I just returned from the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) Education Forum and Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It’s a rare thing to meet so many people passionate about their profession and dedicated to advancing it in today’s workplaces, but that’s exactly what I found at the conference.

It was Baudville’s first time as an exhibitor at the conference, and we received a very warm welcome! Attendees continually thanked us for being a part of their conference. How nice is that?

We talked to attendees about the whole kit and caboodle Baudville has to offer. It’s all about recognizing little things every day in personal and meaningful ways. Attendees were excited about our themes and clever sayings, but the sentiment we heard most often was “I should show this to my boss.”

When we get into the daily grind, it’s easy to let appreciation fall by the wayside – even appreciation for our most valued peers. The greatest mistake we can make is convincing ourselves that recognizing them once a year on their “official recognition holiday” is adequate. Or worse, adopting the archaic mentality that a paycheck is recognition enough (I shudder at the thought).

No chance. Putting off recognition of administrative professionals until their day in April will likely gain you one thing: an open position to recruit for. Recognition must be done immediately after the fact to make an impression on an individual. So don’t wait. Get the tools and training you need to make recognition a part of your daily routine, and keep passionate professionals happily working within your organization. 

Don't let your staff feel like Milton. Recognize them more than once a year.

When we set out to create our own internal peer recognition program, we had a pretty good feeling it was going to be popular. We’re Baudville, after all; if anyone knows how to recognize, we do. But I don’t think anyone expected that it would be this popular:



(Wow, there was some serious awesomeness going on that third week in July!)

If you’re wondering what, exactly, you’re looking at, this is Baudville’s Shout Out wall where employees post recognition notes about their coworkers. It’s part of our peer recognition program, called Shout Outs, which encourages staff to recognize each other based on our company’s seven core values: inspire, nurture, share, perform, innovate, respond, & excel (it spells INSPIRE; how’s that for clever?).

At any point in the day, you can find a Baudvillian paused at the wall to read the latest post. People get excited to write them, read them, and most importantly, receive them! At the end of each month they get distributed to the recipients, who can’t help but post them up at their desks. What a way to spread positive mojo!

But, what we really love about peer recognition is the way it enhances our already robust recognition program by giving staff the opportunity to share their input. Employees also have a better understanding and appreciation of the contributions of their coworkers—especially those they don’t work directly with. And, because managers see the Shout Outs, they get the inside scoop on all the day-to-day greatness going on.  

Thinking you want to try it at your office? Right now, Shout Outs can only be found inside the ‘ville (we have to keep something for ourselves!); but we have plenty more peer recognition programs you can try out, including our latest: Spot On. 

This blog entry defines Twitter vocabulary for all of those still unfamiliar with Twitter

(*twitterverse = the body or community of Twitter users)

That’s right, Baudville is on Twitter. While our follower numbers are modest, we like to think our tweets (posts we make under our account) reach far and wide to our tweeps (friends on Twitter) around the world. We’ve recently contributed a new hashtag (trending topic on Twitter) to a majority of our posts, #positivemojo.

We pride ourselves on being the office of positive mojo at Baudville headquarters in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Daily recognition is our mission, and we strive to create a great working environment within our own walls. We carry out this mission in the recognition tools and products we design to bring positive mojo to our customers and our great customer service (talk to a real person when you call, for real).

Now we’re spreading positive mojo throughout Twitter! We’ll be using the positive mojo hashtag (#positivemojo) on posts that recognize someone or offer fun and humor for the workplace. Once you’ve received positive mojo, retweet it (a repeat of someone’s post)!

Here’s an example of a worthy #positivemojo retweet:

thisisjohnny* my officemate just got a performance award; told him it's the first of many for rm 112. we're going to make this place look like a dr office

( *This is an example of one of the many user names you'll find on Twitter.)

And here’s an example of a company in need of some serious #positivemojo. We hope this doesn’t sound like your organization:

beneubanks I used to work for a company that had an annual employee appreciation. They ignored us the rest of the year!

When it comes to spreading positive mojo on Twitter, the greatest challenge will be keeping it under 140 characters! Become a follower of Baudville, and watch the positive mojo grow!

Yesterday, readers received Recognition at Work, our new monthly e-newsletter, for the first time. Since Baudville recently unveiled a new look and over 250 new day-to-day recognition products, it seemed only right that our monthly newsletter get a facelift, too! Our new newsletter will continue to provide great employee recognition ideas, best practices and news with a new emphasis on day-to-day recognition. 

The following is an excerpt from our new newsletter. To read the complete issue and past newsletters full of employee recognition ideas, visit our Recognition Resource Center Newsletter Archive. The July issue is titled “Fire Up the Troops.” To receive Recognition at Work, simply submit your email address at www.baudville.com.

The strategy behind the “new Baudville” and our new products was fueled by the changing workplace. With multiple generations, new technology and the economy all shaping the way we work, we saw a need for recognition that’s easy and affordable.

After all, if you believe motivation and engagement are important to an organization’s success, you know they’re more important now than ever. Especially when budgets are tight, companies are looking for affordable ways to get their troops fired up and boost the bottom line at the same time. We’ve got some great employee recongiton ideas to help you do exactly that.

Ways to Fire Up

- One of the most motivating ways to give recognition is through a personal hand written note. We designed a majority of our new products around this concept. All we had to do was walk around Baudville and see the notes posted all over desks to know how true it is!

- Equip managers with recognition tools that can quickly and easily be applied to say “Thanks” or “Great Job.” See the Best Practices section of this issue for details about our new Recognition Binder System which puts over 100 recognition tools at the finger tips of your managers.

- Don’t limit the responsibility of recognition only to managers. Give the whole team an overview of day-to-day recognition, the genuine everyday expressions of appreciation given to reinforce and reward positive behaviors. Equip the entire team with the tools to praise.

- Get people excited about recognition by recognizing the praise they’re giving. When a manager or a team empties their Kudos Kit, celebrate! Reward daily recognition participation by giving casual days, treats in the break room or creating a festive atmosphere with balloons. Your people will appreciate the small things, and you’ll notice they can make a big difference.

Our work environments are made up of all kinds of personalities: the generous soul who can always be counted on to have treats at her desk; the infectiously optimistic cheerleader; the quirky rebel; the chatterbox… You call them coworkers; we call them inspiration for our new Print & Posts!
 
Let’s face it, everyone likes a little attention once in a while. We know it, and we want everyone to experience the power of daily recognition—even if it’s just with a short note that makes a person feel noticed. That’s why we designed these Print & Posts that anyone can download and use around the office.
 
We’re pretty sure there’s something here for everyone, plus they’re fun, friendly, and free; just download the PDF, clip out the snappy sayings, and post them up in cubicles all over.
 
Spreading a little humor is always a good thing; so, go ahead, make someone’s day!

 

Download our Print & Posts Here!

Baudville Print & Post Free Download