How to meaningfully celebrate employee work anniversaries

Tenured employees’ institutional knowledge, experience and contributions are invaluable. For many organizations, work anniversaries are the only times outside of performance evaluations that provide dedicated individual recognition. That’s why work anniversary awards are huge culture drivers.

Many organizations already celebrate years of service but start at Year 3 or 5. This can be too late for some employees, especially with 75% of workers saying they wish they felt more valued.

Honoring employee anniversaries early and often

When it comes to employee recognition, we encourage organizations to celebrate early and celebrate often. Frequent recognition and milestone awards early into an employee's journey set expectations, nurture engagement and encourage employees to stay longer.

Organizations need to consider the cadence when it comes to celebrating years of service with their teams. Waiting for employees to reach a five or 10-year milestone might be too late. Work anxiety and dread lead 45.9% of Gen Z workers to consider leaving a role, with 20.2% of employees committing to quitting. Workplace gratitude can create a more positive employee experience.

Celebrating and recognizing an employee’s work anniversary can come in many forms. We’ve put together some ideas for how to make these anniversaries feel special and tie into your employee engagement efforts. 

Recognizing employee tenure builds company pride

Work anniversaries create a culture of recognition, building a more positive employee experience and instilling a sense of purpose and team pride. 

Along with early recognition, we also encourage organizations to add tokens of appreciation in a company storefront. This offers a range of tangible awards for their team members, so individuals can receive an item meaningful to them. 

Employee engagement platforms include integrated storefronts that make it easier for employees to shop branded items online. These items can range from a high-end wireless headphones or a personalized, quality jacket with the company logo—swag your employees will appreciate and use. And as employees reach tenure milestones, organizations can offer higher-priced point awards to reflect their loyalty.

Celebrating Year 1 work anniversaries

The first year of an employee’s tenure at your company is a major milestone. They learned what they need to succeed in their role and are contributing to overall wins. Celebrate accordingly and encourage their growth.

A handwritten note 

Meaningful work anniversary celebrations don’t need to break your budget. We often say that the most heartfelt recognition is authentic words of affirmation. Receiving a thoughtful, handwritten note from a manager that goes into the many contributions the employee made in their first year shows deep appreciation and effort.

Public recognition

Public recognition is a powerful motivator for many people. Digital hubs like ITA Group's Cooleaf employee engagement platform give managers and peers an easy and meaningful way to recognize a team member on a live feed.

You can tie your recognition to core values and add photos of their past year. Be sure to make the recognition post thoughtful and customized with their accomplishments, so your employee feels truly valued.

Virtual or in-person coffee chat

Celebrate your employee's first year and grab a coffee. This is a manager or team leader's opportunity to check in and discuss the past year. Share what you appreciated during their first year. Then ask them how you can improve onboarding for future new hires.

Celebrating Year 3+ work anniversaries

In the past, organizations traditionally kicked off years of service recognition at the five-year mark. But even with a large gift, waiting for this milestone means employees could be waiting years for recognition. That’s way too late. Five-year or greater anniversary celebrations miss a majority of your employees.  

Start early with the third year anniversary. It’s a critical recognition point and something to celebrate.

Related: How to reprioritize employee recognition

Milestone celebration

Create a memorable experience with a large in-person or virtual gathering to celebrate this milestone. You can have a tangible award or plaque, and host an event or organize an off-site activity for your team members. These gatherings are a great opportunity for team bonding, allowing everyone to connect and have fun beyond shop talk. Celebrating these personal wins for individual employees shows your team how much your organization values company culture. 

Team lunch

Grab lunch for the whole office. Support a local restaurant or catering service and create a special meal to celebrate. You can personalize your common area with a few signs or notes of congrats to your employees who achieved this milestone. Not only is it a delicious way to bring everyone together, but it showcases how employee experience is a priority at your organization.

Celebrating Year 5+ work anniversaries

The people who remain after the Year 3 drop-off are your organization’s most loyal employees and should be recognized and cared for accordingly. Celebrating hallmarks like the five- and 10-year work anniversaries with high-value employee experiences or rewards shows appreciation respective to their years of service, continuing a positive work environment. Don’t miss the chance to celebrate tenured employees in a customized and meaningful way!

Career planning session 

At this point in many employees' career journey, they might feel reflective and start planning for their career ahead. Offer resources like an intensive career planning session with a career coach or leadership team member. This should go beyond the annual career chat with a direct manager. Proactively offer these resources when employees hit these milestones to show your full support in their next steps as they think about the next phase of their careers.

Charitable donation 

Making a donation in the name of your employees is meaningful as a tangible award. Check with employees to see which charity or cause they’d like to support to personalize the gift. These donations can reaffirm to employees that their personal values and causes matter to your organization.

Time off 

Time off is well deserved, especially for loyalty. Depending on their tenure, add PTO days for employees as they accrue years of service. It's a nice benefit for employees who've been with your organization longer.

Sabbatical 

If you’d really like to go above and beyond, offer employees a sabbatical option once they mark five years at your company. Sabbatical leave is growing in popularity, especially among Millennial employees who want time to pursue other projects too. Instead of taking a break by quitting their current role, retain employees by offering time away from work. We even do it at ITA Group through our sabbatical work-abroad program.

Rewarding tenure supports a culture of recognition

Recognizing employee work anniversaries is critical to keeping hard-working employees. Leading with recognition shows employees you see and value their contributions.

Years of service awards are great reminders to recognize an employee's achievement, but employee recognition should happen all year. Celebrating those workplace wins and collaborations engages your employees. Create a culture of gratitude around the year with our 2025 recognition calendar.