Wikipedia:Employee Appreciation Day

Employee Appreciation Day is an official holiday observed on the first Friday in March. 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.

Employee Appreciation Day was founded in 1995 by Dr. Bob Nelson, the leading worldwide advocate for employee recognition and author of numerous books on the topic including: 1,001 Ways to Reward Employees (now 1,501 Ways to Reward Employees), The 1,001 Rewards & Recognition Fieldbook and 1,001 Ways to Energize Employees (all published by Workman Publishing in NYC). Dr. Bob did his doctoral dissertation on the topic of employee recognition and specifically researched why managers did or did not use this proven principle often referred to as "The Greatest Management Principle in the World." He identified the top reason why managers didn't use recognition with their employees was that "they didn't know how to do it well," which led him to author 1,001 Ways to Reward Employees as an assessable reference of real-life examples of the principle in practice in organizations of all types and sizes. The book subsequently has sold over 2 million copies and has been translated in over 20 languages. Dr. Bob subsequently served as a founding Board member for Recognition Professionals International and has since presented his findings on six continents and worked with over 80 percent of the Fortune 500 companies on the topic."

Though the holiday is still gaining in adoption in the U.S. 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 letting employees leave early, 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.