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!

-----------------------------
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!

Did you have problems joining my Recognition TV webisode ? Unfortunately, we had some technical difficulties that prevented some people from viewing the broadcast. If you weren’t able to join us, we’re so sorry! You can watch the recorded webisode on our website. We are still editing out the 2 minutes of technical difficulties, but you can view the video now. I recommend you can skip from 50 seconds to 3 minutes.

We had some great questions about Employee Appreciation Day from our chat audience that I wanted to elaborate on. If you have questions or ideas, please post a comment!

1. How do you celebrate Employee Appreciation Day at multiple locations?
Bridging the gap between multiple locations is always a huge challenge. Create a planning team made up of members from all the different locations and assign one chairperson for each location. This team can even plan virtually.

I recommend using the same recognition theme and hosting the same activities and celebrations at each location. Then share your experience through pictures and videos. Post these on your Facebook or intranet page so employees can experience the activities at all the different locations.

2. What if employees can’t get away from their desks or work in a retail environment where you can’t play Employee Appreciation Day team games?
In the past, we’ve created custom Bingo games and puzzles that employees can complete at the desk. We’ve played trivia games virtually and given prizes to the first correct answer.

Bring Employee Appreciation Day to the employee. We’ve brought around a treat cart to each employee to hand deliver a small treat. You could also put snacks or treats in a break room where everyone can see them. Make sure to communicate your plans with employees so they don’t miss out on the Employee Appreciation Day treat.

3. What are some cost effective Employee Appreciation Day ideas?
My favorite means of recognition are handwritten notes, and they’re one of the most affordable ways to appreciate employees on Employee Appreciation Day! Encourage managers to have a personal note at each employees’ desk in the morning.

You can also host a potluck! The company can provide a few items, and employees bring in dishes to share. This is always an employee favorite at Baudville because employees get to swap recipes and try new dishes.

If you want to play a few games, we often host Minute to Win It games, and these are easy to do and affordable. You often only need a couple of items from the grocery store.

Finally, Employee Appreciation Day gifts don’t have to be expensive. Use our Employee Appreciation Day gift finder to search for gifts by price. We have lots of options under $5 each!

-----------------------------
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!

Thank you for joining me for today's Recognition TV webisode!  You can watch the complete recorded webisode with all my Employee Appreciation Day ideas on Baudville.com or on Baudville’s Facebook page. Several of my tips, ideas, and best practices are below, but I recommend you watch the entire video (it’s only about 15 minutes!) to catch everything.

Last year, Baudville celebrated Employee Appreciation Day by hosting our very own Winter Olympic games. We even had an official torch bearer, multiple teams, and intense competitions. Our event was so popular with employees, that some called it the “best Employee Appreciation Day ever”! You can see the pictures from the event on our Facebook page.

Lessons from Baudville’s Winter Olympics Employee Appreciation Day

#1 Plan as a Team. I don’t plan the employee events at Baudville alone. I have a team of employees from across the company help me with the brainstorming, preparation, and execution. Create your own team to plan Employee Appreciation Day 2011, and begin by brainstorming as many ideas for the day as possible.

Pink team competes in the chair luge.

 #2 Connect to your Culture. An Employee Appreciation Day event or activity should fit your culture. The Winter Olympics worked well for us because it was consistent with our work hard-play hard culture. To create an Employee Appreciation Day celebration that fits your culture, ask yourself, how do my employees want to be appreciated? It could be as a simple as a team lunch or a handwritten thank you note from a manager.

#3 Get Everyone Involved. Baudville’s Winter Olympics gave everyone an opportunity to participate. Teams were comprised of individuals from all different departments, and the teams rotated through the competitions. Plus, the different games provided opportunities for every team member to contribute.

 
Green team celebrates a victory!

#4 Memorable Memento. Incorporating a memento or gift into your Employee Appreciation Day celebration will make the event more memorable for your employees. We gave employees a travel mug with a custom removable insert and encouraged teammates sign each others’ mugs. For help selecting an Employee Appreciation Day gift, use our Gift Finder Tool.

#5 Use a Theme (and stick to it!). Employee Appreciation Day is all about making your employees feel appreciated, and using a theme can make that happen. Our Winter Olympics theme was reinforced in emails, posters, and our TV dashboard throughout the building. Browse our collection of more than 100 recognition themes to find one that works for your Employee Appreciation Day celebration, then use it!

 
You Are Truly Appreciated Recognition Theme

-----------------------------
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!

Thank you for joining me at today's Recognition TV webisode to talk about peer-to-peer recognition programs! You can watch the complete recorded version on Baudville.com or Baudville’s Facebook page. Several of my tips, ideas and best practices are below, but I recommend you watch the entire video (it’s only about 15 minutes!) to catch everything.

What is peer-to-peer recognition?
At Baudville, we’ve defined peer-to-peer recognition as the genuine expressions of appreciation between co-workers. Peer-to-peer programs typically equip the entire staff with low-cost tools and give employees the ability to recognize one another without any manager approval.

