Employee Appreciation Day is more than a date on the calendar—it’s an opportunity to honor the heart and soul of your organization: your employees! While balloons and streamers add flair, why not take it a step further with decorations that inspire and motivate? Here are 7 creative decoration ideas to show your appreciation and keep the workplace energy buzzing.
Before we dive into the ideas, let’s look at the impact of recognition. Post-pandemic, with remote work becoming the norm, 64% of employees say they value appreciation and recognition more than ever (Source: O.C. Tanner).
Recognized employees are 8x more engaged and contribute to boosting business productivity by up to 31% (Source: Reward Gateway). Deloitte highlights that strong employee engagement, driven by recognition, directly improves job performance and business outcomes (Source: Deloitte).
Imagine that you show up to work ready for your usual desk covered in sticky notes, plus a random coffee stain you could have sworn wasn’t yours. Instead, your workstation has been repurposed — it’s you in desk form! Personalized workstations can truly make employees feel acknowledged and appreciated.
How about adding a favorite quote in a chic frame, a miniature incarnation of their pet, or even items that represent a favorite pastime, such as a mini-LEGO set or a jar of exotic tea blends?
Why does this work?
Because it shows that the company appreciates you, not “Employee #27”. Transforming desks into individual retreats means making a place where staff genuinely want to sit.
Motivation? Check. Productivity?
Double-check. Oh, and don’t forget the plants — those little succulents are the language of love in office décor.
GitLab, a trailblazer in remote work, knew that personalization didn’t stop at the office desk. For employee appreciation day decoration ideas, the company sent curated “workspace kits” to its globally distributed team.
Each kit included custom mouse pads with quirky inside jokes, mugs personalized with employees’ favorite colors, and plants specifically chosen for the recipient’s climate. They even added handwritten notes from team leads expressing gratitude.
The results?
Employees posted their revamped workspaces all over social media, showcasing their joy and appreciation. GitLab saw a spike in employee satisfaction surveys, with 92% of the team saying they felt more valued than ever before. Now, that’s a desk job anyone could love.
Let’s be honest — we all love a little love note every so often, even if it’s written on a little sticky note. Interactive appreciation walls are not just any walls, they are walls of communal love letters filled with employee-written thank-YOUs (or hilariously sarcastic messages) to one another. It’s like your office’s gratitude diary, but it’s a lot more colorful.
But let’s raise the level of the idea. Everyone has heard of sticky notes, but why not a digital wall on which messages appear immediately on a large screen? Or a photo collage wall in which employees stick up Polaroids of their favorite team moments?
Trader Joe’s is beloved for its customer service, but the company knows how to treat its employees too. For employee appreciation day decoration ideas, they turned the break room into an “Appreciation Market.”
One wall became a giant chalkboard where employees could write notes to each other. Another section featured a gratitude jar where people could drop anonymous compliments, and HR would read them out during lunch.
One employee’s note read, “To Mark in produce: Thanks for always keeping the avocados perfectly ripe!” Another: “Sarah, your playlists keep the energy alive in the freezer section!”
The project didn’t just generate smiles; it sparked deeper connections. The camaraderie improved retention rates, with employees citing the fun and supportive atmosphere as a reason to stay.
The wall became a permanent fixture in the break room, evolving into a central hub of positivity. Customers may get the perfect snack, but employees got something even better: appreciation that stuck. (Pun intended!)
Who needs a plane ticket when you can convert your office into a portal to another world? Themed office décor is your opportunity to escort employees out of spreadsheets and Slack notifications into an immersive experience that’ll have everyone saying, “Wait, we’re still at work?”
Whether it’s a tropical paradise with faux palm trees and a piña colada station, a retro ‘80s arcade complete with neon lights and Pac-Man galore, OR a cozy coffeehouse vibe with beanbags and artisanal brews, the sky’s the limit.
Themes allow your team to break away from the ordinary and into the extraordinary. They inspire creativity, raise morale, and offer endless Instagram possibilities. Pro tip: Give your crew tiny props (leis, game tokens, coffee vouchers) to be fully engaged.
Let’s be honest: in the era of smartphones and smart TVs, if it’s not on a screen, did it even happen? Digital displays of recognition move love from the suggestion box to the big screen — literally.
Just imagine: workers strolling into the office, greeted by a revolving slideshow of accomplishments, team shout-outs, and a few cheeky inside jokes sprinkled for good measure. Recognition becomes a public (and extremely visual) affair.
Here’s a pro tip: skip the generic “Employee of the Month” photos. Create dynamic content like animations, employee milestones, or even a leaderboard for competitive teams.
Squeeze in motivational quotes that sound less like they’re from a self-help book and more like they’re from a friend who knows your vibe: “Crush this Monday like your inbox after a long weekend!”
Basecamp, the project management software company, took its digital recognition to the next level. They installed large digital boards in common areas that featured a “Gratitude Reel.”
