As Baudville’s copywriter, I am painfully aware of the number of themes we have that relate to making a difference (if you’ve ever had to write repeatedly about the concept of making a difference without saying making, a, or difference, then you know what I’m talking about).

But there is a very good reason we have so many themes of this nature. There are so many ways that a person can make a difference, whether it’s volunteering for a non-profit, working as a caregiver, or having significant impact in a business setting. All people in all situations have the power to affect the world around them in a positive way, which means our customers need to have choices when it comes to thanking these folks.

So, we have Making the Difference, You Make the Difference, Making a Difference, You Make a World of Difference, and You Made the Difference. We also have one called The Power of One that has a "you make a world of difference" tagline.

Inside these four walls, we giggle about the redundancy (or maybe it’s just me alone in my cubicle); but it’s actually very serious business. When you think about it, it’s pretty profound that there is such demand for this sentiment. In fact, this Saturday is National Make a Difference Day—a whole day dedicated to (here it comes) making a difference! The organization that instituted this holiday focuses on the philanthropic aspect, but since we know that making a difference can take so many forms, we like to promote them all.

Wondering how you can get involved? One way is to participate directly in volunteer efforts in your community. The Make a Difference Day web site has a project finder for activities already going on in your neighborhood. Or, you can organize your own project and use their idea generator to help you get started.

You can also consider every day Make a Difference Day, and focus on the little things you can do all the time to create positive change. At work, in your neighborhood, at school, for the environment, on the political front, on the other side of the world, or even by smiling at the right person at the right time—there are opportunities everywhere!   

Finally, possibly the most significant way you can do your part is to encourage (and thank) those who make a difference. That’s not why they’re doing it, but that doesn’t mean we all don’t appreciate the efforts any less. And guess what? We have just the thing…

  

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Allison is Baudville’s one (and only) Copywriter. She’s been writing for a variety of media for more than eight years, so if she tells you she has been there and done that, she probably has. Before embarking on a career in writing, Allison worked as a department manager where she used Baudville products to motivate her team. She’s what we call a true believer!

With so many tools available to us for communication, it should be surprising that so many companies claim a lack of communication as one of their biggest issues. But everywhere I’ve worked, it has been at different times, and for different reasons.

As I’ve mentioned, I have a background using recognition as a motivation strategy, and have worked in environments where recognition was part of the culture. So, when I started at Baudville it wasn’t a new concept to me. But as I started to really immerse myself in the theories, I had a revelation of sorts: recognition at its core is really just about communication.

At Baudville, one of the ways we strive to improve communication is by defining who we are, what we stand for, and what we consider to be the most valuable traits and behaviors for our staff to exhibit. We call these our core values, and we broadcast them to all staff through a variety of different communication vehicles. Then we recognize when we see them in action. It’s through recognition of ourselves and others that we all understand what we need to do to be successful.

Here’s an example: I pretty much need a meeting scheduled at 8:00 a.m. (with donuts) to make it to work on time. But my managers let it slide because I perform, and often stay late, when I get here. “Perform” happens to be one of our core values, but “punctual” is not. Thank goodness.

I know what’s expected of me because it’s clearly defined. That’s communication. If being punctual were important to my managers, I’d do it. I’d not only get to keep my job, but I would probably receive accolades for doing it. That’s reinforcement of expectations through recognition.

If you want to improve communication in your organization, creating a recognition program around your core values or company mission statement can be your first step. We know that defined expectations are just one facet of good communication, and that recognition on its own will not create or repair communication in your organization; but it will help you send clear messages to your staff and foster a more open dialogue among individuals, peers, and managers. I’d say that’s a pretty good start!

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Allison is Baudville’s one (and only) Copywriter. She’s been writing for a variety of media for more than eight years, so if she tells you she has been there and done that, she probably has. Before embarking on a career in writing, Allison worked as a department manager where she used Baudville products to motivate her team. She’s what we call a true believer! 

We recently asked blog visitors to answer the question, who do you like to receive recognition from? These were the responses:
 
- 11.1% said My mom
- 44.4% said Peers
- 33.3% said Manager
- 11.1% said CEO

The results of this poll reveal two important recognition principles that I think you should take to heart.

Number one: The poll gives insight into what employees really value: recognition from individuals who witness performances first hand.

