Work anniversaries are just as crucial for a company and its employees as much as celebrating one’s birthday. In a day and age where the younger workforce is inclined to job-hop often, staying at a workplace for years means a huge deal for employees and employers.

In fact, job hopping isn’t new. However, today, job hopping indicates dissatisfaction with one’s current employer and one’s desire to expand one’s network, search for more meaningful work, diversify one’s skills, and more.

Before diving into specific celebration ideas, here are some compelling statistics that demonstrate the importance of work anniversaries:

• 82% of employees feel more valued when their work anniversaries are recognized
• Companies with strong recognition programs have 31% lower voluntary turnover
• 69% of employees say they would work harder if they felt their efforts were better recognized

So if an employee stays in your company for two, five, ten, or more years, this is a clear indication that your employee has found their place in your organization, and management must extend appreciation and celebrate an important milestone for an employee who has helped the company grow.

If you are part of the management struggling to find creative ways to celebrate your employees’ milestones, here are some of the ideas you can work with to make their day extra special:

1. Anniversary bonuses

What better way to motivate and thank employees during a work anniversary than to give them a monetary ‘Thank you!’ in the form of an anniversary bonus? Proven and tested, this is a foolproof way to show your appreciation for their hard work—extra cash to buy and treat themselves to some me-time or dinner with colleagues or family.

Albert Kim, VP of Talent at Checkr, says, “Remember, though, that the process and standard must be put into policy to keep this motivational and equitable. You could keep a standard computation based on days worked for significant milestones to keep the additional incentive standardized across all employees.”

Tech companies do not shy away from anniversaries. On the contrary, they go big. Google celebrates work anniversaries with “Googleversaries,” where employees receive custom-designed badges and additional stock grants at key milestones. Microsoft offers anniversary-based stock awards that vest over time, encouraging long-term commitment.

2. Salary increases

Similar to anniversary bonuses, giving your employees an equitable salary increase is a great way to celebrate and appreciate their hard work, especially since salary increases also significantly increase the overtime pay, premiums, and bonuses they receive (if bonuses are based on basic income).

When making salary increase decisions, keep them standardized to avoid employee resentment. Also, consider implementing a transparent anniversary-based salary increase matrix:

Salary raises must be implemented with fair and open standards. Every employee reaching the same benchmark should get the same base raise, preserving workplace justice. Applying increases to the base pay helps the basic structure positively impact overtime pay and bonus calculations going forward.

Performance is also very important; although everyone has the same basis, recorded successes can get more credit.  It’s also smart to keep an eye on what other companies are paying and be ready to adjust based on how well the company is doing and what’s happening in the industry as a whole.

3. Paid time off

If your employees have worked with you for 10, 20, or 30 years—they’ve pretty much lived for your company, and what better way to show your appreciation than giving them time off work? This paid time off work allows them to plan a quick vacation getaway with their families or simply rest in and rot in bed—however they feel like spending extra days off.

Reyansh Mestry, Head of Marketing at TopSource Worldwide, says, “Even for remote employees, paid time off is just as important! Getting their mind off a sudden work call or Zoom meeting through extra paid vacation days off helps them recharge and refresh for better work days ahead.”

4. Anniversary event

For large companies, if several employees are celebrating their work anniversaries or important work milestones, why not plan a grand employee Thanksgiving celebration? Many large organizations do this by organizing a big event every 10th, 25th, 50th, or 75th-anniversary celebration, wherein you can recognize the significant milestones of your employees through a grand celebration, a buffet dinner, and an after-party.

In a remote setting, try rolling out the virtual red carpet by throwing in a video or presentation of their work milestones and having colleagues and important friends show up and message them.

Just as hard work is important, an employer-organized party allows employees to feel connected to the management and their colleagues beyond office hours.

5. Personalized gifts

Nothing beats personalized gifts for work anniversaries, especially gifts they can use in the office, such as pens, mugs, tote bags, shirts, or company care packages. Here are some out-of-the-box ideas:

• A custom bobblehead of the employee in their work attire
• Engraved timepiece with years of service
• Professional photoshoot session for LinkedIn and company directory
• Personalized office artwork featuring their career milestones
• A custom-made comic book depicting their journey with the company

However, if you want to go the extra mile, why not ask for their favorite hobby, pastime, band, or sports team and get them a concert or match ticket or two? Doing so would show how much you care and understand your employees’ hobbies and interests.

Remote teams don’t have to fret! You can easily send a company care package to your employees’ home address, throw in a concert ticket, and watch them have the best time of their lives!

6. Scrapbooks (Physical or Digital)

If your employee is celebrating a nostalgic milestone like a work anniversary, memories within the company surely hold dear to their heart. And what better way to reminisce these memories than to present them with a scrapbook, whether physical or digital, that outlines all their memories with the company from start to present?

You can have colleagues contribute to these scrapbooks by letting them share their favorite moments or memories with the employees or explaining why they like working with them.

You can go the traditional route with physical scrapbooks by printing out photos and designing them with stickers and stationery, or you can go digital with the help of editing software like Canva, where employees can collaborate in designing the scrapbook.

7. Career planning session

If your employee is celebrating a work anniversary, then they have probably been with you for a couple of years, and there’s no better way to show appreciation and importance during their work anniversary than by giving them an avenue to explore higher and better opportunities within the organization.

“Try scheduling a one-on-one meeting with them in person or remotely. Express your appreciation for their years of service and talk them through their career goals and how they see themselves within the company for the succeeding years. If the options are available, introduce the possibility of a promotion,” says Nora Sudduth, Founder & Owner at Nora Sudduth Consulting.

8. Desk upgrades

Your employees’ desks are their homes within the company for 8 hours daily. A clean, organized, and well-decorated workspace allows employees to focus better, increasing productivity.

Consider sending them items that could help improve their desk space, like an ergonomic chair, standing desk, ergonomic mouse, or better keyboards! Not only does this boost their morale, but it also helps them become more productive and efficient at work—a win-win for both!

9. Recognition wall

You’d think only students and children would feel happy seeing themselves publicly appreciated for their effort and hard work, but news flash: adults do, too!

Chris Althoff, Head of Marketing at emtelligent, says, “Try setting up a recognition wall within your organization (or public server announcements for remote work) to publicly recognize employee achievements, such as birthdays, work anniversaries, or significant job milestones. Publicly showing your appreciation significantly boosts morale and promotes a positive and connected team environment.”

10. Wellness packages

Any organization must prioritize its employees’ health and wellness. Aside from basic annual checkups, medical allowances, and reimbursements, why not give your employees wellness packages during their work anniversaries?

Here are some wellness packages your employees would appreciate:

1. Gym memberships
2. Spa gift certificates or packages
3. Salon packages
4. Yoga or pilates classes
5. Massage packages
6. Mental health app subscriptions (Headspace, Calm)
7. Virtual fitness trainer sessions
8. Nutritionist consultations
9. Wellness retreat weekends
10. Home office ergonomic assessment and upgrades

Giving them a chance to relax and recuperate allows for better physical and mental health, which benefits not only them but also their overall performance in the organization.

11. Treat them to a ‘special work day’

If your employee has to go to work during their anniversary, try giving them a ‘special work day’ and surprises and special benefits during the day?

Give them the best parking spot in the building, order them breakfast as soon as they get into the office, let them decide what to order for lunch, allow them to bring their pet to the office, or allow them to pitch for a business idea! Really, the possibilities are endless—just make them the star of the day!

Sergey Taver, Marketing Manager at Precision Watches, says, “If you’re working remotely, try sending over a special lunch treat with a celebratory cake, allow them to put whatever nicknames they want for everybody on the team, or let them plan their day’s remote activities.”

12. Recognition for years of service

If your company has existed for a considerable amount of time, so are some of your employees. We’ve seen companies celebrating their 60th year with employees who have been with the company for 30 or 40 years. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but these people are the real pillars of your company.

Roman Zrazhevskiy, Founder & CEO at MIRA Safety, says, “If you have employees celebrating considerable milestones with the company, give them a more-than-special celebration for their years of service—be it an extravagant plaque or trophy or huge cash incentive—regardless of their position in the organization.”

13. Sponsored vacation trip

Vacation days are the best days for a working adult. A company-sponsored vacation, however? God-sent.

Allowing your employees vacation days gives them an avenue to spend time with their family and friends or take a quick trip to the beach or out of town. What will make it even better is offering a company-sponsored vacation trip for your employees!

To reduce the monetary burden, you can let your employees choose from a few vacation options, like a solo all-expenses-paid trip, a discounted family trip, free hotel accommodations, or free flights—whatever works for you and your budget.

You can make plans with a partner travel agency to make the planning easier or allow employees to make their own plans within a set budget.

14. Charitable donations

Some of your employees may like to celebrate their life milestones by doing charitable donations. If you have employees like these, consider donating to their charitable institution under their name to celebrate their work anniversary.

Chris Aubeeluck, Head of Sales and Marketing at Osbornes Law, says, “Employees who support a charitable cause close to their hearts would appreciate this move from the company. It shows your care and understanding not only for your employees but also for society.”

For example, if your employee is a pet lover who regularly donates to animal shelters, try donating pet food packs to the animal shelter they go to or organizing donation drives for these shelters or charities.

15. Social media shoutout

If your company manages a social media account, featuring them during their work anniversary is a great way to publicize your appreciation and show them they are valued in the workplace.

To speed up the process, you can use AI tools to generate Facebook posts that highlight the employee’s milestones in a personalized and engaging way. These tools can quickly craft messages that reflect the employee’s impact while maintaining a warm and authentic tone, ensuring a consistent and professional social media presence.

You can spotlight them on your social media pages by highlighting their years of service and their significant contributions to the company throughout those years. You can also ask colleagues or management for messages on how an employee has been a significant asset to the company.

Conclusion

A person’s years of service are not only a number but an indication of their loyalty and years of hard work to support the company and achieve its goals and objectives. Management can celebrate their employees during their work anniversaries in many ways, but the common factor among them is appreciation.

Let them know and feel that their hard work is appreciated and not taken for granted, and your employees will continue to stay and work hard for your organization for many years to come.