A summer internship is a valuable experience, both for the students who seek learning opportunities and professional growth, as well as for any business that can offer effective support, mentorship, and has a culture that is open to new ideas.
Interns should be welcomed as part of the team and treated as an invaluable resource. They can have a big impact on company culture and innovation, bringing fresh perspectives, boosting morale, and providing new ideas to solve problems and create new efficiencies in the workplace.
Managers who collaborate and mentor interns are also valuable and deserve recognition, as they dedicate time to guiding the next generation.
Thursday, July 27 is Intern Appreciation Day, and Snappy wants your interns and their managers to feel appreciated for all the value and impact they provide. Intern Appreciation Day is all about sharing gratitude and celebrating accomplishments. It’s the perfect opportunity to recognize all the hard work and value interns bring to your company, as well as the contributions and impact your managers have made on your summer internship class.
To help you celebrate Intern Appreciation Day, here are five tips from Snappy:
1. Host a lunch & learn with executive leadership
Who doesn’t love a free lunch? Make it engaging and valuable by inviting all of your interns to meet and learn from your C-suite and leadership. This should be a casual experience, with leadership sharing a bit about themselves, including their career journey, key learnings, and a piece of advice for interns to take away from their time spent with your company.
2. Send interns and their managers a Snappy gift collection
When you send a gift collection from Snappy, you’re showing your team that you appreciate them. They’ll get to choose their favorite gift from a curated selection of great products, and you’ll look like a rockstar who knows what your team wants. In a recent study by Snappy, GenZ reports that gifting in the workplace matters, with 85% of GenZ agreeing that “I feel like my contributions at work are recognized when I receive a gift.”
3. Offer an engaging intern-class bonding activity during business hours
Similar to any team building activities your company may host, offer your interns a bonding activity like an escape room, virtual trivia, or a cooking class to get to know each other. If your company has interns focusing on various areas of the business, this is a great opportunity to discuss the importance of cross-functional teams and collaboration, in addition to having some fun. It’s not uncommon for interns to have professional internships, while simultaneously working other jobs in the evening, so it’s important you always schedule activities during business hours to show your interns respect and accommodation.
4. Throw a networking event for the entire company
Whether you’re always working in person, or your team is fully remote, a networking event will always provide value for employees and interns, alike. Host a networking event and invite your entire company! Interns can connect with new team members, learn about what they do, and share about their own professional aspirations. Existing team members can reacquaint themselves with colleagues outside of their business areas and have a good time socializing.
5. Gift them a company-branded product so they can remember their amazing summer internship experience!
With a great internship experience, students and recent graduates will look back on their time spent with your company fondly. Give them a tangible, lasting reminder of their time spent working on your business with a custom company-branded gift using Snappy Swag On-Demand. Similar to the Snappy business gifting experience, you can curate a selection of premium goods and offer those products to your interns in a complete gift collection, with each of the product options featuring your company logo. Your interns are empowered to choose exactly what branded gift product they want, and they’ll have a great gift they’ll use regularly to remember their amazing internship with your company!
Ready to brighten up your interns’ day? If you’re already a Snappy customer, you can explore all your gifting options on your Dashboard. If you’re not and want to learn more, click here to get in touch and start gifting products or branded swag today!
