Each year we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week during the first week in May. All year long, teachers go above and beyond to help their students learn and grow, so parents and students take this time to say, ‘thank you’ and recognize their hard work and mentorship.  Beyond school years, mentorship also plays an important role in corporate America.

Mentors are instrumental in encouraging both personal and professional growth and help us to become the best, most successful versions of ourselves in the workplace. Appreciation plays a major role in employee engagement and well-being, but many times those we look up to do not get the acknowledgment that they deserve. With Teacher Appreciation Week approaching, we ask companies to think about what the business world can learn from this recognition week, and how to translate these initiatives into the workplace.

Appreciation and recognition can take many forms from planning a team building activity outside of the office, to recognizing employees in an employee of the month program, and from arranging a complimentary off-site lunch, to simply saying a genuine ‘thank you’ on a daily basis.

Here are some more formal ways to show mentors, managers and employees the recognition they deserve all year long:

• Organize a company-wide ceremony expressing gratitude with personalized recognition gifts in a public, in-person forum.
• Offer employees a rewards and recognition program that offers merchandise rewards from brands they love.
• Encourage peer-to-peer recognition and implement a platform where colleagues can recognize each other for a job well done or for serving as a mentor.

If you have a mentor that has helped encourage your professional growth, be sure to recognize their efforts and thank them for investing their time and energy. A little recognition goes a long way, and remember, no matter who you consider a mentor, they deserve to be recognized for their efforts and support.

As the largest solution provider in the Rewards and Recognition space, Rymax creates custom employee engagement solutions for companies of all sizes. Learn more about how to recognize your employees and mentors.