Tips For Creating a Culture of Appreciation in the Post-Covid Remote Work Era

Data From The AI-Powered E-Card & Gifting Service, CardSnacks, Highlights the Difference Between Recognition & Appreciation and Provides Insight into Which Gestures Actually Make a Difference

NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A recently recirculated HBR article highlights that employees need both recognition and appreciation to feel motivated, noting that there is a big difference between these two often interchangeably used nouns. While recognition is used to praise workplace achievements and is often linked to financial incentive, appreciation is the act of recognizing someone's inherent value, which is fostered through the acts of connection and support.

With Employee Appreciation Day 2024 just around the corner, data from the leading AI-powered ecard and gifting app, CardSnacks, provides insights for companies on best practices for expressing appreciation and maintaining motivation long term:

1. Give Gifts of Equal Value to All Employees - Since this holiday is about appreciation rather than recognition, it is important to send a message of solidarity and equal appreciation for everyone's contributions. It is preferable to avoid giving different denominations to individuals based on title, years of work or other factors. And the good news is that it doesn't have to break the bank! While 23% of employers who send gift cards for Employee Appreciation Day send gift cards valued at $25 or greater, the most popular denomination used for Employee Appreciation gift cards in 2023 was just $10 per person!
   
   
2. Individualize the Message - While it may take a little extra time, adding a personalized message and/or gift goes a long way towards making employees feel seen, heard and valued as an individual. It shows that you are genuinely listening to them and care about what they have to say.
   
3. Be Specific - Telling someone what you value about them can have a dramatic effect on their self-esteem and performance, especially when the messaging is coming from a senior team member or someone who regularly reviews their performance.
   
   
4. The Thought Counts (even if it's last minute) - It is never too late to make an effort. In fact, last year, 71% of Employee Appreciation Day campaigns created on the CardSnack's platform were created within 2 days of Employee Appreciation Day! The biggest misstep a company can make is doing nothing at all.
   
   
5. Make it Personal, Even in a Larger Organization - If creating individual messages is impractical, companies might consider other personalized touches like including a video of the CEO delivering a heartfelt message to everyone as a group.
   
   Management can also combine their efforts with a group greeting card, where multiple stakeholders can add their own individual message as a separate page within the card.  This way company values can be reinforced by multiple voices at the company.
   
   
6. Give the Gift of Choice - Based on our data, when it comes to what employees actually want, one size does not fit all. For employees who receive a CardSnacks Cash gift card, where they can choose from over 400 different retailers' gift cards, no individual brand other than Amazon was chosen by more than 5% of recipients. Giving employees a choice allows for mass personalization.

About CardSnacks
CardSnacks is a multi-platform digital gift card and ecard app with over 5,000 card interfaces, group greeting and mail merge capabilities, hundreds of gift cards from popular retailers like Target, Sephora & Amazon and even a 'CardSnacks Cash' option which allows recipients to choose their own gift.

Combining generative-AI technology along with interactive photo, music and video integration, CardSnacks provides consumers with a convenient, hyper-personalized way to send (and receive) meaningful gifts and capture special memories in minutes. Available in the Apple App Store,  Google Play, and on the web at www.cardsnacks.com.

Media Contact:
Erica Minor
858-692-3996
[email protected] 

SOURCE CardSnacks