Why You Should Celebrate Easter at Work

If you’re planning ahead, it’s time to think about Easter! This year, it falls on Sunday, April 9.

Sharing Easter employee appreciation is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate colleagues regardless of employee religious affiliation; it marks the beginning of spring and celebrates the joy, hope and gratitude that come with the changing seasons.

Why Celebrate Easter in the Workplace?

It’s an opportunity to show you care.

Frequent employee appreciation is the key to a productive, happy workforce. Easter employee appreciation puts gratitude front and center. Invite company leaders to write Thank You notes to employees using this popular gThankYou guide, “Writing Thank You Notes Employees Will Treasure”.  Include the notes in Easter gift baskets or have managers hand them out personally at an employee party. Whether or not you include a seasonal gift, a sincere note of thanks can stand alone!

Easter is a springtime holiday with cultural, non-religious traditions that appeal to everyone.

Finding celebrations that appeal to a diverse workforce can be challenging. Easter-time is an opportunity to find ways to brighten everyone’s day with the focus on spring and the secular aspects of Easter — fresh flowers, spring decorations, Easter baskets and treats like chocolate eggs and themed cupcakes.

Easter’s themes of renewal and resilience are universal.

Regardless of religious affiliation, we can all identify with and appreciate Easter themes of renewal, growth, gratitude and new beginnings. Easter is a chance to honor the hope and joy of the spring season, invest in employee resilience and celebrate growth. We all enjoy the optimism that spring brings. It’s an opportune time to invest in employees’ personal growth and giving back to the community.

When you show gratitude to employees at family holidays, you’re communicating you value work-life balance.

Thanking employees for a job well done is one of the most reliable, affordable ways to motivate excellent performance. But it’s also important to recognize employees outside of their work, as people.

It’s fun!

If you want a workplace culture that employees love and that attracts others, host workplace events and make sure employees feel appreciated and valued. Take advantage of the ability to tie into everyone’s excitement about the emergence of spring; build workplace camaraderie. Who doesn’t enjoy an unexpected “thank you – we’re so glad you are on our team” and a chocolate bunny?

Tips for Managing Religious Holidays in the Workplace

Worried about what is and isn’t appropriate? Consult HR expert and TalentCulture founder Meghan M. Biro’s suggests approaching  religious holidays as workplace celebrations.

“No sheaves of palms or crucifixes allowed,” writes Biro. “Bunnies, ducks, candy, chocolate, colorful eggs, flowers and other items commonly associated with Easter shouldn’t offend anyone.”

The folks at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) always offer sound advice. This blog on making holiday celebrations more inclusive focuses on the winter holidays, but there are still valid takeaways to apply to Easter.

Here’s a quick recap of their advice for holding more inclusive events:

• Create a diverse planning committee.
• Avoid scheduling mistakes.
• Make it voluntary.
• Create awareness of other religions.
• Offer floating holidays.
• Invite feedback.
• Be forgiving (of yourself if you make some missteps).

Easy, Fun & Affordable Ways to Celebrate Easter at Work

Here are several tips to make Easter celebrations in the workplace special (without busting your budget). For even more ideas, check our blog post, “Employee Appreciation Gifts for Easter and Spring”:

1. Decorate the Office or Break Rooms

Remember the “Hawthorn Effect”? Respondents change their behavior because they think supervisors care simply by changing something simple in the workplace environment.

Show employees you care; fill your workplace space with inspiration from spring and Easter – plants, flowers, butterflies, bunnies, colorful eggs and festive Easter baskets. Pinterest is full of seasonal decoration ideas!

2. Host an Easter Egg Hunt

Adults like a good Easter Egg hunt, too! Weather-permitting, go outdoors! Use an egg hunt as an opportunity for team-building. Create teams along department lines or mix things up!

Fill large plastic eggs with candy, as well as other prizes such as gift cards, game tickets, gift certificates and other fun surprises. Or, have employees turn eggs in for prizes that their teams can share. End the event with holiday inspired treats and an opportunity to connect with coworkers and management.

3. Have a Party with Holiday-Themed Treats

You don’t need to break the bank to host a party with Easter-themed treats. If you can’t afford to cater an event, scale it back and provide drinks, Easter candy and cookies. Be sure to provide a big helping of gratitude and employees will appreciate the festive break.

4. Give Easter Baskets

Just like the Easter Bunny, share baskets anonymously or have managers hand them out as employees arrive for an unexpected surprise! Don’t limit yourself to candy – even new office supplies can be fun!

5. Give the Gift of Something Green

For groups or workplace cultures less inclined to embrace sugar, consider giving a small flowering plant or seeds and a pretty pot. These are thoughtful ways to share the excitement of spring.

6. Organize a Community Service Project

Most employees would be thrilled for the opportunity to help local organizations alongside colleagues. Consider finding a community project that your organization can get behind supporting and can accommodate your workforce. How about planting a flower bed for a service organization or fixing up a local park? Provide materials for employees to assemble Easter baskets for an elder-care home or families in need. Host egg dying or cookie decorating at a shelter. Find something that make sense for your organization’s culture and spread Easter joy.

Healthier Easter Treat Alternatives

While many of us would be happy to have a celebration full of sugar, there are easy ways to provide great-looking and slightly healthier food choices to your Easter baskets or parties. Once again, recipe sites and Pinterest can help with healthy Easter treat inspiration.

Here are several easy ideas to consider:

• Chocolate dipped fruit
• Fresh fruit – skewers, pineapple flowers, etc.
• Trail mix (with a hint of colorful candy)
• Hard boiled eggs
• Fresh carrots and other raw vegetables
• Fruit juices
• Fruit and yogurt smoothies
• Granola Easter eggs
• Carrot cake

Ham, Turkey and Groceries are Popular Gifts for Easter in the Workplace

Sharing a ham at Easter is a tradition going back hundreds of years, as far back as the sixth century. It’s the centerpiece to a big family meal that marks new beginnings and a new season. Many of us fondly remember gathering with family to celebrate Easter around a savory holiday ham.

The Perfect Gift for the Easter Holiday

gThankYou makes it easy for organizations to buy and share a holiday ham, even with distributed workforces. gThankYou! Ham Gift Certificates allow recipients to choose any brand and any preparation of half or whole ham, at virtually all grocery chain stores in the U.S.  Recipients choose the ham they want for their family and redeem their Certificate at checkout just like a Manufacturer Coupon. It’s that easy!

Turkey Or Ham Gift Certificates provide recipients the choice of centerpiece to their family’s springtime celebration. This year Passover begins on April 5 and turkey is a welcome part of a Seder dinner.

For a cost-effective fun workplace reward, share gThankYou! Candy Gift Certificates for the candy of their choice. This way, they can splurge on themselves or receive a little help making baskets for others.

Plus, don’t forget that Grocery Gift Certificates are always a great idea!