Want an engaged and happy workforce? Creating moments for employee appreciation matter: 91% of working Americans report they want their company to recognize employee contributions with tokens of appreciation, such as gifts and company shoutouts. Employee Appreciation Day is just around the corner, and now is the perfect time to celebrate the achievements and contributions of your workforce.
Snappy released findings from its annual study – Unwrapped: Snappy’s 2024 Workforce Study – providing an in-depth look at the state of work. The new study was released ahead of Employee Appreciation Day happening on March 1, 2024, and surveyed 1,500 U.S. employees to understand current workplace trends, attitudes, and opportunities for employers to cultivate more engaged employees and a stronger company culture.
Employee Appreciation Day is an annual event that occurs on the first Friday in March. This celebration is a moment for employers across all industries to take time to emphasize gratitude and give recognition to their employees.
Want to keep employees? Share appreciation and make them feel valued.
Feeling appreciated and valued in the workplace is the number one reason employees across all ages and genders reported wanting to stay in their current positions, according to Snappy’s 2024 Workforce Study. Feeling appreciated and valued was especially important to workers ages 18-24 (20%) and 35-44 (26%). Other top reasons for plans to stay in their current roles this year included not wanting to risk moving to another company in this economy (19%), feeling confident about the financial future of their company (15%), they expect a pay raise (10%), and believing in their company mission (9%).
The study found that 22% of working Americans plan to leave their their current role in search of a new job in 2024. One in three employees ages 25-34 (29%) reported planning to leave their current job this year in search of something new. These employees report the top motivators for seeking a new role included finding a position to make more money (21%), career growth (21%), seeking a better company culture (10%), seeking hybrid work (9%), desire for a better manager (8%), and not feeling respected or valued in their current position (6%). Twenty-two percent of employees reported feeling their opinions and points of view are not valued in their workplace.
When employers put in the effort to create a culture of gratitude and show appreciation for their employees, it results in more engaged employees, higher employee retention, innovation, and better collaboration. One in three employees (30%) report being demotivated when they feel undervalued, impacting their overall performance and well-being. A regular cadence of thoughtful gifting boosts employee visibility, motivation, and wellness.
Motivated employees are more engaged, innovative, and collaborative
One in four working Americans (25%) reported their company is not transparent in sharing information related to strategy and goals for the upcoming year. Building a culture of transparency builds trust within an organization. Trust builds a stronger culture with more motivated employees. According to the 2024 Workforce Study, when employees feel motivated at work they report they are more innovative and creative (33%), more engaged with customers and clients (31%), collaborate better with their colleagues (19%), and are more willing and eager to take on new projects (16%).
Employees seek moments of gratitude from managers. Managers look to their employers for support in employee recognition.
Working professionals reported the most important person for them to receive recognition and appreciation from is their direct manager (49%). Employees also placed high value in receiving recognition attributed to feedback and tokens of appreciation from their colleagues (19%), the team members they directly manage (14%), and their company CEO (14%).
While recognition from direct managers was reported as the most valuable to employees, the majority of managers (86%) shared in the study that they need help with gifting guidance and would like their company to support employee recognition programming with dedicated budgets for gifting their direct reports (69%).
Snappy provides gift givers – managers, executives, sales teams, vendor partners, and every business professional in between – a dedicated gifting platform that seamlessly sends high-quality gift collections for every budget to recipients around the globe, spreading joy and appreciation through the power of gifting. Gift collections can be sent in an instant using the recipient's email or phone number. Once a gift recipient selects their perfect item from the curated options in each heartfelt gift collection, Snappy gathers the shipping address and handles delivery. Snappy takes the guesswork out of gifting and amplifies employee and client recognition efforts.
Swag cultivates company pride and team affinity
The majority of employees (86%) reported wearing branded gifts, or swag, from their employer featuring a company logo on it made them feel proud of their company and its mission. Swag serves companies and workers by creating camaraderie, with 78% of employees reporting that branded gifts with their company logo make them feel more connected to colleagues. Gifting swag is a powerful tool to strengthen culture, boosting company pride and employee engagement.
Snappy not only empowers employers and managers to send gift options from some of the best brands (think: Le Creuset, YETI, Cookie DO, Apotheke, Cuisinart, Apple, and more!), gift collections can also be curated to include custom branded gifts (swag!), so employees can pick the perfect gift they’re sure to love, from a new Henckels knife set to branded AirPods, Snappy offers receipients the gift of choice!
Start sending meaningful gifts today...
Looking to share your appreciation with employees? Start sending meaningful gifts today with Snappy.
