15 Best HR Professionals Day Ideas

You found our list of the best HR professionals day ideas.

HR professionals day ideas are activities organizations and teams can engage in to acknowledge HR professionals. Examples include organizing an HR event, sending customized gifts and self-care packages, and celebrating on social media. The purpose of this day is to shine the spotlight on HR workers, recognize their positive contributions, and celebrate their crucial role in running an effective workplace.

HR professionals day occurs on September 26th each year.

These ideas are similar to employee appreciation day ideas and Boss Day ideas and virtual Administrative Professionals Day. Companies seeking information about human resources can benefit from these lists of HR blogs, employee engagement books, and human resource training programs.

This article includes:

• HR professionals day event ideas
• HR professionals day activities
• HR professionals day games
• virtual HR professionals day ideas

Here we go!

List of HR professionals day ideas

The HR department plays a crucial role in keeping an organization running smoothly. The HR team works tirelessly to efficiently manage the organization’s most valuable asset, its employees. Therefore, it is important to celebrate the hard work of your HR professionals and shine the spotlight on their awesome work. The following are some HR professionals day event ideas you can try.

1. Humans of HR Event

A Humans of HR event is a gathering where HR professionals can share their stories and experiences. You can hold the event in person or virtually, and you can structure it in a variety of ways.

Some possible formats for a Humans of HR event include:

• Panel discussion: A panel of HR professionals discuss their experiences and challenges.
• Fireside chat: A one-on-one conversation between an HR professional and a moderator.
• Open mic: HR professionals share their stories in a casual setting.
• Workshop: HR professionals learn new skills or techniques.
• Networking event: HR professionals connect with each other and learn about new opportunities.

The goal of a Humans of HR event is to create a space where HR professionals can feel safe and supported to share their stories. The function can be a valuable opportunity for HR professionals to learn from each other and to build community.

2. HR Day Out

You can set up a plan for your HR team to get a chance to unwind and enjoy a day of relaxation outside the office. Even if your company organizes frequent team lunches or fun events, it is very unlikely that your HR team gets to enjoy these events to the fullest. These professionals are usually the ones in charge of ensuring the events go as planned. Therefore, change the narrative and organize a day out for your HR team where they get to engage in fun activities.

Some HR professionals day activities may include:

• a formal dinner
• luncheon
• paintball
• fun run
• a garden party with hot air balloons
• yoga
• hiking
• a stroll in the park
• picnic
• karaoke
• team breakfast

These activities can offer a great opportunity for team members to bond with their colleagues and relax.

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• icebreaker games
• bingo cards
• DIY guides

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3. Give Employees an Unexpected Day Off

You can appreciate your HR staff by surprising them with a day off. The HR team works all through the clock, actively and passively, all year round. You can, therefore, provide these workers with a mandatory day off, which they can utilize to focus on their health, spend more time with their loved ones, or enjoy much-needed time away from the usual business. This compensation will help minimize employee burnout, improve mental health and staff resilience, and affect long-term work motivation and satisfaction. In addition, you can encourage team members to log out of their Teams or Slack chat so they can enjoy the benefits of this time off.

For similar ideas, check out National Leave the Office Early Day.

4. Address your HR Team’s Needs

If you work for a modern organization, then there is a high chance that you already have some sort of employee survey in place. However, if you limit these surveys to your workforce alone, then you may miss out on critical feedback from your organization’s core department, your HR team. Your HR team understands what it takes to create a company culture that attracts and retains top talent. These workers are in the ideal position to get the actual perspective of both the management and the staff. Hence, when your HR team indicates a situation is problematic, you may want to trust them and solve it as soon as possible.

You can get your HR team’s feedback through different means, like an anonymous pulse survey or a one-on-one meeting. Whichever medium you choose, what is most important is actually acting on the feedback.

5. Publicly Recognize and Reward your HR Team

One of the key lessons remote work experience has taught the corporate world is how much value an HR team offers in keeping a company running smoothly. Most global leaders were able to manage the overnight shift to remote work thanks to their highly competent and expert HR team.

