I just returned from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) 2012 Annual Conference and Expo, where we’ve been chatting with HR Professionals from all over the US. Part of our fun is sending the Baudville team to this show outfitted in fun (and sometimes funny) T-shirts that are guaranteed to spark some conversations.

I’m third from the left with the shirt that says President of Positive Mojo…and I love my job.

You know what? I do love my job. Nowhere but the ‘ville would I get to work with a talented team of individuals who bring their creative flair and imaginative spirit to the office every day. Case in point? The shirt on my back.

Recently, we launched a company-wide contest to write the winning words for our team’s T-shirts. You can read more about that contest in Allison's recent blog post here. In short, it turned out to be a great way for everyone in the company to share their voices with the world—and we ended up with a wealth of fresh ideas, too.

So what’s my takeaway? People thrive and excel when they’re given the opportunity to play an active role in company activities—even when it’s something as simple as a T-shirt.

Want to share your two-cents? Leave a comment about your favorite Baudville shirt, or your favorite way to engage your team!

Cheers!

Brad

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Brad Darooge is President and CEO of Baudville and a positive mojo aficionado. He brings the positive mojo to work every day along with his bike. In addition to leading Baudville, Brad is also an amateur triathlete.

Back in 2009, Baudville decided it was time to re-invent itself. We hired a consulting firm who redesigned our logo, our color scheme, the look and feel of our marketing materials, and the tone of our messaging. As I write this, I feel like I’m revealing the man behind the curtain; but, hey, we’re all business people here and we know that this is what happens in the corporate world. Meijer did it. JCPenney did it. We did it.

This was an incredibly exciting time for everyone in the creative group, including me, a very recent hire. Our big reveal was going to be at the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) Annual Conference and Expo in July of that year, and between January and that date, huge amounts of time and energy and resources went into making it the shindig of all shindigs.

That was the year that our now-famous Baudville T-Shirts made the scene as well, and, like everything else we did, it was a team effort to write the witty sayings that emblazoned each shirt back.

Fast forward to 2012 and we’re on our fourth iteration of our team’s tees. Being the copywriter, I'm the one who is supposed to responsible for them these days; but I have to tell you: after fishing from the same pond for several years, all I’ve managed to catch from my own brain are an old tire, a rusty hanger, and something that looks like it was once a toy truck.

I knew I was going to need some help, so I enlisted a group of some of the most talented people I know: the Baudvillians! But the thing about Baudvillians is that they like to compete and they’re in it to win it. So, I couldn’t just schedule a brainstorming meeting; I had to challenge them with a contest and, of course, the opportunity to win prizes.

For about a week, I accepted ideas from everyone: on paper, via email, shouted at me from across the lunch room… and I ended up with more than 100 individual sayings by the end of the day Friday.

I worked with my immediate team to narrow them down, and was happy to announce winners from almost every department in our company. How cool is that?

Here are our contest winners:

In addition to other glamorous prizes, they got to choose a favorite shirt from the winning mix. As you can see, some were really popular! 

Their shirt ideas are being sported RIGHT NOW by our team at SHRM in Atlanta, Georgia! You can follow all the hoopla happening there on Facebook and Twitter now through June 27!

Do you have a favorite shirt from this year? Or a favorite way to engage your team in company activities? Tell us about it here!

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Allison is a self-proclaimed Copywriting Diva and has the certificate to prove it! She’s been writing for Baudville for three years and has worked in a variety of business settings for more than 18 years. Before becoming a professional writer 11 years ago, Allison worked as a department manager where she used Baudville products to motivate her team. She’s what we call a true believer!  
 

Picnics and summer go together like vanilla and ice cream!  Hosting a picnic for your team or organization is a great opportunity to show your appreciation and boost camaraderie. At Baudville, we have a summer picnic every year where employees and their families enjoy a local attraction. This year, we’re heading to the minor league baseball park for an evening game, dinner, and fireworks!

Are you celebrating summer with a team picnic or event? Here are four theme ideas and activities to spark your creativity for this year’s memorable event!

1. Company Carnival. You can put on a full carnival right at your facility! Rent games from a local event company for both kids and adults, and order prizes for the winners like Twist Top Tumblers and lunch bags.

2. Old Fashioned Picnic. Take the team to the park, and plan an event full of picnic activities! You can have a three-legged race, water balloon toss, and watermelon seed spitting contest. Give certificates to the winners so they can remember their victories!

3. Farm Visit. Summer is a great time to visit a local farm. Your team can be entertained with a hay ride and petting zoo. Hire a local photographer to take pictures of both employees and their families at the event. A tote bag is a great gift for this event, so employees can carry any necessities around the farm.

4. Take Me Out to the Ball Park! The local ball park is a favorite among our team! Welcome each employee to the event with a gift, like piece of logo wear or a custom lanyard with your organization’s name on it.

5. Summer Olympics. The Olympic Games are a great theme for your summer team event! Create your own games to play, or organize a watch party for the official activities taking place this summer. Award lapel pins  instead of medals to employees during your event.

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Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (she's officially a Certified Recognition Professional, too)  and a member of the Millennial generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook.

Whew! The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity around the ‘ville as we prepare to travel to Atlanta for the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) 2012 Annual Conference and Exposition. And the fun is only beginning! We’re bringing our 20x20 island booth to the expo hall, and you can visit the place for daily recognition in booth #2005. Next week Sunday-Tuesday will be full of conversations with attendees, networking, learning, and receptions. We're going to be very busy in Atlanta!

If you’ve been to a SHRM Annual Conference in the past few years, you’re well aware that we love to talk to attendees about our day-to-day recognition solutions. We know that regular expressions of appreciation can have a significant impact on employee engagement, motivation, and retention. Read our white paper on the topic for more information.