Throughout Employee Appreciation Day, team leaders and peers uploaded messages of thanks, highlighting everything from project successes to hilarious mishaps like “Thanks, Chris, for saving us from the 2 AM Slack meltdown!”
But Basecamp didn’t stop there. They integrated their boards with real-time updates. If someone gave a virtual high-five through their internal app, it popped up instantly on the displays. Employees reported feeling a sense of pride and joy seeing their contributions recognized not just by their teams but by the whole office.
The result?
A 20% uptick in engagement surveys, with employees citing the Gratitude Reel as a motivating factor. And yes, Chris probably still hears about that 2 AM save every Employee Appreciation Day.
Collaborative art projects are one of the best employee appreciation day decoration ideas, they are the ultimate workplace icebreakers. It’s like group therapy, but instead of sharing your feelings, you’re sharing paintbrushes or glue guns.
Making something together — a mural, a quilt, or even a quirky sculpture — does more than just brighten up the office; it creates bonds that no dazzling team-building PowerPoint presentation can ever replicate.
Think of a mural of inside jokes, inspirational quotes, and doodles of office mascots(like that one plant no one ever waters, but somehow still thrives). Or a quilt whose patchwork represents a tale only told by the experiences of your team. It’s not only art; it’s a representation of your team’s personality.
Zappos, the online retail giant known for its quirky culture, went all in on collaborative art. They invited employees to design a massive wall mural reflecting their core company values.
Armed with paint, stencils, and a whole lot of caffeine, teams transformed a blank wall into a vibrant masterpiece featuring bold patterns, inspiring phrases, and even caricatures of beloved co-workers.
The result? Employees said they felt like their contributions became part of the workplace. The mural became a self-hotspot, creating social media buzz and reinforcing Zappos’ reputation as a people-first brand. Bonus: The shared laughter during the painting sessions became a memory employee carried long after the brushes were cleaned up.
Why settle for visual embellishments when you can create a feast for all the senses? Add soothing scents, uplifting sounds, delectable tastes, and even cozy textures to Employee Appreciation Day.
Imagine diffusers wafting the air with floral lavender, a playlist of everyone’s favorite jams (except that one guy who swears he always listens to death metal in meetings), and one of those bar snacks that would make a foodie cry.
Imagine moving from station to station to experience varying forms of sensuality: a station with hand massages, another with chocolate tasting, and one featuring soft throw blankets to lounge in. Don’t just refer to employee recognition as an event; rather it should be an experience which has the power to leave employees feeling refreshed and valued.
Memory lane displays are a great way to pay homage to the past while motivating the future. Arrange photo boards, timelines, or memorabilia that celebrate milestones and describe major accomplishments. Add some humorous details on top of that, such as when the company picnic became an accidental sprinkler battle. Nostalgia, after all, is a great motivator.
HubSpot, the inbound marketing powerhouse, curated a “Hall of Legends” to celebrate their longest-standing employees. The display featured not just headshots but anecdotes from co-workers, old project photos, and even quirky memorabilia like an ancient laptop someone saved “just in case.”
To make it interactive, they added QR codes to each legend’s profile, leading to a video interview where they shared career wisdom and memorable moments. The initiative didn’t just honor loyalty; it inspired newer employees to envision their future at the company. It became such a hit that the display earned a permanent spot in the lobby, proving that celebrating your people is never out of style.
Employee Appreciation Day is more than just throwing up a few streamers and calling it a day — it’s your opportunity to be the magician behind the magic in the workplace! Consider these employee appreciation day decoration ideas to be your way of rolling out the carpet for your employees, so they feel like the rock stars they are!
With these imaginative decoration ideas, you’re not just sprucing up the workplace; you are creating an experience that says, “We see you. We value you. “Now enjoy this cheese platter and this mural.’
It is not about perfection; it’s about connection. Through bespoke workspaces, sensory overloads of gourmets, lavender diffusers, or a Memory Lane display that will have ’emu weeping like children (in a good way of course), your mission is to turn your team into more than colleagues — they’re family!
And here’s the kicker: When people feel appreciated they tend to be happier, more motivated, and, who knows, maybe they’ll volunteer to clear the copier jam. I mean, isn’t that worth the effort?
Personalization will let the employees know that the company and employers value their work, skills, effort, and individuality to motivate and nurture their sense of belonging.
It cultivates the culture of recognition and gratitude enabling the team to acknowledge one another’s work and performance publicly to boost team cohesion.
You can try out ‘Cozy Coffeehouse’, ‘Retro Arcade’, or ‘Global Adventure’ to resonate with the employees and team and make their day very special and memorable.
Involving multiple senses will offer a more enjoyable and memorable experience to promote the overall well-being of the employees.
Celebrating and cheering for employee milestones along with the company’s journey is a tribute to the past achievements and hurdles that you overcome as the team to encourage future contributions, by reinstating a state of continuity and pride.
© 2025 Engagedly. All rights reserved.
