ePraise^® is Baudville's free recognition ecard tool that is an easy and fun way to incorporate daily recognition into your workplace. Our ecards are available in many of our popular recognition themes so you can easily coordinate with other gifts.


It's been a while since ePraise launched and it was about time to update it and make it even easier for you to find and send ecards!

Wow! Check out these great enhancements:

• Find the perfect card easily with the new selection layout
• Save time and schedule your ePraises with the new date and time scheduler
• Share ePraise with your colleagues, co-workers and friends to pass on the recognition with our easy to share buttons
• The recipient can easily print the ecard with a click of a button
• Easily allows the recipient to quickly send a special thank you ePraise to the ecard sender
• Quick links to top products and resources to help keep those recognition ideas flowing after you send your ecards

Also, just in case you didn't know, you can also...

• Sign in to your Baudville.com account to save your ePraise history
• Use the handy tips writing guide to help you write the perfect note on any ecard
• Know exactly when the recipient views the ecard with the automatic email that is sent to you after pick up

So make sure to take advantage of this fanstastic free tool offered by Baudville and send an ePraise now!

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Kimberly is the Baudville Website Manager and star of our online product videos. She applies her knowledge of the web to create the ultimate online experience for Baudville customers.

Whew, six weeks into my internship and I am just getting into the Baudville groove! I got my name plate on my cubicle and can finally clear a paper jam in the printer. But I am constantly experiencing new things about Baudville every day. For example do you know how we actually recognize our employees and co-workers?

Last week was a busy week of recognition for the whole company. We had baby showers, birthdays (mine!), casual days, and an entire company meeting. I‘ve never experienced so much celebrating with my co-workers before and who knew it would be such a blast!

I attended my first entire company meeting last week. I know what you are thinking right now, a “dull” meeting cannot include recognition. Absolutely it can and the best part, the meeting becomes exciting! Everyone gathered in a huge room located in our distribution center. Our CEO, Brad Darooge, gave us some encouragement for the upcoming six months and recognized us for achieving goals in the first half of the year.

Next, Cindy, the Human Resources Manager talked about how our Health and Fitness challenge is going thus far. (For those who don’t know, currently we have undergone a “friendly,” 10 week, Health and Fitness competition here at Baudville). On the first day of the competition we all received t-shirts displaying our work out pride. We received new water bottles to stay hydrated. Finally, she opened the floor for employees to share personal Health and Fitness goals. It was a great way for the whole company to encourage and praise people for a job well done.  

Since the whole company got together, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a mini competition. We were given plastic bags, scotch tape, string, and tissue paper. With these random elements we had to cushion an egg so that when it dropped it didn’t splatter everywhere. Whoever kept the yolk in their egg won points for their Health and Fitness challenge team. The absurd concoctions caused a lot of laughter and conversation in the days after.

I also found out this week that birthdays are a huge deal at Baudville. At the beginning of the month, birthday cards get passed from cubicle to cubicle and are filled with special notes or drawings. Then on your birthday, you receive your card with a little present inside. Lastly, you have to choose where your birthday lunch is going to be so co-workers can take you out to celebrate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are just some ways we have been recognizing co-workers lately and having fun here at Baudville. Other companies have been doing a great job recognizing as well. Tell me about some big or little ways you’ve recognized your employees or co-workers lately!

 

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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.

We offer a free service on our website called ePraise which are recognition ecards you can send to coworkers, peers, or anyone you want to thank or recognize. We have over 110 different designs for birthdays, anniversaries, teachers, nurses, volunteers, and to simply say thanks. 

Although writing a recognition ecard  seems like a pretty simple thing to do, many of use don’t do it. Why? We have every intention of typing one, but when the fingers touch the keys, we draw a blank. We have no idea what to say!

Here are a few simple tips that will help you type a recognition ecard that is meaningful, personal, and sincere:

Sample ePraise recognition ecard.

1. Describe the action, behavior or result you are recognizing. Did you observe the person delivering excellent customer service? Did they provide a referral or a critical piece of information so that you could meet an important deadline? Did they help you out of a jam at the last minute? Be specific about what they did, not just "Thanks for a great job."

