A firm or business’s human resources office or department is crucial.
It carries out its duties to guarantee a smooth and effective operation.
Yet, HR professionals don’t always receive the recognition they deserve.
Hence, Human Resource (HR) Professional Day is observed to educate people about the roles of professionals in HR and the significance of their work around the globe.
In our post, we’re discussing everything related to the occasion, freebies you can give away, and activities you can do.
Let’s jump in.
Table of Contents
10 Activities to Celebrate HR Professional Day
8 Thoughtful Gifts for HR Professionals
What’s HR Professional Day?
HR Professional Day is intended to honor professionals who work in HR departments across the globe.
It’s also a great day to spread the word about this employment function and provide information about what it’s like to be a member of the HR community.
If you want to work in human resources, you should be able to access many helpful materials online during this time.
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When is HR Professional Day?
The Human Resource Professional Day is celebrated on the 26th of September.
History of Human Resource Professional Day
Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen first mentioned Human Resource Professional Day in October 2013.
This day was established to praise, celebrate, and appreciate human resource professionals, as they are crucial in ensuring that firms function properly through qualified human capital.
In addition, people like this holiday just as much as they enjoy Employee Appreciation Day for its impact and showing public significance.
Furthermore, this holiday is mentioned at Sheridan Institution, an undergraduate college in Ontario, Canada.
Why celebrate HR Professional Day?
The following are the primary reasons for celebrating Human Resource Professional Day:
- To learn more about HR employee jobs
The first reason you should celebrate this holiday is to learn about the work of HR professionals.
If you work in a firm or organization, you may be familiar with some of the tasks of HR staff, but not all.
Celebrating this occasion can be a great eye-opener.
- To honor all human resources employees
Another reason to celebrate this day is that it is an excellent opportunity to recognize all HR personnel.
They have put in a lot of effort to ensure that a company’s workers are happy.
Moreover, consider this day your way of thanking all HR personnel for their hard work.
- To motivate people to work in human resources
Another reason to celebrate this occasion is that it may be the perfect day to motivate individuals to work in human resources.
If you engage in human resources awareness campaigns, you may be able to persuade others to join the profession of human resources and eventually become HR professionals themselves.
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10 Activities to Celebrate HR Professional Day
HR Professional Day is an excellent opportunity to do different things and showcase your genuine appreciation.
Let’s check together what you can do to take this day to another level.
1. Recognize and reward your HR team in public
Most global CEOs could only manage a sudden shift to remote work because of their highly expert HR staff.
But unfortunately, this transition exposed just how much baggage the typical HR professional carries for their company.
The myth that workers are the only ones who need engagement is increasingly wearing out.
People who work behind the scenes should be recognized as well.
Everyone in this hybrid environment, including your HR staff, wants to be acknowledged for the work they do every day.
So celebrate the segment of your workforce that serves as a connection between top-level management and workers:
- HR experts that performed best
- Notable HR initiatives that have had an impact
- HR Professional of the Month
2. Celebrate on social media
Take this day as your chance to showcase yourself and celebrate on social media.
You can, for example, use the hashtag #HumanResourceDay to notify your acquaintances and followers that you are also celebrating this day.
3. Attend a human resource seminar
Attending an HR seminar is one thing you can do to commemorate this day.
In addition, you can learn more about what HR personnel and your co-workers do daily.
The amount of work they do might hugely surprise you, but this will help build your admiration for HR professionals and more respect for their working practices.
4. Provide an unexpected day off
Surprise your HR staff with a day off—and think about sprinkling these enjoyable days off throughout the year.
This compensation improves staff resilience and mental health, minimizes employee burnout, and affects long-term work satisfaction and motivation.
Your staff may utilize the additional time to concentrate on their health, spend time with family, or enjoy much-needed time away from the “business.”
Make this surprise day off mandatory so that people take advantage of it.
Additionally, encourage teams to leave an out-of-office message and log out of Slack or Teams Chat in order to capitalize fully on the benefits of time off.
Make sure that your leadership team and executives do the same.
5. Make your HR team’s taste buds happy
Who doesn’t like a free lunch?
One of the easiest and most effective ways to thank your HR team members is with food.
Consider having a dinner catered, surprising your team with a package of gourmet snacks—even if they work from home—or sending them out for coffee.
You may also promote wellness by offering delightful, nutritious snacks or going to a restaurant with healthy selections.
6. Start a reward system
HR Professional Day is the ideal time to launch a recognition program.
A complete recognition and incentive platform pushes individuals to acknowledge their peers regularly and sincerely.
Your platform’s user interface should be simple and integrated with other tools your workers currently use.
Furthermore, workers should be able to identify one another anywhere, at any time.
Hence, a mobile-friendly platform is critical for businesses with on-the-ground personnel.
For example, many businesses use a points-based recognition program to provide workers with the freedom to pick their awards, lowering administrative costs and delivering a more customized recognition experience.
7. Donate to a charity of your staff’s choice
Donating to a charity your workers’ support demonstrates that you pay attention to what they care about.
