26 Ways to Celebrate a Work Anniversary

In each year of employment, there are struggles that your employees work through. These struggles include enduring long commutes, balancing child care with work, adapting to organizational changes, or working through challenging projects. The fact is, every employee works through something in order to be successful in their career. 

So, when a work anniversary rolls around, it becomes a natural time to reflect upon the year’s successes and failures. This reflection can shape how the employee moves forward in the coming year. They might find themselves asking questions like:

• Do they still feel like their efforts are worth the reward?
• What goals do they see themselves accomplishing?
• How do they want to adapt their work moving forward?
• Is the organization meeting their professional and personal goals?

These are all questions an employee might find themselves asking around the anniversary of their hire date. Because of this, celebrating work anniversaries can play a vital role in framing an employee’s opinion of the previous year while also shaping their view of their future with the company. 

Why Celebrating a Work Anniversary is Important

With all that is expected of you, celebrating a work anniversary can seem like another to-do item that doesn’t really hold any value. You might wonder why you should celebrate work anniversary. The fact is that celebrating your employees, specifically for a work anniversary, matters because when celebrations are neglected within a workplace, the employees are more likely to feel neglected. Additionally, there are many benefits that an organization is missing out on. 

The most important reason to celebrate a work anniversary is to cultivate a culture of workplace appreciation. Honoring an employee’s work anniversary is an opportunity to remind them that you appreciate their work and contributions to the company. It can help all employees feel seen, especially when their position naturally feels lesser or unimportant to the larger success of the company.  

Celebrating a work anniversary provides many benefits. Some of those benefits include:

• Helps all employees feel seen
• Shows appreciation
• Strengthens teams
• Builds a healthy company culture
• Improves employee retention 
• Increased work engagement
• Improved employee loyalty

Tips for Celebrating a Work Anniversary

It can be difficult to know where to start in implementing a system to celebrate work anniversaries. The fact is, figuring out how to celebrate your employees in a manageable and meaningful way can be overwhelming. However, your celebrations can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish them to be. What matters is that they are meaningful. 

In order to honor your employees in the best way possible, there are some things you will need to consider to ensure the celebrations are effective.

Here are some tips on what to include or avoid in your work anniversary system to make it manageable:

• Put it in the Budget: An excellent anniversary program doesn’t need to cost much money. However, as business needs change, it becomes easier to maintain if you already factor celebrations into your budget.
• Ensure all celebrations are equitable: The last thing you want to do is unintentionally make one employee’s celebration seem more important than another. To avoid any hard feelings or feelings of favoritism, you should find a celebration that adapts easily to any employee.  
• Involve the whole company: If possible, try to get everyone involved. This can be through a group work anniversary card or a company party. Whatever it is, getting everyone involved will help build connections between colleagues. 
• Establish a work anniversary program: A way to make celebrations go on autopilot is to create a program. Assign someone or a committee to establish a work anniversary idea, gifts, and any other policies so that something is already set and ready to implement when the time comes. 
• Keep track of everyone’s hire dates on your calendar: Whether this is you personally or delegating the task to someone else, this can be an easy way to set up a reminder when a work anniversary is approaching. 
• Personalize the celebration: Get a work anniversary gift unique to the person. Celebrate in a way that they feel comfortable. Personalizing the event to the person will make it feel more personal and foster a positive attitude towards the organization. 
• Consider doing things differently based on tenure: While it may seem contrary to making all celebrations equitable, consider varying the celebration based on years with the company. A work anniversary should reward dedication to the company, and therefore, it is okay to celebrate a 10+ year anniversary in a bigger way than others. As long as everyone who reaches that year mark receives the same type of celebration, it is equitable. 

Ways to Celebrate a Work Anniversary

Now that you’ve read some tips, it is time to address how to celebrate. Remember that whether it is the first year or five years, the main goal is to show gratitude for the contributions of the celebrated employee over the last year. So, you adapt how you celebrate to fit the needs of your company.

Here is a list of work anniversary celebration ideas in a variety of price ranges that your employees will love:

1. Give a small bonus

Everyone appreciates a little extra cash, so this is a sure way for employees to feel appreciated. The nice thing about receiving a small bonus is that the money can be used in the way the employee feels is best. Doing this will provide those employees who are struggling with a hidden financial need to use the money to help alleviate a burden. Simply put, it gives the employee a choice on how to celebrate their work anniversary. 

2. Gift a class related to their hobbies

What better way to show them you see them than finding a class unique to their interests? A great way to reward how hard they’ve worked over the last year is to provide a way for them to pursue their hobbies. Especially if the previous year required more time from them than usual, this can be an excellent way to demonstrate that you care about the employee as a whole. 

