Happy Work Anniversary to Me! How to Celebrate Every Work Anniversary

We offer support, elation, congratulations—and lots of gifts.

Women, in particular, are encouraged to celebrate these milestones. However, there is little to no pomp or circumstance for doing well in your career or celebrating professional milestones. 

But work anniversaries matter. Not only is acknowledging them a nice gesture for employees and coworkers, but it’s pivotal for workplace retention and loyalty to a company. Doesn't it make sense that we show appreciation for employees' years of service, passion, and dedication?

This is even more important as tenure decreases. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median number of years worked for employees' current employer is 4.1 years. For workers aged 25 to 34, it's 2.8 years. 

We are all human. As such, emotions and optimism drive performance, and milestones like completing one, five, or ten years at a company should be celebrated. 

Work anniversary celebrations are a great way to reward employees for their loyalty, celebrate their work, and wish them good luck in the future. Does it help that they are a huge way to improve morale? Yep!

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How to Celebrate Your Own Work Anniversary

When it comes to appropriate celebrations, sometimes you must take matters into your own hands. Nobody personally understands what your job means to you except for you. 

After attending school for 15-20 years, getting your first paychecks in high school, and working for bad bosses in toxic workplaces, you feel like you've made it. It's a big deal, so make sure to celebrate. If you make it a point to celebrate yourself, maybe you'll encourage others to celebrate their work anniversaries. 

Here's to you, your work ethic, the work you've done, the accomplishments you've achieved, and the bright future ahead.

Here's how to recognize yourself and have the best work anniversary ever! 

1. Create a Zoom-iversary Happy Hour 

You know the friend that makes a huge deal about their own birthday every year? Yeah, they're exhausting at times, but you do celebrate—and it usually ends up being fun. Be that friend, but celebrate your job.

Have a post-work happy hour to celebrate you, honor your accomplishments, and put a little pride on yourself and your work. 

2. Treat Yourself 

Your work anniversary is a great excuse to treat yourself to a little something—a special meal, an experience, or an item you've been ogling for months. Treat yourself to something indulgent, like a massage or a pedicure. 

3. Buy Yourself Balloons or Flowers (Why Not?)

Better yet, have them "anonymously" delivered to your home or your office. Let everyone know that you're not afraid to celebrate your professional accomplishments! 

4. Create a List of What You've Accomplished 

If you're not about pomp and circumstance, we hear you. Not everything needs to be celebrated with praise and baked goods slathered in icing. Take your work anniversary as an opportunity to make a list of what you've accomplished. Add it to your LinkedIn, update your resume (even if you're not looking for a new job), or just write it down. 

You did it! 

5. Take the Day Off

Need we say more? Take your PTO—you've earned it!  

6. Retroactively Celebrate

If you're reading this the week after a big work anniversary, don't wait until next year. Celebrate the asset that you are and celebrate all of your work anniversaries. Do it now! 

How to Celebrate Coworkers' Work Anniversaries (Year by Year)  

Celebrating work anniversaries doesn't mean you need to rent out a banquet hall, call caterers, and book a 12-piece orchestra. Small gestures go a long, long way when celebrating work anniversaries. Here at Career Contessa, we get a gift card for coffee for each work anniversary—and it's a great thing to look forward to! 

Celebrating the One-Year Work Anniversary 

While a one-year anniversary is no joke, it calls for a relatively simple celebration, like a team party or a lunch out. A handwritten note from your colleague, a video or slideshow, or even decorations at their desk can all make someone feel special and grateful for being part of a company, even just for one year.

Celebrating the Two-Year Anniversary

In some ways, the two-year anniversary is among the most important. Employee retention tends to peter off after two years, often because of a pursuit for new opportunities or a feeling that the scope for further learning is limited.

By the two-year mark, bosses and co-workers aren’t quite on their “best behavior” as much as they were in the first year. As such, a cash bonus, a work anniversary gift unique to that employee, a gift card, a bottle of nice wine, or a social media shout-out goes a long way.

While a two-year anniversary gift isn’t linked to further employee retention, it is an important milestone to be celebrated that can likely compel someone to stick around for another year or two if they feel like their contributions to the team are valued and important. 

Celebrating the Five-Year, Ten-Year+ Work Aniversary

For the five-year anniversary and beyond (like ten or twenty years), employees deserve genuine recognition.

A combination of multiple gift ideas from one- and two-year anniversaries or more elaborate gifts, such as a few paid months of a trendy class (whether it be fitness or cooking), bucket list experiences, or a paid sabbatical would do the trick. 