Also, you can make donations to organizations in your workers’ names or give them a predetermined amount to contribute each month, quarter, or year.
Another option is to match contributions; you can allow employees to award points to organizations of their choosing if you’ve established an employee-recognition system with points-based prizes.
8. Set up an online leaderboard
Keep your international human resources day gamified to bring out your workers’ fun side and have some competitive spirit.
Assign more points to anyone in the human resource department who has achieved more and finished more tasks, and see how this motivates other employees to be more productive.
While being at the top of the leaderboard is an excellent incentive, you should also plan for getting your HR professionals some cool corporate gifts and care packages to vamp this up.
9. Endorse employees on LinkedIn
Writing a LinkedIn endorsement boosts remote HR employees’ morale and makes them feel like they’re top priority.
Having other top talents and organizations see a management recommendation is a considerable gain for your personnel and remote workforce.
Moreover, make their day by devoting no more than 10 minutes of your time to writing an enticing recommendation.
10. Design a virtual wall of fame
You can establish a virtual wall of fame for your remote HR employees and mentors in the same way you can create a team bulletin board full of data and accomplishments.
You can set up a forum on the company’s internal platform to thank your HR leaders for their hard work and have everyone appreciate their contribution to enhancing employee engagement and positive vibes.
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8 Thoughtful Gifts for HR Professionals
If you want to celebrate with your human resource team in the best way possible, just know that a few corporate gifts will be the cherry on top.
Giving away freebies to your staffing or HR business leaders will boost the whole employee experience on this occasion and draw many great smiles.
Gift #1: Aurora Ceramic Pour-over Set
Our people-management peers deserve some coffee pampering.
With this pour-over set, anyone can make the ideal cup of coffee at home or the office.
You just pour water over the top of the cup. It has a secure fit and a handle for easy removal after brewing.
Also, this item is dishwasher safe, which is an excellent plus.
Gift #2: Easton Wireless Charging Mouse Pad
With HR shaping the new future, a cool tech swag item seems like a great choice.
With the integrated wireless charging mouse pad, you can streamline your desk while charging your smartphone as you work.
When a device is detected and starts charging, the anti-slip base LED indication light activates.
Moreover, this item looks extremely elegant and comes with a gift box, making it perfect for HR managers and leaders.
Gift #3: 12-Month Weekly 2023 Planner
This Moleskine popular planner is ideal for seeing your week at a glance.
Also, it comes with a calendar that spans the months of January through December.
It is a convenient and adaptable planner that integrates the flexibility of a notepad and is formatted to display the week’s appointments on the left and a ruled page for notes and ideas on the right.
Perfect for any human resource management professional?
We definitely think so.
Gift #4: Everyday Gym Bag Set
This set is perfect for International HR Day as it encourages health and wellness.
This stylish bag comes with a sturdy bamboo water bottle and a quick-dry fitness towel to make any gym adventure a breeze.
Gift #5: Sweet Re-Treat Gift Set
This delightful gift will be remembered and treasured.
Whether you enjoy a strong coffee, warm chocolate milk, or soothing chamomile tea, this mug will keep your favorite hot beverage warm for up to three hours.
Also, this set comes with some mouthwatering treats; the cornflake chocolate-chip marshmallow cookie is to die for.
Gift #6: Farm To Skin Hand Care Gift Set
Your HR team’s hands will be in good care with this one!
Beekman 1802 items are crafted from the simplest, cleanest, and finest farming ingredients.
Also, the hand and body soap is free of parabens, formaldehyde, and synthetic colorants, with a 100% vegetable base and no animal cruelty involved.
Gift #7: Quick Charge True Wireless Earbuds
The SolekickTM quick charge true wireless earbuds come with many features.
When the earphones are removed from the casing, they turn on and immediately sync.
The case also functions as a power bank for your earphones, which can be charged using the USB-A-to-Type-C connector.
Furthermore, it takes 30 minutes for the case to charge the earphones from 0% to 100%.
The earphones have a playing duration of around 5 hours.
Gift #8: Roll-Up Puffy Sherpa Blanket
Due to its three-layer, quilted composition and suitability for indoor and outdoor usage, this High Sierra Sherpa blanket is among the coziest on the market.
Also, the top layer is water resistant and has a stylish plaid pattern, the middle layer is cotton insulation, and the bottom layer is a warm Sherpa.
This customized blanket, rolled up in a handy container with nylon straps and laser-etched High Sierra metal clips, can go anywhere with you.
Author’s Tip: Feel free to pair this one with a nice sweater and a branded tumbler to amplify fall vibes.
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Now Over to You
Now that our piece is over, we want to remind you that appreciation is always vital in corporate environments.
Without our HR professionals, a lot of things can go down.
We have even seen how they could be lifesaving during the pandemic and how they pushed their limits to save any situation.
We hope our post has inspired you to celebrate the occasion in the best way possible.
If you have any questions or need to customize some fabulous giveaways, feel free to reach out anytime.
We can’t wait to see your messages!