Anniversary Cards: Is it Really too Much to Expect Them?

I really don’t need gifts, but is it too much to expect anniversary cards? I receive business anniversary cards from my company, The Gallery Collection, commemorating the wonderful day I first walked through the door. Well, not really. It’s more about the anniversary of when I started working on a regular basis because I had worked on a seasonal basis for several years before becoming a regular employee. Yes, I know it’s a greeting card company, but that doesn’t mean that they have to send me an anniversary card.

You would think that my husband would remember that he was lucky enough to marry me 35 years ago. Ok, so maybe the fire distracted him. Well, is that really a good enough excuse? Didn’t he think about getting me an anniversary card before our anniversary?

Oh, you want to hear about the fire? On my anniversary, I received a call at work from my son. With a slightly hysterical tone, he says “THE GARAGE IS ON FIRE!” It seems my husband and son were having a leisurely lunch when someone knocked on the door and said “You have to get out – the garage is on fire.” Well, what good would it do for me to go home and stand outside and watch, especially since I have asthma? So I stayed at work and kept getting updates from my husband and son.

When I went home at my usual time, I walked into chaos. It seemed the whole family was there plus the neighbors, the firemen, the police, and assorted unknowns. The garage was burned, wet, and smoke damaged. The siding on the back of the house was melted along with the neighbors siding and all the patio furniture. How it didn’t damage the car in the driveway is beyond my comprehension. Everybody hung around until almost ten o’clock and had pizza (which I paid for) and nobody even wished me a Happy Anniversary. Okay, maybe they were preoccupied.

After the last person departed, I sarcastically asked my husband, “Is it really too much to expect an anniversary card?” Hopefully he’ll redeem himself in a few months by giving me some fantastic birthday cards!

The Benefits of Business Anniversary Cards

When do you expect to get an anniversary card? Wedding anniversaries? Sure. Personal milestones? Of course. But how about an anniversary card for the date you started your job? Business anniversary cards were never anything I had even considered – that is, until I got one!

I couldn’t imagine why I was getting mail from my office but was pleasantly surprised upon opening it. Inside the deckled-edged envelope was a magnificent anniversary card, signed by the company executives and thanking me for my hard work and devotion. It reinforced my feelings of being appreciated and valued at my job, and I surely was happy to go to work the next day.

But think about the opportunities. If business anniversary cards can make your employees feel valued, then imagine how they can make your customers feel. Why not send clients or vendors anniversary cards to observe the day they began working with your company? And in the same way these cards might encourage your employees to look forward to going to work, which after all is a good thing, business anniversary cards might make your customers look forward to giving you some extra business!

Business Anniversary Cards – a little card goes a long way

Monday is never a good day for me, but last Monday was especially awful. The power had gone out the night before due to an intense thunderstorm, (which didn’t stir me from my slumber at all) and my alarm clock reset itself to 12:00 am. I woke up in a panic upon realizing that I was half an hour behind schedule. Great start to the week. I rushed to the bathroom for a shower, and realized that my sister had beaten me there. I heard the radio playing, but banged on the door anyway and told her to hurry it up. She did, but left me no hot water. I hadn’t even been awake for five minutes and already I was in a bad mood. No time for breakfast, no time for television, and to top it off, I left my lunch bag at home.

I sat in traffic for 40 minutes and punched in to work late. But hey, I finally made it. I could settle down a little bit and regain my composure (and lower my blood pressure). I slipped into the kitchen for a much needed cup of tea and found an empty pot…no hot water. I begrudgingly made a new pot and made my way to my desk, which was a huge mess. The weekend made me temporarily forget all of the loose ends I needed to tie up, but all the papers and my jam-packed inbox immediately brought me back. So much for settling down with a cup of hot tea.

I noticed an envelope addressed to me amongst all of the papers. It almost got lost in the mess, but the gold writing caught my attention. I opened up the envelope and pulled out the business anniversary card inside. It was a beautiful card! The gold foil shimmered on the big stars that adorned the front. In cursive, it read “Happy Anniversary,” and I realized that it was from my company. I couldn’t believe it…had it already been a year? Did they really remember my start date? Does the President of the company actually take time to sign his employees’ business anniversary cards by hand? What a great way to keep up employee morale. I know it brought a smile to my face…the first smile all morning! It is very reassuring to me that I work for a company that actually notices and appreciates my contributions. It makes me want to do more and show them how much their appreciation means to me. One little greeting card goes a long way, and this particular anniversary card was the ray of sunshine I needed to brighten up my horrible day.

Anniversary Cards – More Years Should Lead to More Cheers

The month of December tends to be a busy time for me when it comes to celebrating our employees’ annual anniversaries with the company. 55 employees celebrated anniversaries with the company this December, with a total number of years in service adding up to 533 years! This total averages out to about 10 years per employee!

One of my responsibilities is to make sure that all of the corporate anniversary cards are signed by our President and by our Chairman of the Board. We celebrate every annual anniversary for each employee with anniversary cards, whether it be for one year or for 20 years. And while the greeting cards that we give to our staff fit under the category of business anniversary cards, each card receives this personal touch.

As a human resources professional, it made me wonder if more companies send their employees company anniversary cards to commemorate the day that they said “yes” to their companies. Giving business anniversary cards is an inexpensive way to extend appreciation to your staff, reaching out to them on a day when they may not expect to be recognized.

And as for this blogger…it will be seven years on June 25th.