How Bosses Can Celebrate Team Members' Work Anniversaries 

When it comes time to celebrate your team’s happy work anniversary, it’s worth splurging and booking a nice evening dinner out or a weekend retreat filled with group activities.

Of course, this is more difficult during the pandemic, but booking a virtual event such as a wine or chocolate tasting and mailing out gift baskets beforehand can still make for a special event to celebrate each team member’s contribution to the success of the company.

While individual employee milestones are important, it’s integral to an employee’s happiness and productivity that they feel recognized as a team, too.

When the team as a whole is appreciated, further camaraderie is built, and one is less likely to leave to pursue another opportunity when they could be losing out on friendships and a tight-knit office social circle.

Whether you're a team leader, a role model, or the big boss, employee recognition is crucially important. Happy work anniversary wishes don't need to be grand or expensive. They just need to happen. Use this list of ideas, from big to small, as a source of inspiration for celebrating your team members' work anniversaries. 

Work Anniversary Gestures:

How to Celebrate Work Anniversaries Like Emily Post 

The master of all things etiquette, Emily Post, developed a list of appropriate anniversary gifts, year by year, in her book, Etiquette, published in 1922. 

While we can only imagine what other cringe etiquette advice is in this book, we think the year-by-year anniversary gifts are fun—so we used Post's guide as inspiration for work-appropriate gift ideas to give to your peers. 

One-Year Anniversary: Paper

When someone is celebrating one year, it's still a big deal to give your best wishes. Inspire with a great planner or, if it aligns with your industry, a nice set of business cards. 

Two-Year Anniversary: Cotton

Celebrating a two-year anniversary? It might be time for some fun company swag—like a t-shirt or a fleece vest. 

Three-Year Anniversary: Leather

Okay, don't be weird. There are a few leather items you can purchase to wish a coworker a happy anniversary. Here are a few ideas: 

Four-Year Anniversary: Fruit, Flowers

Get the flowers—or, better yet, fruit cut into the shape of flowers? Wine is also fruit. Consider enrolling your favorite coworker into a "fruit" club. Here are a few wine delivery subscriptions you could gift: 

Five-Year Anniversary: Wood 

So your coworker is celebrating five years in the office—and this year calls for a wooden gift. Here are a few ideas: 

Six-Year Anniversary: Iron

We've entered the metal years of anniversary gifts. If you're holding out for a gold gift, though, it's going to take 50 years at the office. For your iron gift, consider a cast-iron skillet. Yum. 

Seven Year Anniversary: Copper

Flowers, but the kind that last forever. Think about gifting a bouquet of copper flowers. 

Eight-Year Anniversary: Bronze

Give your best anniversary wishes with a fun bronze dish. 

Nine-Year Anniversary: Pottery

Combine physical gifts with experiential gifts for your favorite coworker celebrating nine years. The perfect mix could be taking a pottery class with your coworker. One that involves a little wine and a ton of laughs? Even better! 

Ten-Year Anniversary: Aluminum 

Okay, aluminum is a bit odd—especially for ten years. But we have an idea to put a twist on this gift. Put together a team meal to celebrate a 10-year work anniversary. In addition to the food, create opportunities to celebrate years of work by sharing memories—and encouraging all your teammates to share their heartiest wishes, too.

Work Anniversary Messages to Send to Colleagues

Recognition doesn't always need to be store-bought. As we mentioned earlier, a little does go a long way. 

If you're not particularly close to your coworker or anniversary gifts aren't in your budget, a personal note is great. 

Send your coworker a little kudos over email, in a card, or with a coffee cheers in the breakroom. Simply offering congrats is a big deal—especially when most work anniversaries go unrecognized. 

Still don't know what to say? Here are a few ideas: 

Consider sharing a particular memory, a first impression, or a funny anecdote. 

How Top Companies Celebrate Work Anniversaries

Unsurprisingly, companies that excel at celebrating work anniversaries tend to be among the most successful. Here is how a few companies celebrate each team member's work anniversary. 

Apple gives out signed plaques by the CEO for five-year anniversaries, though they also used to give out a golden apple pin with a diamond inset and a six-week paid sabbatical. For a ten-year anniversary, they celebrated with a glass award block and a personalized letter. 

Google offers everything from free massages to trips to Hawaii. While not every company has the resources for these lavish gifts, there are nevertheless multiple cost-friendly ways that a business can recognize its employees and improve their retention rates as a result.