It is important to recognize employees who work behind the scenes to ensure the organization runs smoothly. In today’s hybrid world, employees, including your HR personnel, want to be acknowledged and appreciated for their work and accomplishments. On this HR professionals day, you can put your entire HR team in the celebratory spotlight for being the voice of reason, connecting top-level management and workers, and managing employees during any major crisis. You can present an award or recognition to members of your HR team or publish their achievements on the company’s website or internal newsletter.

The awards can include:

• Highly performing HR professionals
• Noteworthy HR initiatives that made great impacts
• HR personnel of the month

Publicly recognizing and rewarding your HR team will go a long way in motivating and encouraging them. Also, this action can give a huge boost to their morale.

Here are more employee recognition ideas.

6. Set Up a Wall of Fame

You can set up a forum on your organization’s internal platform to appreciate your HR team’s hard work. The goal is to have staff members thank your HR team for enhancing employee engagement and positive culture. You can also set up a wall of appreciation. Staff members can attach notes to the wall stating why they are grateful for HR, how HR has helped them, and why HR is important for the company. You can then take pictures of the wall or single notes and share them on social media. For your remote HR team members, you can set up a virtual wall of fame or create a team bulletin board full of data and accomplishments. To further spice up the fun, you can set up a photo booth or provide a selfie card and have employees take pictures and write thank-you notes to the HR team.

Check out more office bulletin board ideas.

7. Host a Dinner Party

One of the most effective and easiest ways to celebrate your HR team members is with food. Almost all employees would appreciate a free meal. You can set up a special dinner date for your team, surprise them with a cake or pack of gourmet snacks, or send them out for coffee. You may also promote wellness by offering nutritious and delightful snacks or choosing a restaurant with healthy menu selections. During the dinner party, you can try some HR professionals day games like Murder Mystery, Scavenger Hunts, and Office Trivia.

Browse this list of corporate catering companies.

8. Play Guess the HR Term

Guess the HR Term is a fun and interactive way to test the HR team’s knowledge of HR terminology. You can create a list of HR terms and have the team guess the meaning of each. You can make the game more challenging by giving the HR team clues or by having them draw pictures of the HR terms.

Here are some tips for creating a Guess the HR Term game:

1. Choose a variety of HR terms, including common and obscure terms.
2. Make sure the terms are relevant to the HR team’s work.
3. Keep the game short and sweet.
4. Make it fun and engaging.

Here are some examples of HR terms that you can include in the game:

• Employee onboarding: The process of introducing new employees to the company and its culture.
• Performance appraisal: A formal review of an employee’s performance.
• Diversity and inclusion: The practice of creating a workplace that is welcoming and supportive of people from all backgrounds.
• Harassment: Unwanted conduct that is based on a person’s race, gender, religion, or other protected characteristic.
• Recruitment: The process of finding and hiring new employees.

You can give members buzzers to ring in and answer questions, and folks can play individually or as teams. To sweeten the deal, consider offering a fun prize as a reward!

9. Send a Customized Gift or Care Package

Since HR professionals constantly prioritize the needs of the organization and its employees over their own, one special way to appreciate them for all they do is by gifting them a self-care package. This act is a way of saying, “Take some time out for yourself too.” Since care packages are highly customizable, they are an amazing choice because they feel more personal to the recipient.

The options are numerous, including:

• scented candles
• spa gift cards
• international snacks
• customized jewelry
• soft socks
• neck massagers
• gym subscriptions
• body care gift sets
• personalized journals
• luxury chocolates

Giving these gifts to your HR team will boost their overall experience and inspire many smiles.

Here are more care package ideas.

10. Celebrate your HR Team on Social Media

As part of their virtual HR professionals day ideas, organizations can showcase and celebrate their HR team on social media. You can create social media campaigns, write articles, create videos, share pictures, and give special shout-outs. You can also highlight best practices in HR, corporate activities for employees, etc. You can use the hashtag #HumanResourceDay and even create a special hashtag for your organization to notify your friends and followers about how you are celebrating.

