Creating a Fun Place to Work
“Fun is good.”
Dr. Seuss once said that. We’ve all likely had the opportunity to read one of Dr. Seuss’ books throughout our lives. His works have sparked the imaginations of countless children, and adults, over the last 50 years.
I think we can all take a hint from Dr. Seuss when he says that “fun is good.” Work isn’t always fun, but if it is “fun” every once and a while, it is a “good” thing. People react positively to things they perceive as being fun. And, in effect, those positive people can equate to motivated, excited and happy employees.
Fun at work is taking the ordinary and making it (or trying to make it) enjoyable. It is our reward for our hard work and commitment. Fun makes difficult situations a lot less stressful. The common ground of fun helps us bond with others. Physiologically, our brain thrives on fun. By tapping into some childlike play, you can introduce some fun into your workplace and discover a multitude of benefits for your organization’s employees.
Work isn’t always meant be a happy and exciting time, but here are several ways for managers to help their employees have fun at work while still being productive:
Have a Positive Attitude – A positive attitude is contagious. If you are happy and positive, chances are that others will follow.
Be Social – Interact with your colleagues in a non-working way. Join a company team or group. Cultivate working friendships.
Have a “Casual Tuesday” in addition to “Casual Friday” – Employees like wearing their casual clothes. Many of them would likely appreciate a 2nd day during the week to wear “non-office attire.”
Celebrate birthdays and anniversaries – This is an easy way to get everyone away from their desks and together with each other for a few minutes. Send an eCard.
Organize a competitive sporting event – In warm weather, get a group of employees to play basketball or softball together. Make a friendly work-related wager for the winning team, if you please.
Budget for Work Fun – Fun isn’t always free. Try to budget some fun for your employees in the form of an outdoor picnic or trip to a ballgame.
There is no limit to the ways in which you can inject some fun into the workplace. In the end, don’t take yourself too seriously. Life is too short to be serious all the time. And always remember, “fun is good.”
What is the Purpose of a Formal Service Award Program?
The main point is that a formal service award program holds a company accountable to doing daily recognition. Think about that previous statement. Compare your company’s standards of how you handle daily recognition to others in your industry. Would yours be better or worse than most? Imagine a company that holds a beautiful annual event that includes a dinner at a banquet hall, where all people celebrating a years of service anniversary are accompanied by their spouse to be honored in front of their peers and recognized for their dedication to the company.
A company who makes the investment of money and time to go through the work of recognizing its most important assets, the people, is going to also be inclined to take care of daily recognition throughout the year aside from the formal event. A manager who has to prepare a two minute synopsis of the awarded employee is going to be paying closer attention to the tasks the employee works on. This manager will be inclined to give positive affirmations to the employee for a job well done leading up to the event.
In other words if your company does not have a formal event the managers will most likely not be motivated to give small forms of incentives and recognition to their employees. A company that doesn’t take the time to recognize an employees long term commitment is not going to retain their best employees.
Now if your company doesn’t have the budget for a big banquet there are other things you can do. A low cost alternative is to pull everyone together in a unit for a few minutes to take the time to formalize the service award recognition. You are accomplishing the praise portion in front of their peers.
Employees that decide to quit their jobs usually leave because of a bad relationship with their manager. They don’t quit on the company they quit on the manager, which usually means they find the need the leave the company. This problem stems from feeling un-appreciated. Managers need to find ways to show genuine interest in their employees and look for ways to give positive affirmations.
If your company is lacking a formal service award program and is also looking for guidance on what to do for daily recognition contact us today, we can help!
What It Means to Have an Engaged Hospital Staff
Employee engagement is a phrase that gets mentioned quite a bit nowadays. Books are published about it. Seminars are held about it. Articles, like this one, are written. But what does it really mean? And why should you care?
Employee engagement, also called work engagement or worker engagement, is a business management concept. An engaged employee is one who is fully involved in, and enthusiastic about, his or her work, and will therefore act in a way that furthers their organization’s interests.
Now that you know what employee engagement means, why should you and your healthcare organization care? Here are some of the results of effective employee engagement:
Employees understand their role in success – Employees need to understand how their job fits into the big picture. They need to know what they must do more of and do differently to help the business succeed. Hospital managers can help their employees by helping employees upgrade their skills to match the needs of the hospital.
Career development – Engagement levels rise when there is a formal career development system that includes components such as formal career tracks and annual career evaluations. People that are actively engaged help move the organization forward.
