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?  

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

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!

--------------------------
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!!).

The Healthy Active You fitness challenge here at the ‘ville is officially over, and I’m pleased to report that it has resulted in some major wellness changes for many of my fellow Baudvillians! I asked a few of those folks to tell me about their success and they were more than happy to comply. So, all week I’ll be sharing their stories in their own words. Hooray!
 
First we’ll hear from Dawn, who didn’t wait for Baudville to take the initiative; she took it upon herself and began her wellness venture at the beginning of the year.

Here’s what she had to say:

What motivated you to make healthy lifestyle changes?
The motivation for me to start my healthy journey was actually inspired by pictures from this year’s holiday party along with some concerns about family health problems (diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.).  While I’m not currently experiencing any of these issues, I want to take preventative steps to avoid them for my future.
 
Was the Baudville challenge an incentive?
I started my ‘own’ health challenge in January. The start of the Baudville health challenge was a welcome support system to help me in my journey. The fact that we have access to healthy resources (websites, classes, better reward lunch choices) has made it easy to keep up with my goals while I’m here at work.
 
What kinds of changes did you make and what results did you see?
The changes I made both before AND during the health challenge are things that I know will stick ‘forever.’ Not only changing my diet (natural, local, organic), but adding exercise (twice a week with a trainer and the rest on my own either at the gym, classes, or workout DVDs at home). Since the beginning of the year I’ve lost just over 50 pounds, 10 inches off my waist, and more inches overall (arms, legs, etc.).

How do you feel about those results?
I’m very happy with the results, and looking to have continued success in the weeks and months to come.  
 
At any time did you struggle to keep on track? If so, how did you handle it?
I think anyone who’s been inspired to change something in their life comes across challenges. With me there are definitely mornings that I don’t want to get out of bed to go to the gym before work, so I don’t. But then I do make myself go AFTER work to make up for it.  Have a treat at lunch? Follow it up with a sensible dinner.  

What advice do you have for others who want to make healthy changes?
Advice for others? Be prepared, have a goal in mind and know that it’s HARD. There have been times in the past when I’ve started, but not continued, because my ‘mind’ wasn’t in it.  You have to be ready, and you’ll know when you are. Trust you can do it, and find a support system - be it at work, online, or at home.  

Do you have plans to continue your progress or maintain your status quo?
The support system of others working toward the same/similar goals here at Baudville has been wonderful, and I’m hoping it will continue, even though the ‘challenge’ has ended. I know several of us from our team have already committed to continuing and supporting each other.

Dawn is proof positive that anything is possible if you just Imagine, Believe, Achieve!

What do you think of Dawn’s story? Have you had a similar success? Does her success inspire you to make a change?

--------------------------
Dawn has been a Baudville team member since 2006. As a Key Account Representative in our customer service department, she’s one of the many smiling (and knowledgeable) voices our callers hear at the other end of the line. And, she’s definitely one of the reasons our customer service is second to none!  

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!

---------------------------  

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.