At National Premium, each office location coordinates “Fun Fridays” or “Wacky Wednesdays.”  A team of employees coordinate simple, fun events each month or each week.  National Premium held a “Guess Who?” school days week where each employee posted a childhood photo and had to guess everyone else’s photos.  Amongst other “Fun Fridays,” National Premium has dressed in favorite sports’ team colors, held a mini bocce ball tournament, played Pictionary, or coordinated themed potlucks.

Taken from About.com Human Resources, here are other great ways to say “thank you!”

• Praise something your coworker has done well. Identify the specific actions you found admirable.
• Say thank you.  Show your appreciation for their hard work and contributions. And, don’t forget to say please often.  A more gracious, polite workplace is appreciated by all.
• Ask your coworkers about their family, their hobby, their weekend or a special event they attended. Your genuine interest – as opposed to being nosey – causes people to feel valued and cared about.
• Know your coworker’s interests well enough to present a small gift occasionally. An appreciated gift, and the gesture of providing it, will light up your coworker’s day.
• If you can afford to, give staff money.  End of the year bonuses, attendance bonuses, quarterly bonuses and gift certificates say “thank you” quite nicely.  Or simply offer a holiday gift exchange!
• Almost everyone appreciates food.  Take coworkers or staff to lunch for a birthday, a special occasion or for no reason at all.  Let your guest pick the restaurant.  Or bring in homemade goodies!
• Last, but not least, provide opportunity.  People want chances for training and cross-training.  They like to attend professional association meetings and represent your organization at civic and philanthropic events.

WE CAN HELP YOUR COMPANY GET POSITIVE RESULTS WITH RECOGNITION

National Premium can create a custom recognition program for you company.  Below are some great reasons WHY you should implement a program:

• Team members will be more engaged with recognition – let them know exactly what they did that made a difference.  They’ll feel good, and they’ll repeat this behavior in the future.
• As a whole, engaged workplaces have low turnover and high customer loyalty.  Recognition keeps team members engaged and builds a stronger relationship between managers and their team members, in turn, developing loyalty to the manager and the organization.
• Engaged employees tend to perform at a higher level, providing excellent service.  As a result, customers are more satisfied and will continue to do business with the organization.
• According to John Knotter, author of Culture and Performance, companies that pay attention to employees enjoy exceptional increases to the bottom line when compared to companies that only pay attention to the bottom line (Fig. 1).  In this study, employee-focused organizations increased their revenue 483% over the bottom-line focused competition.
  

Source: Culture and Performance, John Knotter; Contented Cows Give Better Milk, Fresh Milk, Bill Catlette and Richard Hadden.

• According to the Revenue Comparison study below, companies that reward employees make more money over a five-year time period compared to companies that do not reward employees.

Source: Contented Cows Give Better Milk, Fresh Milk, Bill Catlette and Richard Hadden.

The most effective safety campaigns for the workplace according to the National Safety Council generate employee excitement through regular communication, proactive safety activities, and recognition. When you’re ready to boost safety awareness among your employees, here are a few tips:

Consider which safety issues matter most for your employees. The 2012 Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Indexranks “overexertion” (e.g. excessive lifting, pushing, carrying) as the leading cause of disabling injuries. Other common safety hot buttons include falls, being struck by an object, and repetitive motion (repeated stress and strain). Imprinted products can be customized with safety pointers targeting a specific workplace situation. A mouse pad with ergonomic tips works well for desk-bound employees, who spend hours inputting computer data. A cap with the slogan, “Heads Up for Safety,” can remind production floor workers to beware overhead dangers.

Select products that function for safety. For example, keep employees highly visible when they work around machinery or vehicles by outfitting them in apparel and headwear in neon safety colors and reflective striping. Flashlights prove valuable for nighttime workers or those in dimly lit environments. Jumper cables/auto safety kits keep drivers in good shape on the road. Think also of products that aid wellness. Stainless steel water bottles hydrate outdoor laborers to mitigate the risk of overheating. Sun block reduces the risk of skin cancer.

Finally, keep your team motivated. Provide a tiered menu of safety incentives that gain the recipient peer recognition. These rewards can range from small but useful items such as quality key chains or multifunction tools to embroidered jackets designating “Leaders in Safety” to high-level awards such as a fine Swiss-made watch for those whose efforts set records for an injury-free workplace.

To get started improving safety at your company, please call or email us. We’ll share examples of programs we’ve created for others that proved effective and share ideas for a campaign customized specifically for your workplace.

• Understand their value of relationships. Some countries won’t even start a business deal until they trust you. After that initial deal, nurture those relationships and not just contact them when you want to do a deal.
• Expect to dine with them and socialize for a few hours after. If they offer you a particular food that they like you should try it, and politely say you are full when you have had enough.
• Respect other’s space. Americans are use to having a lot of space between offices and when interacting with others, but they should not feel offended when others work close to them.
• Learn a few words in their local language. Even “Hello” or “Nice to meet you” goes a long way in showing that you respect them, as well as that part of their culture.
• Have flexibility in your schedule. Not everyone follows the fast-paced clock Americans do, and it’s not because they don’t think your time is important.
• Be aware that there are differences in how agreements are finalized. Some countries may think a deal is settled without a formal verbal acknowledgement or contract.
• Learn the proper etiquette for giving out and receiving a business card. For example, in China, it is appropriate to do so using both hands.
• Dress professionally at all times. You don’t need to incorporate their traditional dress, just wear a conservative suit.

Hopefully you find these tips helpful and conduct some research before your next foreign business deal!

The holidays are a time when there is a lot of focus on giving, especially to those in need. It’s a time when we realize just how lucky we are and that we have what we need more than we think. But after the excitement and busyness of the season comes and goes, we have to remember that these people are in need of our help throughout the entire year.

To start off the year in a good light, we are urging our employees and you to make a New Year’s resolution to participate in at least one philanthropic event this year. Getting a group of fellow employees together is a great team-building activity and a way to help the well-being of others in your local community.

Here’s a website that makes it easy to find a place where you can volunteer near you! http://www.volunteermatch.org/