I am writing this newsletter from my A-frame cabin in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains. It’s my escape from the sweltering heat of New Orleans.
This is also where I am celebrating my 60th birthday – today! (Note, I feel like a 40 year old, not sure how my parents got my age wrong all those years ago.)
Celebrating your employees
One of my peer groups has been bouncing around the question (and answers) of how companies recognize their employees, especially on their work anniversary?
We all like to get presents or cake on our birthdays. (Hint: my favorite is NY Cheesecake, with cherries on top).
Same goes for your employees. But I believe even more meaningful is acknowledging their work anniversary.
We set up a “five year wall”.
In my old firm, employees would walk past a five year wall every day seeing the (growing) number of pride-filled team members whose picture made it up on that wall.
After 10 years they received a beautiful company ring.
We made a big deal of this each spring at our kickoff.
Ideas to celebrate
Here are a few other ideas that my peer group members shared with each other:
- We give $100 for each year of service on their anniversary, and I write them a handwritten note (at least I used to, I need to get back to that.)
- At 1 and 3 years we give fun swag, and at 5 and 10 years we pay for “trips and experiences.”
- We give a paid sabbatical every 7 years of service. Wow.
My favorite (of course because it is a take on mine) is Greg Wildeboer from Whispering Pines Landscaping, who has a classy 5, 10 and 15 year wall. See photo below.
Your Challenge: Take time out to celebrate your people’s biggest accomplishment: sticking around.
On my birthday, I should actually be celebrating my wife who has stuck by me all these years. 😉
And on your employee’s anniversaries, they will appreciate it when you do the same for them!
Happy Summer, Stay Cool!
Regards, (young at heart) Jeffrey!
Greg Wildeboer shares the secret to his retention and success:
“Everyone wants to be part of a winning team!! Having an open book culture where you share both production accountability and the company’s performance, we see that it creates buy in and drives consistent results. If every employee owns their part of the profitability of the company, you can have both strong growth and exceptional profits.”
