National Day of Encouragement is all about doing one simple but meaningful thing: lifting people up. Celebrated each year on September 12, the day encourages us to share support, optimism and appreciation with the people around us. In the workplace, that matters more than ever. A few words of encouragement can help employees feel seen, valued and motivated – especially during busy seasons, big projects or challenging moments.

That’s what makes this holiday such a natural fit for employee recognition efforts: It gives organizations an easy opportunity to connect recognition with everyday human support, whether through a quick message, a team shoutout or a thoughtful eCard.

Encouragement and recognition are closely related, but they’re not exactly the same.

Recognition usually highlights something that has already happened. It acknowledges effort, results, behaviors or achievements. Recognition says, “You did a great job.”

Encouragement looks ahead. It reassures someone, builds confidence and reminds them they’re supported in what comes next. Encouragement says, “Keep going – you’re making an impact.”

In practice, the two work best together.

When employees receive both, the message becomes even stronger. Recognition reinforces that their contributions matter, while encouragement helps sustain momentum, resilience and confidence. Together, they can help create a culture where appreciation isn’t only about celebrating wins after the fact, but also about supporting people in real time.

That’s especially valuable for managers and HR teams looking to build a more consistent employee experience. Not every meaningful moment has to be tied to a major milestone. Sometimes, a timely message of encouragement can be just as powerful as formal recognition.

These eCard messages are a simple avenue to creating a lightweight, easy-to-launch recognition campaign for a quick mid-year boost to employee engagement. They work well as peer-to-peer messages, manager touchpoints or part of a broader company-wide appreciation moment.

Best for employees taking on a new challenge, working through a busy period or preparing for a big presentation, launch or deadline.

Great for recognizing steady everyday impact, positive attitude or employees who consistently help others and strengthen team culture.

Ideal for a general thank-you with a supportive tone, especially for employees who may not always be in the spotlight but make a meaningful difference.

The good news: celebrating this holiday doesn’t need a big budget or a long planning window. A few simple actions can go a long way.

Invite managers and employees to send at least one message of encouragement to a colleague this week. This is a simple way to create a ripple effect of appreciation across the organization in a quick burst.

Give employees a few ready-made prompts they can use in a recognition platform, chat channel or email. For example:

• “Thanks for always showing up for the team.”
• “You’re doing great work, and it doesn’t go unnoticed.”
• “We appreciate everything you’re bringing to this project.”

Start each meeting with five minutes dedicated to peer shoutout moments. This keeps the activity quick, inclusive and easy for managers to lead.

Set up a shared channel, intranet post or collaborative board where employees can leave supportive notes for one another throughout the day. At Reward Gateway | Edenred, our platform boom! hosts our Wow wall, where everyone can see recognition across the company, no matter the team or location. Other employees can leave reactions and comments, and managers can even attach a spot award!

Use the holiday as a reminder to celebrate not just big wins, but consistency, effort, collaboration and progress. These are often the contributions that most need acknowledgment.

National Day of Encouragement is a helpful reminder that appreciation doesn’t always need to be formal to be meaningful. A short message, a thoughtful eCard or a few supportive words can help employees feel more connected and more confident in the value they bring.

For HR teams, it’s also a great opportunity to reinforce that recognition is most powerful when it becomes part of everyday culture – not just something saved for major milestones. And when encouragement is built into that culture too, employees don’t just feel appreciated for what they’ve done. They feel supported in what they’re doing next.

Learn more about how Reward Gateway | Edenred can support your employee recognition programming all year long with our industry-leading employee experience platform. Let’s make the world a better place to work – together!