Peers and managers are a bigger part of an employee’s everyday work life than the CEO – or their mom for that matter. Peers and managers see how hard you work on month end summaries, implementing a new process or cranking out a major project. They observe your triumphs, struggles and achievements on a regular basis, so it makes sense that you would value what they have to say about you and your work.

Number two: Frequent exchanges of recognition between peers and employees and managers is key. Peers have very few opportunities to recognize one another unless you have a peer-to-peer recognition program in place. Most often, recognition is placed primarily into the hands of the manager who likely struggles with a full workload and large team. Equipping all employees with the tools to recognize their peers can have a huge impact on morale, employee satisfaction, engagement and create a more positive work culture.

Peer-to-peer recognition programs can be a little scary for some organizations. Everyone worries that the system will be abused and employees will recognize one another for trivial matters or only give recognition to their friends. Therefore, creating a strong recognition foundation is important to a successful peer recognition program. Establish clear guidelines about recognizing one another for specific behaviors that are tied into your corporate goals and values. Include a receipt portion in your program, too, so you can track who is giving recognition and why. For more detailed information and ideas on peer-to-peer recognition programs, visit our Spot On Peer Recognition Blog.

And remember, just because it’s a peer recognition program doesn’t mean managers are excused from participating. According to our poll results – and experience - manager involvement is very important. A peer recognition program is simply another valuable tool managers can add to their recognition arsenal.

Getting recognition from peers is important to employees.

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Cori is a Certified Recognition Professional at Baudville and a member of the Millennial generation. In addition to writing for the Baudville blog, she’s taking on the task of flooding the Twitterverse with positive mojo. Find out more - and join her cause! - at www.Twitter.com/Baudville using the hash tag #positivemojo.

Customer Service Week is underway at Baudville! This year, we are having a spirit week. Each day has a different theme, and employees are encouraged to dress up and get in the spirit. In addition to all the fun outfits, each day there are activities and games for employees to play. Monday, there was a sports quiz featuring local sports teams. All correct entries were entered into a drawing for two tickets to a Griffins hockey game. Rockstar Day was complete with a rousing game of Rock Band as well as a word search, trivia and one hit wonder matching game. Only our SPIRIT Team knows what's in store the rest of the week!

Monday - Sports Day 

Tuesday - Rockstar Day

Wednesday - Super Hero Day

Thursday - Decades Day

Friday - Baudville Spirit Day

Follow all the Customer Service Week fun on our Facebook page where pictures are being added daily. What are you doing for Customer Service Week? Show us how you're celebrating by adding pictures to the Facebook page or adding comments to this blog entry. And don't forget to participate in our poll about your favorite Customer Service Week activity!

Last week we conducted a poll on our blog asking visitors if they use social media to give recognition. Here were the responses:

- 11.1% make sure every post has recognition
- 22.2% occasionally tweet a shout out
- 66.7% believe Facebook is a foreign entity

Our poll shows that 33.3% of respondents are using social media to express recognition and appreciation. I predict it will continue to grow as communication continues to be shaped by social media.

Social media has become a valuable tool for marketing, recruiting and sharing information. As more people jump on the social media bandwagon, giving feedback and praise will also become a common practice in these forums.

Today, many employees create and maintain personal “feel good files.” You may have given it another name, but I think you likely have a spot in your desk where you stash past thank you notes and cards of appreciation.

Every once in a while you even review your file for a little pick me up.

The words of thanks and appreciation remind you of past great performances and contributions to the organization. Every time you add another note to the file, you feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

Imagine if your feel good file were on your online profile or your Twitter page. Not only would you be able to read through your feel good file when you needed a morale booster, but co-workers, managers, friends and recruiters could, too.

How would you respond if your boss gave you some props on your Facebook page? Or if someone contacted you about a job because of all the good things they’ve read about you?

Imagine your social media, loaded down with recognition...

On another note…

Did I mention that we now have a poll on our blog? Be sure to check back each week as it changes to give your two cents worth. For each poll, we’ll have a little write up (like this one) interpreting the results. Be a part of it!

You can receive updates from all of our blog entries, too, by subscribing to our blog email list on in the right hand navigation…right…over…there. Don’t miss any of the recognition updates!