11. Set up an Online Leaderboard

You can bring out your team’s playful side by introducing fun games and encouraging a competitive spirit. You can assign high points to HR team members who have achieved and completed more tasks, and see how this tactic will help motivate other employees to be more productive. While being at the top of the leaderboard is an excellent incentive, you can go the extra mile by gifting your HR professionals some nice customized gifts and care packages.

12. Endorse Team Members on LinkedIn

Writing a LinkedIn endorsement is one way to boost your HR team members’ morale and make them feel like a top priority. Your HR staff and remote workers will greatly benefit from you posting management recommendations. Simply committing ten minutes of your time to write a compelling letter of recommendation can make your workers’ day.

Regularly recognizing and rewarding employees for their contributions and achievements can create a positive environment where employees feel appreciated and valued and will, in turn, help attract and retain top talent.

13. Donate to a Charity

Donating to a charity during HR Professionals Day is a great way to show your appreciation for the work that HR professionals do. HR professionals are responsible for a wide range of tasks, from recruiting and onboarding new employees to ensuring that employees are treated fairly and equitably. By donating to a charity, you can help HR professionals make a difference in the lives of others.

Here are some specific charities that you could donate to:

• Charities that support the HR profession, such as the Society for Human Resource Management Foundation or the Human Rights Campaign.
• Charities that support causes that are important to HR professionals, such as education, healthcare, or poverty alleviation.
• Charities that your HR team is passionate about.

Making charitable contributions can help build a stronger community, raise awareness of important causes, and make a difference. No matter which charity you choose, your donation will be a meaningful way to celebrate HR Professionals Day and show your appreciation for the work that HR professionals do.

14. Create a Video Montage

You can create a short video of your HR team to celebrate their accomplishments over the years. To create a video montage for HR Professionals Day, you will need to gather footage, choose a theme, edit the footage, add captions, and share the video.

Here are some steps to follow:

1. Gather footage of the HR team’s work, such as training videos, recruiting videos, or employee onboarding videos. You can also use footage of the HR team at work, such as giving presentations or interacting with employees.
2. Choose a theme for the video montage. For instance, you could focus on the team’s accomplishments or show the impact they have on the company.
3. Edit the footage together using a video editing software. You can add music, text, and transitions to make the video more visually appealing.
4. Add captions to the video, especially if you are using footage with audio that is not clear.
5. Share the video on social media, company channels, or even the HR team’s website.

While crafting this video, ensure you pick high-quality footage, edit your captions, and keep the video short and sweet. Most of all, be creative! This gift is a thoughtful way to show appreciation to your team.

15. Gift a Spa Day Experience

A spa day is a great way to relax and de-stress, and it can be a thoughtful way to show your appreciation for the HR team. You can give employees a gift certificate to a spa or book a spa day for them. Then, folks can choose from a variety of treatments, such as massages, facials, body wraps, and pedicures. You can also choose to add on additional services to the spa day, such as aromatherapy, reflexology, or hot stone massage. A spa day can help the team rejuvenate and recharge, and it can be a way to show them that you care about their well-being.

Conclusion

Many organizations usually do not appreciate the human resources department’s significant role since their work is mainly behind the scenes. Unlike what many folks think, the scope of the HR team goes beyond hiring, processing employee payroll, and setting health benefits. These professionals handle all of the operational work, including developing the organization’s strategy by enhancing employees’ perception and providing a well-rounded experience for each workforce member. In short, without an efficient HR team, you will not have talented employees, and without talented, dedicated workers, there is no business.

The HR department plays a significant role in any organization’s success, from recruiting, hiring, and training the workforce to managing benefits and employee relations. Without your HR team, a lot can go wrong. Hence, it is important to recognize and celebrate the contributions of these HR professionals and appreciate them for their vital influence.

Next, check out our list of crucial HR skills, HR software tools, and HR automation best practices.