Classes you could gift are:

• Online painting class
• Creative writing class
• Music class
• Dance class
• Language class
• Pottery class
• A Golf Lesson
• Self-defence class

3. Host a party 

A party is a fun way for all organization members to celebrate. Not only will it provide a chance for anyone to express their gratitude for the honored employee, but it will also get people talking. A party will, therefore, encourage a more connected team. There are even ways to celebrate work anniversaries with hybrid or remote teams.

4. Send a dessert

Who doesn’t love dessert? A package of their favorite desserts can be a warm welcome. All it requires is finding their favorite dessert and locating a local place to pick it up or deliver it. A great way to add to a dessert is by including some happy work anniversary message along with it. 

5. Send a gift card to one of their favorite places

Gift cards can be a convenient way to show you care, especially if you pick a card that is special to them. They also can be easily added to an online work anniversary card. 

An easy way to find out what card is best is by having them provide a list of their favorite places to go or things to do to have on file. That way, as celebrations come around, you will already have a list of ideas ready to use.  

6. Post a social media shout-out

Using the social media outlet of your choice, post a shout-out honoring the employee. What is excellent about a social media shout-out is that it also involves your customers in the celebration. This allows for positive messages to come from outside of the company as well. 

Things to include in a social media shout-out:

• How many years of employment are they celebrating
• Their job responsibilities or title
• A quick message about the positive things they bring to the company

7. Create a video 

Compile videos of coworkers, vendors, and customers who work with the individual into a video. A video can be a great visual representation of how someone is making an impact within your organization. Here are some question ideas on what to ask people when you interview them: 

• What is your favorite memory while working with [name]? 
• How has [name] impacted you this last year?
• What things do you appreciate about [name]?

Once you’ve recorded all of the video clips, compile them and deliver the finished video. Depending on how you are celebrating, a video slideshow can be played at a party, added to a company video board, or sent directly to the celebrating employee.

8. Give them the day off

What better way to celebrate an employee anniversary than having the day off? An added PTO day is a great way to show appreciation to them. It also can play a beneficial role in promoting employee wellness. Giving them the day off will allow them to begin the next year of employment, just a little bit fresher. 

9. Give a group work anniversary card

A work anniversary card can be a great way to gather messages of appreciation or funny work anniversary memes for the employee. Also, the nice thing about a group anniversary card is that it can be the main event or nicely added to one. 
A group work anniversary card can be given as a traditional paper greeting card or an e-card. If you want the convenience of an ecard, Kudoboard provides a great online group card made perfectly for a work anniversary. Instead of passing a card around the office, a Kudoboard allows contributors to add a message at their convenience, regardless of location.

10. Find a way to upgrade their workspace

Someone’s workspace plays an integral part in their experience at work. If their space is unique and personal to them, they will feel more at home. For this reason, finding a way to upgrade their space can enhance their day-to-day work and improve employee satisfaction. 

Whether gifting a nicer chair, upgrading a device, or adding decorations to their space, this can be a great way to honor the work they will put in during the upcoming year. 

11. Gifting Company Swag

Gifting company swag is great for recognizing an employee anniversary while also finding an easy way to promote your business. To go the extra mile, consider engraving or embroidering the swag with their name. This will add a personal touch and help keep it from getting lost. 

The best items for a work anniversary gift are practical items like: 

• Backpacks
• Clothing items like jackets and shirts
• Technology accessories
• Something from the company product line

12. Pay for a class to learn an industry skill 

While a training may seem like the last thing they want to be gifted for an anniversary, it can be constructive when given the opportunity to choose. Chances are there is some skill they may want to improve on but don’t have the resources or time to learn this skill. So why not gift it to them? 

You can do this via: 

• Skillshare
• Masterclass
• Udemy
• Coursera

13. Give a spotlight

Especially for new employees, a spotlight can be an excellent way for others in the organization to get to know the individual. These spotlights can highlight the following:

• Things they enjoy about the company
• Interests and hobbies
• Personal details like where they grew up, family, etc.
• Their bucket list 

Another great addition to a spotlight would be highlighting comments from other team members, vendors, or customers highlighting the employee.

14. Send flowers or a plant

Flowers are a sure way to brighten up anyone’s day. Especially as more working environments require someone to be indoors for hours at a time, bringing a bit of the outdoors can do wonders to improve someone’s mood. 

If they are someone who enjoys taking care of plants, skip the bouquet of flowers and go straight for a low-maintenance house plant. 