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Cori is a Certified Recognition Professional at Baudville and a member of the Millennial generation. In addition to writing for the Baudville blog, she’s taking on the task of flooding the Twitterverse with positive mojo. Find out more - and join her cause! - at www.Twitter.com/Baudville using the hash tag #positivemojo.

Customer Service Week starts on Monday, October 5! Hopefully you're nearly complete with your planning, but in case you're behind, here are a few extra tips to inspire you. We'll be Twittering and blogging frequently next week to let you know how Baudville is celebrating the week, so stay tuned!

Customer Service representatives make up the face of your organization. They communicate with customers first hand, and it is often based on their interaction that repeat business comes or goes. That’s why recognizing this group of hard working employees is so important!

For a few customer service appreciation ideas, we went directly to Baudville’s stellar Customer Service Representatives and asked them about meaningful and motivating recognition they have received in the past.

Personalized and individual recognition. A memorable customer service appreciation idea is to give personalized recognition. Knowing your employees’ recognition preferences is key to effective and motivating recognition. When picking a gift for your team, select something that comes in a variety of options. For example, give each employee a candy bar, but buy a selection so they can choose their favorite.

“I had a manager in the past who gave everyone the same, beautiful scarf Christmas gift. But she took the time to pick out the color that she knew the recipient liked and what she thought they would look best in.  It was great, because someone took the time to learn about them.”
- Dawn

Share the good news. Around Baudville, one of our favorite customer service appreciation ideas is to share positive customer feedback. When our CEO receives an email or a letter from a customer praising one of our Customer Service Representatives, he shares it with the rest of the company. Simply forwarding an email has a big impression on the employees.

“The one thing that will always stick out for me is when a customer of mine emailed Brad about how good of a job I did with her order and how I helped her with her event.  Not only did Brad congratulate me in person with Kurt and Brenda in the room and give me a gift, but he also forwarded the email to the entire staff.  The gift was great, but the email to the staff really made me feel appreciated.  I then received numerous emails from coworkers who I barely saw, much less spoke to on a daily basis, congratulating me about what I did.  Sometimes the smallest things, like a quick email, can make someone’s day……I know for sure it made mine!!”
- Missy

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Cori is a Certified Recognition Professional at Baudville and a member of the Millennial generation. In addition to writing for the Baudville blog, she’s taking on the task of flooding the Twitterverse with positive mojo. Find out more - and join her cause! - at www.Twitter.com/Baudville using the hash tag #positivemojo.

The other day, I sent an ePraise to a coworker who had done some really nice work on a product idea. Then she emailed me back to tell me I had made her day. I was so happy to hear that, it made my day. Seriously!

I could write more about it, but why? Recognition is often just as simple and powerful as that.

Has giving or getting recognition ever made your day? Leave a comment on this post and tell us about it!

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Allison is Baudville’s one (and only) Copywriter. She’s been writing for a variety of media for more than eight years, so if she tells you she has been there and done that, she probably has. Before embarking on a career in writing, Allison worked as a department manager where she used Baudville products to motivate her team. She’s what we call a true believer!

You’d expect that Baudville, being a recognition company, would have some pretty solid recognition practices in place—and you’d be right! In addition to regular award ceremonies, we also have a lot of day-to-day recognition activities going on, as well as special events and individual department initiatives (for instance, our customer service department uses Spot On. You can read about it here). Over the summer, we also introduced a company-wide peer recognition program that has been a huge hit.

When we first introduced it, it was overwhelmingly popular. We could chalk that up to simply having excellent employees, which we do; but, I think another reason for the enthusiasm was the absence of any structured program for us to use before that. Sure, we have all kinds of recognition products at our disposal, but here the tools were put directly in our hands—and with the institution of a specific program, we simply had more motivation.

And people did go crazy with it. Obviously, there were a lot of pent up feelings of appreciation that were just dying to get out.

But just like any new relationship, the test is if it can evolve from the infatuation stage to deep commitment and not, instead, into complacency. To keep the passion for our program alive, our recognition leaders knew from the get-go that they needed several processes in place to make sure we could keep up the momentum.

