Say Thank You in a Way People Remember.
Employee Appreciation Day 2027 is Friday, March 5, the first Friday in March. Chris Sund speaks at company appreciation events and employee appreciation weeks, with a message that thanks people for the work itself and gives leaders recognition habits that last past the day.
Why Does Employee Appreciation Day Fall Flat?
Most appreciation days are a catered lunch and a company-wide email. People eat the lunch and notice the email reads the same as last year. Appreciation that is generic does not feel like appreciation.
Chris treats the day as two jobs. Thank people for the specific work they do, and give managers simple recognition habits for the other 364 days. That second part is what changes retention. He has built recognition into a company that earned a Fortune Best Workplaces award, so the habits come from practice.
- Recognition of the work itself, not a generic salute to hard work
- Why small, specific moments matter more than the annual event
- Recognition habits managers can run every week at no cost
- A message that works for frontline staff and leaders in the same room
- A day that kicks off an appreciation week instead of ending at lunch
Proof: Recognition and Company Events
Chris spoke at the Crawford County Memorial Hospital Patient Experience Recognition Dinner in January 2026, and at the BeatStars company meeting. He speaks to HR audiences about why people stay, including Stop Building Fences at DisruptHR Omaha 6.0 and The Spark Advantage at the Greater Omaha Chamber’s POWER Conference 2026.
The recognition material comes from The Power of Small Moments, his keynote on how brief, ordinary interactions shape whether people feel seen at work.
Programs for Employee Appreciation Day
Every session is customized to your people, your year and what you want them to hear.
The Power of Small Moments
The natural fit. How brief, ordinary interactions add up to people who feel seen, and what leaders can do with them.You Are Capable of a Better Culture
For appreciation events that double as a culture message. Appreciation is one of the five SPARK drivers.People Quit People, Not Companies
For a leadership session during appreciation week: retention as a skill managers learn.You Are Capable of More
The signature keynote, delivered as encouragement for the whole team.Formats
Each program runs as a keynote for the all-hands, a half-day workshop for managers, or a full day that pairs both.
General Session
The full program for the whole room, with stories and one framework people can use the next day.Workshop
The keynote content plus working time: managers apply the framework to their own teams and leave with a written plan.Workshop
A leadership day built around your agenda, combining the keynote, applied sessions and planning time.Who Books This Session
Related pages: Employee Recognition Ideas · Employee Recognition Event Speaker · The Power of Small Moments · Lunch and Learn Speaker
What Appreciation Day Planners Ask
When is Employee Appreciation Day 2027?
Friday, March 5, 2027. Employee Appreciation Day is observed on the first Friday in March each year. Many organizations run events across that whole week.Can Chris speak during an appreciation week rather than on the day itself?
Yes. Many organizations hold their event on another day that week, or spread sessions across the week. A common plan is an all-hands keynote early in the week and a recognition workshop for managers later.How long should the keynote be?
For an all-hands or appreciation lunch, 30 to 45 minutes is usually right. For a leadership session on recognition and retention, a half-day workshop gives managers time to practice.How is this different from a recognition dinner keynote?
A recognition dinner honors specific people with awards. Employee Appreciation Day thanks everyone, so the message is broader and usually paired with recognition habits for managers. For an awards night, see the employee recognition event page.When should we book for March?
As early as you can. The first week of March is a popular date for appreciation events, so fall and early winter is the right time to check availability.
You Are Capable of More
The bestselling book behind the keynote, and the 2026 Paris Book Festival winner in the How-To category. Ten principles for closing the gap between what a team is producing and what it is actually capable of.A signed copy makes an appreciation gift people keep. Organizations regularly order copies for every employee, with bulk pricing available.
He Built Recognition Into the Business
Chris is President & COO of Uniti Med and GQR Healthcare and COO of Nebula. He built Uniti Med from startup into one of the largest healthcare staffing companies in the US: 10x revenue growth on the core brand, #3 on the Inc. Regionals list of the fastest-growing companies in the Midwest, and a Fortune Best Workplaces award along the way.He has spent the past decade in healthcare staffing, which is a hiring and retention business every single week. Before that he spent ten years in restaurants and beverage, ending as head of sales and marketing for a brewery. He knows what it takes to keep a frontline team showing up.He writes for Inc. and Forbes, is the bestselling author of You Are Capable of More, and is a Maxwell Leadership Certified coach.Stages I Have Spoken On
Where Audiences Have Heard Chris on Recognition
Recognition dinners, company meetings and people-leader stages where Chris has spoken on appreciation, culture and retention.
Crawford Memorial Recognition DinnerDenison, IABeatStars Company MeetingCompany MeetingDisruptHR Omaha 6.0Stop Building Fences · Sep 2026POWER Conference 2026Omaha, NE · Oct 2026emPower BreakfastOmaha, NENAHCR 2026 Annual ConferenceMilwaukee, WIAlso: Employee Recognition Event Speaker · Employee Recognition Ideas · Company Event Speaker · Employee Engagement Speaker · See all speaking engagements →
Bring Chris to Your Appreciation Day
Tell Chris your date, your team and what you want people to feel. You’ll get a fast, straight answer on fit and availability.Check Availability & FeesResponse within one business day · Speaker kit, bio & headshots