Celebration, recognition, and reward: that is what this week’s article is all about. Sounds like fun, huh? It is, and it is also possibly the most rewarding change you can implement in your organization in terms of staff morale and subsequent retention. We’ll explore some of the fun, but nevertheless complex issues of celebrating, and how to do it right. This is a crucial strategy in keeping good employees onboard.
Celebration
What should we celebrate, and more importantly, how do we do it right? What if business is not going well? That’s the time to celebrate the past successes. What if business is just too busy to take time out? That’s a more compelling reason to celebrate. What if some staff doesn’t deserve to celebrate? Celebrate with everyone, and maybe the reluctant or poorly-performing crew will find reason to deserve to celebrate with their colleagues. What if I don’t know how to celebrate? Don’t worry, you are not alone. Just as we talked about the importance of having fun, a manager or supervisor can’t suddenly become funny any more than they can suddenly become celebratory. But this, too, is learnable, and the key thing to remember for successful celebrations is to be genuine and clear about your intent. This is a great opportunity to ask for input from your key stakeholders.
Other than some of those basic considerations, celebrations can be customized to fit for you and for your staff. In my business, celebration was a huge part of our culture. From annual retreats, to health and wellness days, to low ropes teamwork-building adventures, even a film-making day, these events were the catalyst for cementing team celebration and recognition.
In a a multi-generational, multi-cultural all-around heterogeneous group all onboard the same ship, you will need to plan accordingly. But the opportunity to let loose, celebrate and just have fun, is the common denominator. If you’re grimacing right now at the thought of celebrating with your co-workers and employees, take heart: there are many different ways of expressing this celebratory spirit, and it will take time to develop and find what really works for your unique organization.
As I previously noted about the business owners I interviewed who are exceeding at keeping good employees on board, the one thing they have in common is that they celebrate. In a variety of ways, from pizza parties to profit-sharing, employers are finding unique ways to share the booty and to celebrate.
Birthdays, completely unrelated to work, are a great starting point and provide an excellent opportunity for celebrations that involve the whole team. You can create a consistent celebration tradition, yet recognize each individual on their special day. How you celebrate team members’ birthdays is integral to your company’s culture. Depending on the size of the company birthdays “by the month” may be appropriate. Some small companies grant their employees the day off with pay, as an extra perk. Cake and candles are probably the most common celebration, and if you’re new to the notion of celebrations, birthdays are an easy starting point. But remember the “genuine factor,” because if celebrations become just another obligatory task, they will immediately lose their value. If even a birthday celebration sounds like a trip to the dentist, find a trusted member of your team, someone who clearly embraces celebration, to head up this area. While you’re at it give them a new title: “Director of Fun.”
Next week I’ll share some tips and strategies for recognizing and rewarding great employees.
Dawn McCooey, Author of the Bestselling book, “Keeping Good Employees On Board”
http://www.amazon.com/Keeping-Good-Employees-Board-Strategies/dp/1600376541/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265048073&sr=1-1