As the business day approaches its end, hushed whispers bounce around from cubicle to cubicle. “Do you think we’ll get one?” “I heard that we were going to have one.”  4:30 comes and goes… no word, 4:45… nothing. The realization sets in as Baudvillians shuffle papers, finishing their final projects of the day, sighing from the unfulfilled rumors. 4:50, out of the corner of my eye, an email pops up on the computer screen. Casual Day Tomorrow!!!

No email brings greater enjoyment then one proclaiming a Casual Day. Casual Days are cherished events here at Baudville. Rejoicing rushes through the entire building. “Yes! We get to wear jeans tomorrow.”  Being a college student I am personally all for casual dress, so I can’t help but look forward to a Casual Day. For me, Casual Days mean pushing the snooze button 1 extra time.

There are a number of reasons as to why your company can offer Casual Days. Your employees could have achieved a goal of theirs, they might have gone above and beyond by working late, or the company could have had a good sales day. This week several of our teammates were out of the office representing Baudville and Idville at the annual SHRM conference, back at the office, our CEO enticed us with a few Casual Days.

But there was a catch; to obtain our Casual Days we had to wear an “I’m Casual Today” sticker with a creative reason stating why we deserved to be casual. These reasons ranged from I am casual today because: I dominated a project, to I can recite the Jabberwocky passage in Alice in Wonderland. Allowing for lots of conversation and laughter throughout the day, as we read everyone’s I’m casual today stickers.

Casual Days for us are not a day to slack off in our jeans. It is a day when we are appreciated for doing a great job. To keep our morale going, we receive casual days to reiterate the fact that we have been working hard and to keep up the hard work.

As I finish up this blog post its 4:30, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed tomorrow will be day 3 of Casual Days!

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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.

Even if you love your job, you probably still spend a little time Sunday night in denial that Monday is just a few hours away. I do and I do.

But last Monday was different, because several of us in Baudville’s creative group were looking forward to an afternoon field trip to a letterpress studio in downtown Grand Rapids. One of our design interns has a small setup called Not Design and she was more than happy to let us invade her space for a few hours to learn about old-school printmaking—a very hands-on process that’s a far cry from the high-tech computerized graphic design and desktop publishing tools we use today.

I had such a great time that I really wanted to tell everyone about it; but, before you think I’ve hijacked the Baudville blog for my own personal agenda, let me illustrate the many tangible business benefits of such an excursion:

Building Camaraderie. Also known as teamwork’s kissing cousin, camaraderie is as much about working together as it is about working nicely together. Let’s face it, when you see the same people every day, you tend to take them for granted. Engaging with your coworkers “out in the wild” can rekindle your appreciation for their contributions and unique talents.  

Offering Growth and Fulfillment. Learning opportunities can be a part of an employer’s total rewards package. In addition to compensation and benefits, many companies offer different educational activities as a way to sweeten the pot, so to speak. Even a modest field trip can have a profound impact on job satisfaction and, in turn, morale. (the fact that I’m so eager to tell you about it is proof right there.)

Inspiring Innovation. Magical things very often come out of these experiences. They’re called ideas. Whether it’s a training conference, or a seminar, or a tour of a local business, if it’s relevant to the work you do (and even if it’s not), something is bound to create a spark. We’ve seen it first hand at Baudville, which is why we usually kick off a new product development cycle with some kind of off-site brainstorming session to take our minds out of the familiar. (By the way, you can check out all the new products that came out of our last session here!)

Put all of these benefits together and you have the makings of a great place to work. In fact, there’s a web site called Great Place to Work®, which describes the five fundamentals of a great place to work (hence, the name). You can learn more here.   

And, finally, here we are, creating our masterpieces:

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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 two years and has worked in a variety of business settings for more than 17 years. Before becoming a professional writer 10 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!

Employee morale. Employee engagement. Employee retention.

These workplace issues have already dominated 2010 business news. Employee satisfaction is reportedly at a 22 year low in the United States with only 45% of Americans satisfied with their jobs and half of current workers planning to make a career move as the economy recovers.

The first Friday of March is an opportunity for employers and managers to boost employee morale and satisfaction in workplaces. Employee Appreciation Day annually focuses the attention of all employers in all industries on employee recognition. Employee recognition is a powerful motivator for employees and when used regularly, can give a company an advantage over the competition. Read our white papers for more data and stats on the benefits recognition can have in the workplace. 

Employee Appreciation Day can have a significant impact on the attitude and morale of your employees this year. To help make it successful, we’ve prepared 25 Employee Recognition Day tips and ideas that we will share daily through Twitter and Facebook. Plus, each Monday our tip will include a special weekly deal (become a Facebook fan to get all the details!) to help you plan your Employee Appreciation Day. Become a fan or start following us today so you won’t miss any of these great tips!

If you’re serious about making a difference in your workplace culture this year, you can get more in depth information and ideas in our Recognition Resource Center. We’ve created several articles especially for Employee Appreciation Day. Have a question? Got a great idea to share? We want to hear it! You can send it to us through Facebook, Twitter or by posting a comment on this blog.

We hope you have a successful and influential Employee Appreciation Day!

Employee Appreciation Day Articles
 Employee Appreciation Day Team Activities
 Why You Should Celebrate Employee Appreciation Day
 Employee Appreciation Day Gifts
 Employee Appreciation Day Themes

Make employees feel appreciated on Employee Appreciation Day!