Maintaining credibility – Creating a bond with employees should be viewed as an investment. Sometimes you just need to get out of the way and let them do their work. When you go ahead and trust people, you have created a culture of trust. They will be engaged.
Commitment to your hospital and its patients – Studies have statistically shown that engaged employees are more productive, more profitable, more customer-focused, safer and less likely to leave their employer.
As you can see, employee engagement leads to success. Our recognition programs will generate engagement in your organization. Fill out our Easy Recognition Quote (ERQ) request form today. An Award Concepts recognition professional will contact you soon thereafter to discuss a customized employee recognition strategy with you. Plus, we’ll send you a free Starbucks giftcard!
What Drives Employee Productivity?
There are many answers to this question. We are all given the same amount of minutes in each hour of work each day. Some people seem to accomplish more with less effort. How do I become one of these people that gets more done in what appears to be less time? How do you help others become those people? First of all, your employees are hopefully doing work that they look forward to doing on a daily basis. If they are not, they will be tired and un-motivated if their core skill set is not being challenged. The answer to driving employee productivity has nothing to do with time; it has to do with harnessing more energy at the goal.
What drives a high energy level? Passion and a definitive purpose with a clear goal of what is to be achieved is what drives a person’s energy level. You, as a manager, must be certain that you have clearly set the guidelines of what is to be achieved so that your employees know what they are working toward. Take a look at the ways you engage the interest of your employees toward their goals on a daily basis. Small incentives and public recognition of the people who are doing the right activities will keep their energy level high while driving productivity.
I also suggest that you have personal consultations to engage your employees and help them understand their core skill sets. Employees who feel satisfied with their work is key to productivity and employee retention. If a skilled, outgoing nurse is limited to answering the phones for her department during the majority of her shift, it will not be long before she is looking to be transferred to a new department. Think of a purebred race horse that is given the task of working in a farmer’s field all day, pulling a plow, to till the ground. The horse will soon be unproductive as it is not doing what it is meant to do. Now, if this same race horse knew that the field that was being plowed is going to be turned into a race track the clear set goal will motivate the horse to finish the task.
If you are looking conversation topics you should enroll in the 1 Minute Manager. You will receive a thought-provoking email every day that will reinforce a positive mindset and give you some good ideas for managing your workforce.
Ideas for Employee Appreciation and Recognition
When a new employee is hired they are given a job description and duties in which to perform. They receive training and upon completion of that training they are expected to complete their daily tasks. The desired productivity level is something that can not be forced onto an employee by an employer. To increase productivity levels in employees they must feel appreciated and motivated. When an employee is motivated, they take a personal investment into their work and often work harder and smarter, this not only benefits the company, but the employee as well through performance reviews, promotions, raises, etc. When employee morale is low, it can be lifted through employee appreciation and recognition.
There are many cost-conscious solutions for an employee to be appreciated and given recognition. Often, managers are so engrossed in their own work as well as managing staff members that they have little spare time or forget the value in showing appreciation to an employee. Studies show that simple and inexpensive employee recognition ideas can be as effective as high-priced employee recognition initiatives. Therefore, it is important as a manager to take into consideration this study and make it a priority to appreciate and recognize their employees…in doing so, they will reap the benefits from having staff members who are energized, passionate, and motivated about their work.
Think about it…you like to feel appreciated and receive recognition for your efforts whether it be in your personal or professional life. How does it make you feel when you receive such? Your employees are no different. Below are some employee appreciation and recognition ideas that require very little cost to your healthcare organization.
Handwritten note. This is a simple way to show appreciation and can be left on at the employee’s office or work station. Be sure to make the connection between the employee and his/her contributions to the organization…this will make the employee feel that their work is important.
A summons. Often when an employee is called to a manager’s office it is to be reprimanded for something. Change this up. Summon an employee to your office just to say, “thank you” for something that they’ve done. This will do wonders and not only boost employee morale, but strengthen your relationship with him/her.
Treat them special. This doesn’t mean to play favorites. Assign special assignments to those that take initiative. This is a great way to keep these employees motivated and energized. This is also a display of trust and it helps the employee to perform important tasks faithfully.
Edible treats. Distributing edible treats such as chocolates, donuts, bagels, etc. amongst team members when targets are achieved is a great way to express employee recognition.
Praise. Inform top management of an individual or team’s accomplishments. Individual recognition in the presence of management helps generate a sense of pride in the employee or team towards their work.
Have a party. Everyone loves pizza! Order some pizzas in for lunch to celebrate an achievement or accomplishment of an individual or team. Another option (weather dependent) is to have a picnic on campus. Extend the allotted time for lunch and transform it into a party of sorts.