15. Take something off their plate 

Whether temporary or long-term, taking something off their plate is an act of service that is bound to help your employees feel a little more refreshed. Especially with an employee who has a demanding position, outsourcing one of their responsibilities can demonstrate an understanding of their workload. 

16. Upgrade their technology

If you have an employee working on old technology, gifting them something new can be a great way to make their work life easier and more efficient. An upgrade can look like a replacement for a new model or adding a helpful piece of technology they do not have currently. 

17. Gift them decor for their office

Whether it is an office building or at home, new decor for their office space can be a great way to make their work environment more comfortable. Whether it is a new painting, a decorative chair, or a shelf to display their knick-knacks and awards, try to find a functional piece of decor they would like. If you are unsure what their style is, give them some options to choose from. This way, you will surely gift something they will enjoy and appreciate. 

18. Create a memory book-

A memory book is a collection of memories, mementos, and messages. A memory book can be a meaningful representation of your colleague’s time with the organization. A memory book could include:

• Photos taken at company events
• Pictures of them with their colleagues
• Handwritten notes from team members
• Positive Customer reviews
• Momentos from projects they completed
• Awards they earned

19. Decorate their workspace

Channel your inner grade-schooler and take the locker decorating to the office. For this idea, you would cover their space with balloons, streamers, other decorations, and words of appreciation before they arrive on their work anniversary. So when they come on the day of, they are welcomed with an immediate celebration.

20. Throw a puppy party

A puppy party is exactly what it sounds like a party with a bunch of puppies included. Who wouldn’t want to spend part of their work anniversary with a bunch of puppies? This can be a great way to include everyone, reduce stress, and celebrate an animal-loving employee. While puppies are pretty cute, it doesn’t need to be limited to young dogs. Working with a local animal shelter, you could include older dogs or cats that crave some attention. Really, a win-win for everyone. 

21. Host a creative class

An excellent way to celebrate a work anniversary is by gathering a team together to do something creative. Not only will it serve as a nice break from the work day, but it will also be a way for team members to build skills and connections with each other. Additionally, since the pandemic, more companies have begun hosting classes virtually, which makes it an easy anniversary activity for remote work. Creative classes you could host:

• Painting
• Crafting
• Drawing
• Photography
• Writing

22. Host a mini award ceremony

A mini award ceremony is a great way to celebrate work anniversaries in a bunch. The great thing about this is that the awards don’t need to be serious. In fact, the more they are in good fun, the better. A mini award ceremony should be a light-hearted way to celebrate the little nuances your team experiences as they work together. Some awards you could include are:

• The Traveling Medic: always has a first aid kit just in case.
• The Email Vigilante: Immediately responds to emails.
• The Foodie: Always knows the best places to eat and is happy to recommend something new.

23. Make an anniversary poster

If you are looking for a way for employees to get to know each other better, a poster for a work anniversary can be a great way to do this. Simply display a poster with their name, photo, achievements, and a short message of appreciation and display it around the office. You could also include anniversary wishes from the team.

24. Host a trivia game about the employee

Another great and inexpensive idea to help colleagues get to know each other is by doing a trivia game where all the questions are about the employee. To do this, survey the employees by asking questions about themselves. Then, gather together team members into teams and have them compete against each other. You could even sweeten the deal by including a small reward for the winning team. 

25. Celebrate with food

Whether providing lunch, dinner, or a breakroom full of snacks, supplying food is guaranteed to be a people pleaser. An added benefit to celebrating a work anniversary with food is it is a natural way to bring the company together to socialize. It can be a positive way to enhance a company’s culture. 

26. Simply reach out and say thank you

As mentioned earlier, an employee work anniversary celebration doesn’t need to be expensive. Simply taking the time to stop by and start a conversation can be a meaningful way to honor the employee. Be sure to express “happy anniversary” while also discussing things you appreciate about them. You can also express praise to them for something they accomplished and gratitude for their dedication and loyalty. This informal meeting can also be a great time to discuss future goals and concerns for the future. 

Celebrate Your Employees’ Work Anniversaries with Kudoboard

Whichever of the 26 celebration ideas you decide to use to celebrate this employee milestone, a Kudoboard can be the perfect compliment to your celebration. A Kudoboard is an online group anniversary card that eliminates the need to pass a greeting card around the office. Instead, it streamlines the process by providing an online board where coworkers can easily add a multimedia happy work anniversary message at their convenience, no matter their location. 

A dedicated employee is a valuable asset to your company, especially in an adapting corporate climate. Those employees who find value in the company goals and work through inevitable struggles deserve to be celebrated and to know they are appreciated. A work anniversary can be the perfect time to know appreciation is shown for your employees’ dedication at least annually.