We're bringing back the High Five for Friday blog posts from last year to share some of our favorite tips, activities, and ideas to make work more engaging. Our bloggers will take turns giving high fives to their favorite things, so you'll get a wide variety of information from week to week.

Let's get it started!

Spring has sprung here in Michigan! While you may have enjoyed warm rays of sunshine for weeks now depending on where you live, here in West Michigan we are only now beginning to thaw from a long and cold winter. In honor of Mr. Sun, it seemed only right that our first High Five for Friday blog post of 2013 would be dedicated to the warmth of spring.

1. Eating Lunch Outside
The weather is finally getting nice in Michigan, so I'm giving a big high five to sitting outside at lunch. Not only do we have a great outdoor picnic area at Baudville, but eating lunch outside has several health benefits, too. Getting away from your desk for your lunch break can prove to be a serious stress reliever, and soaking up the sunshine can protect your heart.

2. T-shirt Weather
I have an expansive t-shirt collection which has been neglected for the last six months in favor of sweaters and sweatshirts. The day has finally come to bust my t-shirts out of their dark drawer and show them the light of day! You can bet that I'll be proudly sporting my new Smart Saying t-shirt that I received from the Baudville Operations department. We recently got team t-shirts, and now that the weather is nicer, I know we'll be wearing them more often!

3. Health and Wellness Fitness Challenge
The warmer weather encourages me to get outside and run, bike, walk, garden, or do any number of outdoor activities. Since we're in the middle of our health and wellness fitness challenge, doing my favorite activities earns points for my team. What spring activity are you most excited about?

4. Outdoor Games
I love playing outdoor yard games. I have quite a collection at home, and I'm always looking for a new game to add to the mix. Plus, I love how easily you can bring a yard game to work and change attitude and morale for the day. Email your team first thing in the morning to get challenge them to a game and have the play happen during lunch. This simple activity can brighten your team's day and foster valuable team morale. If you don't have your own yard games, create your own with our team activity eBooks.

5. Company Picnics
The spring weather means one of my favorite Baudville company events is right around the corner. Each summer, Baudville treats its employees and their families to a company picnic. The Baudville picnic is a great opportunity for camaraderie and fun in a more relaxed setting than the office. We often host our picnic at the local ballpark, zoo, or park, and there are lots of activities and giveaways for all attendees.

 

 

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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.

Achievements. Proudly displayed in offices, cubicles, in waiting rooms, on bookshelves, in the way we hold our heads high, shoulders back, walk with a pep in our step... we take pride in our achievements in many different ways. Being recognized for the value that we bring to our jobs, to our communities, to our families, is important. When we're recognized for our contributions, we want to do more.

It's important to note that not all achievements have to be acknowledged with grandiose crystal trophies. In fact, I would argue that smaller, more frequent acts of recognition and appreciation are more powerful than that once-in-a-blue-moon super celebration. And when the acknowledgement comes from all levels throughout the organization - peers, managers, leaders - the impact it has is more pronounced.

Our all-new Collect Your Flair Kits give you a program for recognizing defined behaviors throughout your organization, ultimately creating a culture of recognition and appreciation.

Kristy Sherlund, Baudville's VP of Product and Merchandising, explains the inspiration for our new Collect Your Flair Kits, "When I looked around most workspaces I found certificates hung on the walls, awards decorating desktops, and notes pinned up on cubicle walls – each representing a proud moment for the person displaying it. The power of pride can go viral and that's the kind of contagiousness, as a business leader, we want spreading around our offices. We designed our new Collect Your Flair Kits as a way for you to build a little friendly competition surrounded with pride in everyday achievements. So go ahead, spread the love and watch spirits soar!"

Each Kit includes 120 pieces of Flair Wear(TM), and you choose whether you'd like your team to collect and display their flair on lanyards or desktop frames.

The power is in the execution – define the behaviors you're going to reward, communicate with your team, and keep your eyes peeled for moments of greatness. Give flair, get results, and watch your team's success blossom!

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As a team member since 2005, Falon has worn just about every hat the ‘ville has to offer. She’s seen both sides of working life — as an employee and as a manager — so if it sounds like she knows what she’s talking about, we’re pretty sure that’s why. When she’s not juggling between the IDville and Baudville brands, she’s been known to whip up a mean diorama - just like that!

As Kim, my cubicle neighbor belted out Journey last week, I was reminded how something as simple as music provides A LOT of joy to your teammates.

Normally at Baudville we listen to a radio station that plays today’s popular music. The background noise is filled with Adele, Kelly Clarkson, U2 and more. Although there is nothing wrong with these artists (actually they are all fantastic), we switched up the radio station last week. For the whole week, we rocked out to the 80’s!

Baudvillians head-bopped, toe-tapped, and sang along with Journey, Madonna, and Pat Benatar while we worked. When an 80’s favorite played over the speakers, delight washed over my teammates’ faces as they let you know why they LOVED that song! Not once did I hear someone complain about the music for an entire week.

