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.

Whew, six weeks into my internship and I am just getting into the Baudville groove! I got my name plate on my cubicle and can finally clear a paper jam in the printer. But I am constantly experiencing new things about Baudville every day. For example do you know how we actually recognize our employees and co-workers?

Last week was a busy week of recognition for the whole company. We had baby showers, birthdays (mine!), casual days, and an entire company meeting. I‘ve never experienced so much celebrating with my co-workers before and who knew it would be such a blast!

I attended my first entire company meeting last week. I know what you are thinking right now, a “dull” meeting cannot include recognition. Absolutely it can and the best part, the meeting becomes exciting! Everyone gathered in a huge room located in our distribution center. Our CEO, Brad Darooge, gave us some encouragement for the upcoming six months and recognized us for achieving goals in the first half of the year.

Next, Cindy, the Human Resources Manager talked about how our Health and Fitness challenge is going thus far. (For those who don’t know, currently we have undergone a “friendly,” 10 week, Health and Fitness competition here at Baudville). On the first day of the competition we all received t-shirts displaying our work out pride. We received new water bottles to stay hydrated. Finally, she opened the floor for employees to share personal Health and Fitness goals. It was a great way for the whole company to encourage and praise people for a job well done.  

Since the whole company got together, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a mini competition. We were given plastic bags, scotch tape, string, and tissue paper. With these random elements we had to cushion an egg so that when it dropped it didn’t splatter everywhere. Whoever kept the yolk in their egg won points for their Health and Fitness challenge team. The absurd concoctions caused a lot of laughter and conversation in the days after.

I also found out this week that birthdays are a huge deal at Baudville. At the beginning of the month, birthday cards get passed from cubicle to cubicle and are filled with special notes or drawings. Then on your birthday, you receive your card with a little present inside. Lastly, you have to choose where your birthday lunch is going to be so co-workers can take you out to celebrate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are just some ways we have been recognizing co-workers lately and having fun here at Baudville. Other companies have been doing a great job recognizing as well. Tell me about some big or little ways you’ve recognized your employees or co-workers lately!

 

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Kendra is the newest Baudvillian. She is currently an advertising intellectual at Grand Valley State University, and is ecstatic about the change of atmosphere as Baudville’s web marketing intern. Watch out because this young professional just touched down at Baudville.

Our friend Ben Eubanks over at UpstartHR.com recently asked for contributions to an ebook about employee engagement. Several knowledgeable HR professionals answered his call, and the result is a comprehensive ebook with great tips, stories, and advice about employee engagement. Yours truly even made the book! Go over to UpstartHR.com to download the ebook for free.

Here’s what Ben has to say about the ebook:

“Passion. A sense of purpose. Engagement. Studies show that employees that are "engaged" in their work perform significantly better than those who are not. The problem is finding real, tangible ways to make that happen. Good thing there's (now) an eBook for that.

Recently I reached out to a few people to see if they wanted to contribute to an eBook to help HR pros, managers, and business leaders learn more about this topic. The response was a good one, and today I'm happy to share the free eBook with you. It's titled "All together now! A guide to employee engagement."

There are personal stories about engagement and what it means, tips for companies on communication and culture, and some really great, specific how-to content.

Special thanks to Shauna Moerke for helping me to promote the guide through the HR Carnival channel. I also want to thank the contributors for offering up some great, useful content: Nathaniel Rottenberg, Chris Ferdinandi, Paul Smith, Laura Schroeder, Dwane Lay, Dave Ryan, Krista Francis, Jennifer V. Miller, Lisa Rosendahl, Keith McIlvaine, Karen Seketa, Tamkara Adun, Cori Curtis, Lance Haun, Robin Schooling, and Tanmay Vora, . You can find links to each of these contributors' websites within the guide.”

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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.

Retirement and healthcare benefits have dominated the discussion on total rewards lately as public employee benefits have been scrutinized. But benefits aren’t the only component of a total rewards program that is significantly impacting the workforce right now.

Employee engagement surveys have revealed that employees don’t feel appreciated in their current roles. In fact, as many as two thirds of employees are actively looking for a new position right now, and one of the primary contributors to the discontent is a lack of appreciation. More than half of respondents in an Aon Hewitt survey said being appreciated would motivate them to stay at their organization.

We all know that recognition can improve employee engagement, yet many organizations and managers fail to implement more appreciation into their routines. And it’s so easy to do! Here are five strategies that every manager, supervisor - even employees - can practice to improve employee engagement.

 Feedback
Employees desire feedback about their work. You can implement weekly one-on-one or team meetings to add regular feedback to your schedule. These are great opportunities to review work, projects, or goals and give advice. Be open to receive feedback, too. Your employees are very familiar with your work, and listening to their feedback will likely make you a better manager.

  Thank Yous
This is the easiest way to improve employee engagement, and it should be a natural part of any management strategy. Say thank you! Every day! Common courtesies like saying thank you can have a huge impact on employee engagement and make employees feel more appreciated.

To make your thank yous more memorable, write it down. Handwritten thank you notes are often saved, displayed, and reread. Some people even make their thank you note collections official by naming them, such as Bravo File or Feel Good File.  

 Fun
Don’t be afraid to have fun at work. We spend a lot of time at work, but it doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy ourselves! Having more fun at work can be as simple as celebrating birthdays, incorporating team games, or having a team mascot. Peer recognition programs can also add fun to an organization and increase team member interaction. We’ve had some pretty creative peer recognition notes passed between team mates! When employees enjoy their work environment, they’ll be more committed to staying.

 Time
Show employees you truly appreciate their efforts by rewarding them with the gift of time. Give hardworking employees a pass to leave early or extra paid time off to make up for long hours. Our employees even love receiving casual days during busy times because they don’t have to spend as much time worrying about what to wear to work. When you respect employees’ time, they’ll reward you with increased effort (and engagement) during work hours.

 Gift
When you recognize employees, give them something to remember the recognition. Non-cash recognition continues to out-perform cash recognition in performance and recall indicators. Check out our non-cash recognition white paper for more stats to back this up. If you want your appreciation to stick and engagement to increase, give a gift with your recognition!  

Employee engagement has a significant impact on any business, but thankfully it can be impacted with simple strategies and sincere appreciation. What are you waiting for? Start retaining your high performers today!

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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.