Does Baudville have a peer-to-peer recognition program? How does it work?

Yes, we do. Our program is called Shout Outs, and we designed it to reinforce our brand, values and culture. Allison did a great job explaining  our program in a previous blog post, so visit her post for all the details.

We liked our Shout Outs program so much, that we made a version for our customers, too. It’s one of our most popular peer-to-peer recognition programs. We recommend posting the Shout Outs pads in multiple common areas, so employees have access to recognition everywhere, all the time. Because the program is so simple to use and straightforward, employees begin using it right away without much training.

What are some of the benefits of peer-to-peer recognition program?
There are many benefits of peer-to-peer recognition! Here’s a list of some of the primary benefits:

 Peer-to-peer recognition empowers employees to give recognition themselves
 It relieves some pressure off managers
 Employees have greater ownership in the program because they can give recognition without any manager approval
 Peer-to-peer recognition programs require little ongoing administrative work
 More employees receive recognition more frequently
 It can improve your culture
 Peer-to-peer recognition can impact loyalty and job satisfaction by increasing employees’ sense of attachment and closeness to the company
 It can foster camaraderie and build more positive relationships between co-workers
 Peer-to-peer recognition crosses department and position lines – everyone has the ability to recognize everyone else!

What advice would you give to our viewers who are interested in starting a peer-to-peer program at their organization?
It’s very important that the program reinforce your company brand, values and culture. Use a recognition theme that ties these different elements together or use one of our programs that’s a good fit. Shout Outs comes in 4 different themes, Thanks for All You Do, TEAM, Essential Piece and Exclamations.

It’s important to get buy-in early in the process. Make sure your organization’s leadership is excited about the program and supports it. When we created our program, we pulled several different people into a brief brainstorming meeting to talk about program design and execution.

That would be my other piece of advice – don’t do it alone! Involve some of your recognition enthusiasts to help get the program implemented. Even if you use one of our ready-to-go programs, you’ll need to have organization-wide communication and some training on how to use the program.

Our other popular peer-to-peer recognition program is Spot On, and our Sales team used this program for a while to encourage intra-departmental recognition. Spot is a truly versatile program because you can change the goal or the behavior that you want recognized by writing it on the dry erase part of the dog house. Visit Spot’s website for more information.

What are some of the key elements to keep in mind when creating a peer-to-peer recognition program?
One of the most important elements of peer-to-peer recognition is accessible tools. One option is to give everyone their own tools that they can keep at their desk. This way, they always have access to recognition. Otherwise, be sure to put the note cards or whatever tool you’re using in a public place because the tools serve as a visual reminder for employees to recognize. Look at your high traffic areas – a few suggestions may be near the printer, coffee station or break room.

Again, having buy-in from your leaders and management team is very important. Even though peer-to-peer recognition takes some of the responsibility off of managers, they still need to be active and use the program.

I also recommend some kind of measurement that allows you to track participation in the program. When you measure results, you have data to show that you’re meeting your participation goals and more employees are receiving recognition.

How do you maintain the momentum for a peer-to-peer program?
That’s a great question and certainly one of the ongoing challenges of recognition. At Baudville, we provide an incentive for meeting our 100% participation goal. If we have 100% participation – meaning everyone writes one Shout Out during the month – the entire company gets rewarded either with a special casual day or a snack/treat. We’ve also recognized the individuals who have written the most Shout Outs and some of the most creative Shout Outs as reminders to the company that they need to recognize.

For additional peer-to-peer recognition resources:
 Watch the entire peer-to-peer Recognition TV webisode.
 Download our Peer-to-Peer Recognition White Paper from our Recognition Resource Center.
 Read the past blog posts on Peer Recognition.
 Ask a question of all the recognition practitioners on our Facebook page.

-----------------------------

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!

Peer-to-peer recognition is a growing trend in companies looking for ways to increase engagement and morale without over burdening managers. In WorldatWork’s 2008 survey, Trends in Employee Recognition, they discovered that 42% of the 554 companies that responded offer peer programs. Of those, 67 percent stated the program's impact on retention was moderate or high. Human Resource Executive also recently wrote an article on the Power of Peer-to-Peer.

Peer-to-peer recognition is popping up everywhere. Do you want to learn more about peer recognition programs and their potential impact on your organization?

Join me next week as I talk with Cori about the Peer-to-peer recognition program we have at Baudville. I’ll also provide guidelines and ideas for you to create your own peer recognition program!

Register for our Recognition TV Webisode taking place next week Thursday, October 21. The webisode is only 15 minutes, so it’s less like a webinar and more like a coffee break with a couple of friends! Our webisodes are live streaming video, and you have the opportunity to ask us questions in real time through a chat room, so bring all your peer-to-peer recognition questions with you!

You can also watch past Recognition TV Webisodes in our Recognition Resource Center for helpful tips on appreciation events, starting a recognition program and more.

I look forward to seeing you on Thursday!

------------ 

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!