Most importantly, the program incorporates our core values. When we recognize someone, we need to make sure the act or behavior fits into a category that merits recognition (performance, innovation, integrity, etc.). So, as much as they might want to, my peers cannot congratulate me on the awesome outfit I’m wearing today. Our objectives are clear, so it’s easy for us to know what to look for.

We also get regular reminders. We all get busy, or get focused on our daily tasks, so we may not stop to think about what others are doing around us. In addition to being encouraged to write at least one recognition note to a peer each week, we get email reminders to “put on our recognition goggles.”

Then there are the incentives! For one, we earn company-wide prizes for 100% participation (remember those extra casual days?). The other incentive comes from actually being recognized. It fosters a feel-good, pay-it-forward mentality that on its own keeps the recognition flowing.

If you’re thinking about starting a peer recognition program, or have one in place already, you can incorporate these simple practices that Baudville uses to help maintain the enthusiasm and longevity it needs to be truly effective.

Fuel the fire with clear objectives, friendly reminders, and fun incentives. 

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If you were at SHRM in New Orleans or WorldatWork in Seattle, you may have chuckled with us while watching one of our very funny Cubicle Chronicles videos. The Red Recruiter is a fan and mentioned our videos on his blog, too. We thought that, rather than gloss over the fact that there are many people who don’t do recognition well, we would take the high road and poke fun at them. Might as well turn some negative recognition moments into positive mojo, right?

The Cubicle Chronicles follow different recognition situations that fail to even remotely motivate or engage the recipient. Sadly, we’ve found that everyone can relate to one of these videos, and any people have experienced recognition done really, really badly at some point during their career. So why not try a different kind of recognition and see where it gets you?

We created these short videos to commiserate with employees and managers who may be suffering from out-of-date, insincere recognition in their workplace and to emphasis the need for a more relevant approach to employee recognition. We think that approach is day-to-day recognition, the frequent expressions of appreciation that happen on a regular basis between employees, managers and peers. 

The Cubicle Chronicles are also viewable on our website, YouTube and Facebook. Watch them, enjoy them, share them! Then give day-to-day recognition a try…and post your ideas for future episodes of the Cubicle Chronicles.

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Cori is a Certified Recognition Professional at Baudville and a member of the Millennial generation. In addition to writing for the Baudville blog, she’s taking on the task of flooding the Twitter world with positive mojo. Find out more - and join her cause! - at www.Twitter.com/Baudville and by using the hash tag #positivemojo.

The economic recession has challenged workplace cultures and practices. Organizations once accustomed to cushy bonuses, deluxe benefits, and luxurious trips and conferences had to cut back – not only on such coveted add-ons – but also on their staff. If you’ve been one of the lucky ones to keep a job during the recession, you know that the workplace challenges begun by the recession won’t be easily resolved.

As layoffs took place, the employees who survived were left full of anxiety and discord. Going forward, it will be management’s response that will make organizations successful on the other side of this economic chasm.
 
Recent survey results released by Careerbuilder.com reveal some interesting insights into how the workforce is going to change once the recession “comes to an end.” CareerBuilder in conjunction with Robert Half International conducted a post-recession job market survey. One of their findings pointed to the intentions of workers. According to the survey, 55% of survey participants plan to make a career change or go back to school when the economy recovers.

55%. More than half of the workforce will be making a change. Whoa.

The recession has been tough not only on bottom lines but also on employee loyalty, trust and job satisfaction.  Management that decided they couldn’t afford to communicate about layoffs or tough decisions, and that employee recognition is frivolous will be reaping the fruits of that labor (or non-labor, in this case) when their turnover rate skyrockets.

Thankfully, the impending workforce shift is not all doom and gloom. It’s not too late for management to openly communicate with employees about changes or decisions. It’s a GREAT time to implement new rewards and benefits to build back that loyalty and trust. Starting a tuition reimbursement plan would also be a wise move to keep top, rising talent. And engaging employees through daily recognition can build up job satisfaction and pride throughout the organization.

The times, they will be a changin’, and they’ll be here before you know it. The nature of those times, however, is up to you.

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Cori is a Certified Recognition Professional at Baudville and a member of the Millennial generation. In addition to writing for the Baudville blog, she’s taking on the task of flooding the Twitter world with positive mojo. Find out more - and join her cause! - at www.Twitter.com/Baudville and by using the hash tag #positivemojo.