We encourage managers to give regular feedback to employees with our day-to-day tools, but we want to celebrate big accomplishments, too. This year our booth will also feature a collection from our vast trophy and award offering. Many of our trophies were exclusively designed by our artists, so you can’t get them anywhere else. Plus, we engrave and ship same day for fast service that accommodates even the tightest deadlines.

1. Delicious Cupcakes.
Once again, we’ll have beautiful and tasty cupcakes in our booth to celebrate the opening of the show on Sunday night. This year, the cupcakes are from Miss Mamie’s Cupcakes in Marietta, Georgia. Fun fact about Miss Mamie’s: she’s a Food Network Cupcake Wars Champion! The cupcakes are always a hit, so if you want to get a taste of Miss Mamie’s delicacies, stop by EARLY on Sunday!

2. Cool Totes.
Our tote bags are a hot commodity at the conference, and we typically run out by the end of the day Monday! This year, our bags are going to fly out of the booth even faster! We’ve created a mini-tote with a new sentiment, “May the Fabulous Be With You.” Watch out, they’ll be zooming around the exhibit hall!

3. Witty Shirts.
Every year we create new shirts for our staff to wear with fun sentiments that reflect the attitude and atmosphere of Baudville. We have some great ones this year! Meet each Baudvillian in booth 2005 to see them all!

4. Great Conversations.
We have a lot of fun in the Baudville booth, but we also have conversations with attendees about solutions for their businesses. Are you concerned about losing top performers in the talent war? Talk to one of our recognition specialists on how you can make them feel appreciated and make them stay.

5. Innovative Products.
Our products take center stage at the SHRM Annual Conference. It’s not unusual for attendees to suddenly stop in the middle of the aisle because they’ve spotted our Cheers Kits, Shout Outs, or one of our theme recognition displays. Visiting our booth is one of the few opportunities customers have to see our products in person before making a purchase. Don’t miss it!

We’re excited to meet you at the SHRM 2012 Annual Conference! See you there!

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Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (she's officially a Certified Recognition Professional, too)  and a member of the Millennial generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook.

As the Human Resources Manager at Baudville, I have the privilege of leading our Spirit Team which is a group of employees from different departments who plan our company events. And we have a lot of events! Our annual picnic is what employees really look forward to in the summer. We hold it in the evening at a local venue, like the zoo or baseball park, and employees can bring their families. We provide dinner, entertainment, games, and prizes – of course we have to have prizes! But an event like this doesn’t come together over night! Our Spirit Team puts in lots of hours planning and preparing to make the event success. We want your event to be great, too, so I’m going to share six my tips for planning a summer event that you can use in your organization.

#1 Work with a Team
When it comes to planning events, the most important tip is to work with a team! An event requires a lot of work - it can be overwhelming for one person! Recruit a team of employees who are enthusiastic about events. You can share the workload, generate more ideas, and have more fun in the planning process, too! Remember to recognize your team throughout the event planning process. Express your appreciation by writing a thank you note and leaving it at their desk, or posting a Shout Out in their honor.

#2 Encourage Early Registration
In order to have a good turnout at your event, be sure to share the date, time, and place far in advance.  Mention the date of the event at a meeting and follow up with an email to everyone so they have a record of the information. Then, it’s never too early to start taking RSVPs. We send out an email to the entire company more than a month in advance that clearly states the details of the event and extends an invitation to their family. Be sure to give a deadline for your RSVP. Having a clear idea of how many people are attending will make it easier for you to plan for food, seating, and prizes.

#3 Bring an Event Tool Kit
Whenever we host an event at an off-site location, I bring a tool kit with me that’s stocked full of items that may come in handy in an event emergency! In our kit, we have pens, tape, stapler, scissors, string, band aids, etc. This kit has come in handy more than once! The other item that has helped my events stay on track is an Event Check List. We’ve created this one and made it available for free download in our Recognition Resource Center. It lists every detail and item you could possibly need to consider for your event, and helps you keep on track!

#4 Prepare for Weather
Sometimes the summer weather doesn’t cooperate with our event schedule! You should always be ready for the weather which could mean having a back up location or alternate date. You may simply need to have the right supplies on hand. Bring umbrellas for every attendee so they can stay dry in chance of rain, or a cup for water if the weather is hot.

#5 Create Name Badges for All Attendees
Because employees bring their families to our summer picnic, there are often a lot of unfamiliar faces walking around. To make everyone feel more comfortable and the event a little friendlier, we create name badges for every attendee. We usually create adhesive name badges for our guests to wear. The name badges attach easily to clothing, stay out of the way, and make the individual’s name visible. You can also use custom or themed lanyards for your event or use one of our theme lanyards and display a name badge in a badge holder.

#6 Have Fun!
After all your hard work, the event is finally here! It’s time to take a deep breath…and enjoy! Give your team public recognition at the event, so all the guests can express their appreciation through applause and cheers. Finally, take time to appreciate everything that went into making the event great and pay attention to what your guests like the most so you can do it again next year!

Now that I’ve shared my six tips for planning a great summer event, I hope you’re ready to hit the ground running! If you would like more ideas, visit our Recognition Resource Center and download the Summer Team Events eBook. It has lots of suggestions and creative event ideas you can use with your team this summer.

Have a great summer!

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Cindy is the Human Resources Manager at Baudville and has over 14 years HR experience. In addition to her HR Generalist duties, she’s the center of positive mojo for the company and heads up many of our recognition initiatives, events and awards. In other words, she’s got it going on! Follow Cindy on Twitter @CindyGilmanPHR for HR updates from the place for daily recognition!