You can provide some simple musical enjoyment for your employees, too! Have a weekly switch up of the radio stations you listen to. This will provide a variety in your teammates’ day-to-day work life. Even though music is normally just background noise, your teammates will notice a change and become excited about the new songs.

Or, you can have a competition in the workplace. Winner chooses the musical genre that is played. You can choose one person a week, in which every Friday they get to pick what genre to listen to. This person can be selected because they had the best weekly sales, ideas, outcomes, or whatever fits for your company. Remember though, the music must still be appropriate for other team members!

Jazz up your work environment by creating variety in the music you listen to! Sometimes the simplest thing as background music can motivate teammates in a whole new way.

CJ rockin out to the 80's! 

Tell me what type of music you listen to in your workplace and what your teammates love about it!

If you’re a regular Baudville customer, then you’ve likely seen the Spinner Ornaments we’ve developed in past years for our holiday product launch. Seems every year our Spinners get more and more popular, which fuels us to create more and more designs. 
 


This year, we kind of exploded, with a total of 19 new ones (we actually had even more; but managed to narrow it down to the awesomest of awesome)!
 


We always sell out early, and this year promises to be no exception. Especially since we just initiated a contest for our sales suite to encourage them to reach a specific Spinner sales goal by Halloween. It’s still really early in the season, so you might be wondering: why the push?

It’s good to have goals. They provide a reason for what we do. They help us put one foot in front of the other, even when doing so feels like a challenge. Without goals we may or may not get where we’re going. With them we not only have a direction, we have a destination.

Friendly competition drives and motivates. Our team is going to meet their goal both together and separately. Each member has to contribute to make it happen, and adding a little rivalry guarantees that everyone will be giving their all. In the end, we have an individual win, a team win, and a business win. And you know what we call that!

It’s a great excuse to celebrate. Celebrating for a reason beats celebrating for no reason any day. It helps you assign a value to the objectives that are important to your organization, and give a reward when those are met or exceeded.

So, what do you think? Are you now dreaming up ways that you can energize your team? What kinds of incentives can you create for them? Whatever you plan, remember: set a goal, add a dose of competition, and provide a prize that’s enviable by all!   

One more thing… if Spinners are on your shopping list this year, you can find them all here. Order early and you’ll not only ensure you won’t miss out on your favorites, you’ll be helping our super sweet sales team win a pizza lunch! Mmmmm…pizza. And, maybe tip the scales for one Baudvillian who’s going to earn a bonus prize for having the highest sales!

  
To add to the excitement, we decorated the sales suite and brought in treats. Yum!

What are some ways that you energize your team?  

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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 nearly three years and has worked in a variety of business settings for more than 18 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!  

One of the ways to earn big points in our fitness challenge was to eliminate an unhealthy behavior. But, to claim the points, we had to quit the offending act for the entire 10 weeks of the challenge. Oi! Many of us cut out fast food; others pledged to get the recommended daily intake of water. But, our hero, Ryan, went for the big guns.

Here he is to tell you about it...

What motivated you to make healthy lifestyle changes?
Basically, I noticed that I wasn’t able to move like I used to on the basketball court. At that point my mind began to run wild…I became incredibly concerned that I wouldn’t be able to play the part in my child’s life that I’d always dreamed of. She’s three now, and I want to be able to keep up with her at 13! And 23!!

Was the Baudville challenge an incentive?
More like a reminder…

What kinds of changes did you make and what results did you see?
I quit smoking!! I’m feeling better as the days go by! It’s like I have another gear on the court. I’m still working on shedding some weight so most underestimate me out there and I LOVE IT!!!

How do you feel about those results?
I’m feeling the best I’ve felt since early High School!!

At any time did you struggle to keep on track? If so, how did you handle it?
I did struggle at times. It was mainly when we would go out for dinner and drinks. For some reason the taste of beer amplified my cravings by 20!! But, I managed to stay strong and remember my motivation.

What advice do you have for others who want to make healthy changes?
Find your motivation. I have a picture of my daughter Olivia on my desk, in my car, and, of course, all over the house. She’s all the motivation I need. A single tear of joy falls…

Do you have plans to continue your progress or maintain your status quo?
I’m not going to change much. I like the way I feel and the extra $1800+/year I will be putting in my pocket without buying cigarettes every day!!

Wow! All I can say is: Way to Go, Ryan!

Quitting smoking is not easy; but it can be done. Have you quit smoking? Share your tips and advice for how to make it happen!

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Ryan is fairly new to the Baudville team; but what he lacks in tenure he makes up for in bodaciousness. As a Customer Service Rep, he transmits his can-do attitude directly through the phone lines. He also has an affinity for the exclamation point (in case you didn’t notice!!).