for ways on how to celebrate a work anniversary without spending anything, this is a great idea.
Chances are, you already have regular video call meetings set up to monitor business operations. Why not make the most of these meetings by allotting a few minutes to celebrate work anniversaries?
It could be as simple as an announcement of someone’s work milestone. Similarly, you can also plan something a bit more elaborate if you have the time.
Here are a few video meeting celebration ideas you can do to celebrate and foster camaraderie at the same time:
- Share stories. Have everyone share a funny or unforgettable memory with the celebrator over the past year. At the end of the session, the one celebrating their work anniversary will collect a handful of stories that will give more meaning to their milestone.
- Show and tell. This is somehow similar to the first idea, but team members will have to show something tangible (or digital) along with the story. It could be a physical thing or perhaps a photo or a quote related to the unforgettable story they want to share.
- Trivia game. Prepare a list of multiple-choice questions about the celebrator and have every team member answer them. It will be a great chance for the whole team to know the person even more.
Recorded Greeting from the Team
If you don’t have the time for a full-on bonding session via video call, you might want to record a greeting from the team instead.
This also works well if the team members are located in places with varying time zones. Everyone can record the greeting and view the edited video on their own time.
This idea is also practical if you’re looking for ways on how to celebrate a work anniversary without needing to shell out funds.
If it’s your first time organizing a video greeting for someone, here’s a simple step by step guide:
- Announce the call for video greetings. Tell the team (without the celebrator knowing) that you’re organizing a surprise video greeting. Set a deadline for the videos and create a cloud folder (Dropbox or Google Documents are awesome for this purpose).
- Once videos are in, integrate them into a single video. There are many free video editing apps you can use for this purpose. Moreover, you can also include simple graphics, visual effects, and music to further enhance the finished product.
- Launch the video by posting it on your general chat app. In the same vein, you can also play it live during your regular video call meeting.
Lunch Treat for the Celebrator
Everyone wants a free lunch! So, if you’re looking for an idea on how to celebrate a work anniversary and you have the funds to make it work, treat the celebrator to a free lunch. They’ll surely be extra thankful for another year with the company!
With a lot of people working from home amid the pandemic, getting food delivered to them is a great idea. The person’s closest work buddies would probably have an idea about food allergies or specific preferences. That said, you may want to talk to them and scout for ideas in advance.
If you want to be on the safe side, though, you can also give the person a gift card for a restaurant or a food delivery service. This way, you won’t have to worry about ordering something that they don’t like.
Send the Celebrator a Gift
Another way to celebrate one’s work anniversary is by sending them a gift. Just go to your favorite online e-commerce shop, order the item as a gift, and you’re done.
If you’re at a loss about what to give someone for a work anniversary, here are a few ideas:
- A book. You can choose a title related to what you do. This way, you can help that person hone their craft further. Similarly, you can also choose a book that’s not work-related but is connected to the person’s interests or hobbies, e.g., gardening, artwork, etc.
- Self-care stuff. This could be in the form of a bath set, a tea starter set, or a box of essential oils. As long as it will encourage the person to take a break from the stress and pressures of work and relax, they’ll surely appreciate the present!
- A gift card. Similar to a restaurant voucher, you may also want to give a gift card to the celebrator. This way, they can choose the item they want or need at the moment.
Without a doubt, marking each employee’s work anniversary is an effort worth doing. After all, you’ll want to take care of your company’s greatest asset.
