Little Celebrations

By Barbara Arney

I recently interviewed several “survivor” employees six months after lay-offs in a family-owned business where they had worked for years. 
All the people mentioned that what they missed most were the little recognitions and celebrations they used to have:  the Friday pizza parties, the silly horn that blew when a new client came on board, the weekly recognitions and the upbeat music playing when they walked
into staff meetings.  

“It wasn’t big expensive events that made this a fun place to work.  It was just taking a few minutes out of the day to connect with co-workers, laugh a little, and to feel like you mattered.”

From the employee perspective, Reptilian fear was holding the organization captive and they were committed to getting “unstuck”.  As they talked to the managers about how to restore morale, they realized that the managers were completely focused on technical solutions and unaware of the human impact  related to cut-backs on recognition, acknowledgment, and fun.  Together, they developed a low-budget plan to identify and recognize little successes  

What does your organization do to keep the spirit alive through these challenging times?  What do you do?  We’d love to hear from you!

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