Take a picture. This is an excellent way to engage employees in their work. Simply take advantage of the various photograph opportunities that exist in any given work day. Take pictures of your employees performing their roles as care givers and display these images on a board near reception or on the walls throughout the hallways for others to see.
How organizations approach appreciation and recognition will differ, but every organization should have some form of a recognition strategy in which their primary goal is to create a culture of recognition. The above are just a few examples of inexpensive recognition which may lead to impressive results from an individual or team. For more information on this topic, contact a Recognition Expert at Award Concepts today!
View also: Employee Happiness Kit
If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It: Reviewing Your Employee Recognition Options
In our lives we have routines…ways of doing things…and setups…
Have you ever heard the expression, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?” Most people have. Many Human Resources managers take this stance when it comes to their organization’s employee recognition program. Essentially, they believe that if there is no evidence of a real problem, and fixing the “problem” wouldn’t improve their years of service program, then there is no logical reason to waste energy and time (theirs or anybody else’s) trying to fix it.
I understand where they are coming from. The process of reviewing vendor options isn’t normally at the top of any HR professional’s to-do list. But at the same time, I feel like it is the responsibility of these people to periodically review their options when it comes to their organization’s recognition program vendor. Your employees depend on you to look out for their best interests. This applies to their insurance benefits, payroll timeliness, retirement packages AND employee recognition program.
Change is okay. Do not be afraid of change. The constant evaluation of the effectiveness of an organization results in the need for HR professionals to frequently research and advocate change.
If you feel like the concept of reviewing your current vendor against the dozens of other recognition companies out there is a little overwhelming, do not worry. Award Concepts will make it easy for you. We can administer fully-customized, anonymous surveys to see what your employees think about your current program. These surveys are at no cost to you. We guarantee that you’ll discover something new when surveying your employees. They are unique, hard-working and opinionated individuals; they will let you know what they really think about their recognition program.
Some other things to think about:
- Don’t minimize the value of an effective recognition program or the damage of an ineffective one. Research shows that the more satisfied employees are with the organization’s recognition practices the more productive they are. They’re also less likely to leave your company.
- Don’t treat everyone the same. One size does not fit all when it comes to employee recognition. Take the time to get to know your employees. Find out what motivates them. Respect people’s differences.
- Don’t rely on a traditional award like a logo’d t-shirt or coffee mug as the gift of choice for your employees. Think creatively. We offer our clients a wide variety of fun, modern awards that are useful for your employees.
Looking for a quote? Give Award Concepts a call today (1-800-659-7801). We’ll respond quickly with a competitive recognition program quote that will motivate, engage and inspire your employees.
And remember – just because you don’t think something is broken doesn’t necessarily mean that it cannot be improved upon.
The Relevance of Service Awards: Why a Service Award Program is Essential
People want to be recognized. People need to be recognized.
The questions you need to be asking yourself: Are you recognizing them? If not, why aren’t you? And if you are recognizing them, how effective are your methods of employee recognition?
These are important questions. Coincidentally, they’re also the questions that you don’t normally ask yourself on a day to day basis. Recognizing an employee’s hard work and dedication to your organization is what a Service Award Program is all about.
So how does a service award benefit the company as a whole? In simple terms, a happy worker is a good worker. Your employees’ level of motivation has an impact on the quality or quantity of their work. Increased employee productivity and retention in turn benefits the corporate bottom line.
Historically, service awards have been synonymous with employee recognition. Service awards are a way of recognizing employees for predetermined years of service with the company. On milestone anniversaries businesses will offer gifts to commemorate the occasion, usually giving the employee a selection of gifts to choose from. The traditional method of recognition was for an organization to offer gifts to their employees by means of selection out of a printed award catalog. This is still very common, but today more and more companies are offering gifts to their employees via company branded websites, which happens to be one of Award Concepts’ specialties.
Over the past two years, we have invested into the development of “Software as a Service (SaaS)” employee recognition solutions to help fuel your organization’s recognition program. We’ve developed Recognition Portal™ websites that are customized to your company. We have established an Admin Recognition Portal, which is geared towards program administrators, and we also have an Awardee Recognition Portal which focuses on the award recipients. Each portal provides useful tools for day-to-day recognition that will help create a culture of recognition and fit in with your total recognition strategy.
