9 Virtual Employee Appreciation Ideas That Show Your People You Care

Gone are the days of the proverbial pat on the back at the water cooler or a congratulatory handshake in the conference room. In our increasingly digital world, where remote work is no longer just a trend but a mainstay, how do you show your employees that their efforts aren't just recognized but deeply appreciated? 

Spoiler alert: A Zoom high-five just doesn't cut it.

Discover nine innovative virtual employee appreciation ideas to make your people feel seen, celebrated, and truly appreciated.

📱 Get the right technologies in place 

Rapid developments in online workplace infrastructure lend themselves well to new solutions. Leverage the technology available to connect with your employees in innovative ways. 

Start by doing your research. Look for guides and recommendations to help you choose the right tools and software. There are lots of resources available, from the industry-specific Vonage's call center WFM guide to the more general guide to the best virtual collaboration tools.

You could set up a virtual wall of fame to celebrate employee achievers or a forum on your company's internal platform where team members can congratulate each other on their contributions. 

Or, you could use an employee recognition platform with a points system. Employees can collect points in exchange for notable achievements and exchange these points for rewards. 

Then, there's the option to get creative over video calls. 

Could you organize virtual game nights or team-building activities? Consider your options for creating a sociable atmosphere in the virtual space. 

🧘 Support employee wellness

Show that you care about your employees' health and well-being. 

While an onsite gym might not be an option for your remote workers, you can still get creative with your virtual wellness perks for remote employees. 

For example, you could send wellness packages containing yoga equipment or nutritious snacks. 

Implement company-wide wellness programs like subscriptions to meditation apps or monthly stipends for gym memberships or exercise classes. 

💡 Tip: Try offering a couple of options so your employees can choose how they would prefer to receive their reward. The key is finding the wellness solution that works for them and that they are genuinely happy to receive. 

Alternatively, you could designate a "reboot day" every quarter where all employees are encouraged to rest and recharge offline.

🚀 Support their professional development 

Take an interest in your employees' career growth. Give them access to relevant professional development opportunities where possible. 

Your team will be grateful for the chance to develop their competencies and upskill while under your employment - it may even keep them from looking for another job.

Alternatively, write a glowing recommendation on LinkedIn endorsing your employee. Help them with networking opportunities while giving your thanks at the same time.

💡 Tip: Implement learning rituals across teams or the entire organization and encourage employees to learn from each other (aka social learning).

🏅 Learn all about the role peers play in enhancing one's professional growth at BCG (the #1 Large Company for Career Growth).

🏠 Organize home deliveries

Even if your employees are miles apart, receiving packages with your company logo can help them feel connected to the brand. Company apparel like mugs and water bottles are a great way to do this. 

Alternatively, you could go for the crowd favorite: sending food deliveries. For this purpose, you can try the best meal kit delivery services and send tasty and nutritious meals to your remote employees.

💡 Tip: Maybe there's something extra meaningful you can send an employee, which shows that you've been listening to them and valuing them on a human level. 

If you want to make it a company event, you could celebrate a shared win by sending out pizza to the whole team and inviting them to enjoy their free lunch together in a video call.

It's all about finding what your team is comfortable with. Find out what kind of perks they would be happy to receive before you surprise them with something unexpected.

🏆 Give out awards 

For some employees, being publicly acknowledged is hugely validating. 

You could organize an in-person event to bring remote workers together to celebrate exceptionally high achievers. Or, you could have a more casual arrangement where employees vote on category winners. 

💡 Tip: The categories can be personal to your team, drawing on in-jokes or shared memories rather than strictly business-related. 

🗣️ Take employee feedback on board 

Your team's feedback is a goldmine of valuable insights waiting to be discovered. 

By collecting employee feedback, you can unlock a wealth of candid opinions, suggestions, and ideas from your employees.

Your best bet is to implement an employee feedback system to find out any issues they have and work to resolve them. You can also use their feedback to determine which praise types they prefer.

💡 Tip: The key is not to stop collecting feedback but to act on it.

🕒 Offer more flexibility 

Many people choose to work from home because of the flexibility - allowing them to juggle work alongside any caring responsibilities, physical or mental health conditions, or other commitments. 

So lean into this. 

Chances are, these employees will feel appreciated and understood if you offer them more opportunities to choose when and where they get work done. 

Offering more flexibility is both a thank you for their hard work thus far and a gesture of trust in their ability to switch up their working hours and produce results. 

The same goes for taking a flexible approach to considering who can work from home. Allowing some teams to work from home while others must come to the office can cause resentment. So, it is imperative to take the initiative and look into questions like what is a virtual call center. Can we offer the sales team a hybrid solution? And what customer service technology can we invest in?

From a business standpoint, you may be worried about productivity or communication issues if too many people are out of the office. 

However, the main thing is to promote an environment of trust and fairness. 

✍️ Send a handwritten note 

Yes, there are faster ways for businesses to communicate with their employees. You likely have a dedicated messaging app for quick correspondence between team members. In this age of digital solutions, you can even send fax online to keep sensitive information protected. 

Yet, nothing beats a handwritten card or letter if you're reaching out to an employee who values that personal touch. Not everyone likes to be the center of attention while publicly receiving praise. Writing a note is an excellent, quiet way to let them know you notice and appreciate the hours they're putting in. 

Opening an old-fashioned letter might be a much-needed breath of fresh air if your employees are on their devices all day. Remind them of the human connections they've made even in a virtual work environment. 

🎁 Send thoughtful gift cards 

Rather than sending a physical reward to an employee's address, emailing over a relevant gift card or discount code can be just as heartfelt. 

Think about what your remote employees would benefit from. As they're working from home, they're likely responsible for creating a workspace where they can be productive and comfortable.  

Help them to cover these costs and improve their working conditions with gift cards for office furniture, supplies, or tech. By helping in this way, you demonstrate that you care about their working environment, even if it is remote. 

🤩 Reimagine virtual employee appreciation with Zavvy

As the work landscape evolves, so does the art of appreciating remote employees who may feel less connected to the company as they work from home.

With Zavvy, you have the ultimate toolkit to elevate your employee appreciation strategies. 

Our all-in-one People Enablement Platform goes beyond the traditional to create a culture of recognition and growth, no matter the whereabouts of your team:

📅 Book a demo to see Zavvy in action.