2. Explain why it is important to you or the organization. Did it help you achieve a goal or make your job easier? If possible, create the link between their behavior and the organization's values and mission.

3. Reflect back to the person. What is it about the way they did it? Talk about how their action reflects a personal quality of the giver, such as integrity, initiative, or follow through.

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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.

Character Pins are one of our staple recognition products at Baudville, and they’re popular because they can be used in a variety of recognition situations. As a continuation of our How-To Recognition blog series, I share ten situations where Character Pins are a great recognition gift.

1. Office Birthdays. Give a Happy Birthday Character Pin to acknowledge an employee’s birthday. It’s both a gift and greeting card.

2. Anniversaries. Present a Happy Anniversary Character Pin to recognize an employee’s years of service. You can customize the pin with the number of years you’re celebrating.

3. Team Recognition. Recognize a team for the completion of a project by selecting a different Character Pin for each team member. For an extra personal touch, read the stories when you present the Character Pins for an award presentation the team won’t forget.

4. Holiday Recognition. Thank your employees at the end of the year with a holiday Character Pin that expresses your gratitude for all their hard work and optimism for the new year.

5. Volunteer Appreciation. Retain volunteers by recognizing their contributions and expressing your appreciation for all they do. I recommend a Thanks or Appreciation Character Pin.

6. Customer Service Week. Give front line employees something to display with a service themed Character Pin. We just released two new Customer Service Character Pins for this year's Customer Service Week celebrations. Be sure to check them both out!

7. Student Award. Want to make a child’s day? Present a Character Pin as a student of the month award.

8. Celebrate an Accomplishment. Make a big deal about a co-worker’s promotion, graduation or certificate with a Character Pin that recognizes her success.

9. Just to Say Thank You. It doesn’t have to be a special occasion for it to be the right time to tell someone, thank you. To make it memorable, write a personal note on the back of a Thanks For All You Do Character Pin.

10. Everyday Awards. Have a variety of Character Pins available, and present them to employees on a regular basis to say Great Job.

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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.

Award certificates are a great way to show off achievements, but I can think of a few reasons why a department manager might not use them for everyday employee recognition:

They’re more formal than some occasions merit. With the exception of a couple of our newer contemporary styles, most of our certificates feature ornate, sophisticated designs with traditional colors or foil accents. While these are just what you need for recognizing prestigious moments, they don’t necessarily fit the bill for day-to-day recognition.   

They take a little more time than an on-the-spot note. Baudville does offer easy-to-use templates for printing certificates, but you may not have time to download a template, type out your message, and run a certificate through the printer. (In truth, this only takes a few minutes, but I’m trying to make a point here…)

They require resources you might not have. If you work on the go or visit multiple locations—or you simply don’t have access to a computer or printer, certificates just won’t work for you at all.

Or will they?  

Ta-dah! Our new Day-to-Day Certificate Bundle Binder goes where you do and contains a variety of informal, all-occasion certificates that you fill in by hand. No technology required!

With theme sentiments that recognize everything from great moments to great attitudes, you will never be without a way to show appreciation for your team. Each binder includes tabbed dividers that organize 10 each of six different certificates for you to use when you want to:

Recognize all-around greatness. Maybe someone on your team helped out a coworker or finished a task ahead of schedule. The You’re Awesome certificate from our new Positive Praise theme and the Positive Mojo certificate from our ever-popular Exclamations™ theme are both perfect for when you need to acknowledge someone who goes the extra mile.

Say thank you. The You Are Truly Appreciated, Shining Star, and Thanks for All You Do! certificates are there when you need to show your team members a little gratitude—whether it’s for consistently providing great customer service or taking on extra work when you’re shorthanded.

Applaud a job well done. Ideal for when someone gives a great presentation, meets a goal, or completes a challenging project, the Great Job certificate says it all—simply.

Easy to use, ready for any occasion, and less than $1.00 each, these day-to-day certificates can’t be beat!

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Allison is Baudville’s one (and only) Copywriter. She’s been writing for a variety of media for more than nine 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!