In addition to the recent change in technology within the employee recognition industry, the awards themselves have also changed over the years. An effective mix of award types helps all types of employee recognition, from everyday contributions to major achievements and milestones. Award Concepts offers a wide and varied selection of awards that range from lifestyle gifts to customized emblematic awards. We literally have hundreds of gift selections ranging from binoculars to high-definition televisions, iPods to grandfather clocks, and digital cameras to crystal bowls. Try to think of any award you’d like to provide your employees; we have it.
A service award program is an essential part of every organization. If you don’t have one right now, you should. Contact Award Concepts for more information regarding Service Award Programs.
Cash Awards: They Cost More Than You May Have Expected
Occasionally in our journey to find organizations we can help, we come upon groups that use cash awards to recognize their caregivers. Let’s take a look at “cash vs gifts”. Cash awards have a few perceived advantages on face value…we are told cash awards are easy to dispense and usually the comment, “my folks want cash”. As I said, “on face value” these may seem to be two good reasons…but, the easy answer most often is not the best answer. In the case of cash awards for recognition, it really is not the best for both your organization financially or for your caregivers. In this article, I will give you some excellent tools to use to make an informed decision on how to effectively recognize your caregivers for your employee recognition program. Are you ready to read more???
The Marathon of Employee Recognition
Award Concepts' Brian Zwolinski with 2010 Chicago Marathon medal
I am not a professional runner – far from it, actually. I had never run more than 3-4 miles at any given time in my life. But earlier this year, I decided to challenge myself to do something that I never thought was possible: run a marathon.
By means of an intense 18-week training program, I gradually built up my stamina and improved my technique to get to the point where I was physically (and mentally) capable of running a continuous 26.2 miles uninterrupted. On October 10th, I completed the 2010 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. I’d say it was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
It was also one of the most fulfilling accomplishments of my life.
When I saw the finish line in front of me at the end of the race, I had such a wide range of emotions all at the same time. Pride. Happiness. Relief. Excitement. And I thought to myself, “Employee recognition should feel like that.” Those who receive effective recognition in the workplace should be fulfilled, proud, happy and excited. And those who provide it should also feel similar emotions. The right kind of appreciation can help to make a boring day an exceptional one. It’s no secret that people love recognition and praise.
Recognition isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon. I’d like to further detail how the process of running a marathon can correlate to effective employee recognition:
1) Training – Without a strict diet and regular exercise routine in place, I never would’ve been able to run the marathon. Your staff members should similarly be trained to engage your organization’s employees. Subscribe them to our One-Minute Manager for daily email reminders on recognition.
2) Purpose – Running a marathon isn’t easy, but all that hard work pays off on race day. Likewise, you need to be conscious of your employees’ feelings throughout the calendar year. Are they happy? Are they stressed? Do they feel like they’re being appreciated? Employee recognition isn’t a ‘once a year’ thing. Talk to your employees. Ask them questions. See what makes them tick.
3) Community – One of the best aspects of the marathon for me was the incredible moral support I received from other runners, volunteers and fans during the race. This type of community and support should be evident throughout your organization. Use your awards program to build a culture of recognition and appreciation. Creating this culture will help to support all employees in continuing to serve your customers with excellent service.
4) Recognition – My name was listed in the Chicago Tribune as an official Marathon finisher. It meant a lot for me to have a published record of my achievement. If your organization has a corporate newsletter in place, you should list all employees who are celebrating their anniversaries each month or every quarter. If you do not have a newsletter, add a new page to your website or intranet. Employees who read these resources will congratulate each other throughout the week. This is a free and easy way to incorporate peer-to-peer recognition into your corporate structure. The best part: it works.
5) Rewards – I have some great keepsakes from my race, including an engraved medal that I have on display at home, and a shirt that tells the world I finished a marathon. Tangible awards act as an excellent reminder to employees that their company appreciates them and cares about their work ethic. Awards can range from standard items like jewelry, watches and clocks to more modern gifts like iPods, luggage sets and bikes. Our programs incorporate a wide variety of substantial and meaningful award selections that your employees will cherish for years to come.
For more information regarding the long-term benefits of effective employee recognition, please contact Award Concepts today. Our tools, tips and techniques will help you develop and implement a recognition program that will achieve the goals your company seeks.
Congratulations to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
I wanted to take a moment to recognize and congratulate our client Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center for their honor roll rankings as determined by U.S. News.
Out of 4,852 facilities analyzed for the 2010-11 Best Hospitals rankings, only 152 were ranked in any of the 16 specialties. Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center was one of them.
View the overview on Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center’s rankings.
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