Everyone wants to be appreciated in their job. Regardless of your level, we all want to know that we're doing a good job and that our boss notices. It's part of our nature and it's part of what drives our performance. If we work hard and no one notices or recognizes us for our performance, we become passionless and uncaring. We need that "atta boy!"

There are many different ways for bosses to reward employees and the trick is to find out what each employee values most. Some people only want verbal recognition - a simple "Good Work, James!" A stellar performance review in their file. Others value monetary gains - bonuses, pay raises, profit sharing, etc. Luncheons for the staff are another good option - but try to resist the urge to order fast food. Get something catered from a restaurant. Paid time off is always welcome (need I say this?) - and I mean PTO that isn't part of their normal benefit package. Just walk up and say "Hey Shari, you did a really great job with that presentation yesterday and you've been killing it all month. Take tomorrow off with pay!" And how about an Employee of the Month parking space?

There are a lot more I could mention, but you get the point. Your employees need to know that you appreciate the work they do for you every day. National Employee Appreciation Day is the first Friday in March, which is March 2 this year. Now is the time to start thinking about what you want to do for your employees.

If you have employees who value things they can display, you can put together some nice certificates and frame them. There are a lot of beautiful blank certificate papers available. Here are a few examples:

And here are a few document frames that come with preprinted certificates you can personalize:

Or consider some of these beautiful certificate holders:

Perhaps you have an employee who has been with you a long time or who had a particularly remarkable event, and you want to do something a little more special, like these items from the Jaffa Collection: