New Study of American Workers Finds Employees Want Transparency & Desire More Moments of Gratitude and Appreciation For Their Contributions

NEW YORK, NY, FEBRUARY 13, 2024 - Today, Snappy, the award-winning, all-in-one gifting company, releases findings from Unwrapped: Snappy’s 2024 Workforce Study, an annual study providing an in-depth look at the state of work. The report, released ahead of Employee Appreciation Day happening on March 1, 2024, 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.

Moments of 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.

Among employees who plan to stay in their current roles this year (78%), the number one factor that mattered most to them was feeling appreciated and valued (20%). The 22 percent of workers who have plans to leave their current role in search of a new job in 2024 report top motivators for doing so include 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%). 

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.

Working professionals report the most important person to receive recognition and appreciation from is their direct manager (49%). Employees also place 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 is the most valuable to employees, the majority of managers (86%) report 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.

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%).

The majority of employees (86%) report 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.

Sharing gratitude through the power of gifting fosters a culture of value and appreciation, promoting improved employee engagement, retention, innovation, and overall job satisfaction. The majority of workers (71%) report they want their company to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day on Friday, March 1, 2024. One in four (22%) employees report that receiving a gift from their employer is the best way to show gratitude and celebrate Employee Appreciation Day this year.

Moments of gratitude and appreciation can happen year-round, with personal and professional milestones such as birthdays, work anniversaries, graduations, weddings, and the addition of new family members, as some of the most important and impactful moments that companies can celebrate employees. According to a recent Birthday Gifting Study, the majority of Americans agree that “if employers celebrated personal milestones such as birthdays, employee morale would be higher in the workplace” (81%), as would employee retention (75%). Automated gifting for milestone moments ensures ongoing appreciation and high impact.

For more information, and to start sharing delightful gifting experiences that deliver gratitude and joy, visit Snappy.com now for your employee and client gifting solutions.

Survey Methodology

Unwrapped: Snappy’s 2024 Workforce Study captured responses from 1,500 Americans between January 3, 2024, and January 17, 2024; respondents were recruited based on demographics, including employment status, via an online sample by Propeller Insights, an independent, third-party market research company. All survey respondents were active, full-time employees in the American workforce at the time of their responses. Respondents represent a diverse variety of ethnic, education, and income levels, and are geographically dispersed across the United States.

About Snappy

Snappy is the award-winning, all-in-one gifting company that spreads joy, shares gratitude and takes the guesswork out of gifting.

Founded in 2015, Snappy was named one of Inc.’s fastest-growing companies in the Northeast in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Snappy is the trusted gifting and swag partner to over 43% of Fortune 100 companies as well as thousands of individuals who use Snappy for personal gifting. Snappy has sent more than 4 million gifts worldwide.

Snappy thrives on connecting people and cultivating meaningful relationships through the power of gratitude and gifting. Our recipient-picks experience ensures gift-givers send the perfect gift every time, for everyone, on every occasion.

Snappy has been featured on Fortune’s “Best Small & Medium Workplaces,” “Best Workplace for Millennials” and “Best Workplace in Tech” lists.