Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Smells like team spirit

From: [...]
Date: September 15, 2008 1:13:10 PM CDT
To: [...]
Subject: Suggestion - "Spirit Committee"

Good Afternoon!
It seems that company morale has been a topic of conversation as of late, and I have a suggestion to help our efforts to make [...] a great place to work.
Study after study has shown that what workers want from their jobs is not better benefits or more money. Rather, it is the small things that make them feel commitment to their organization. One study shows the top three things workers want are: interesting work, full appreciation for the work they do, and a feeling of being in on things. Baxter Labs recently asked their employees, worldwide, what they could do to make things better for them. The resounding answer was that employees wanted to be "respected as whole human beings with a life outside of work."

What seems critical, then, in workplaces today is for leaders to respond to workers as human beings and to foster an atmosphere that is inclusive, caring, creative, appreciative and joyful. People are looking for a deeper sense of meaning and purpose in their work and, above all, they want to be respected and valued.
A [...] "Spirit Committee" could be formed, and meet on a monthly basis to brainstorm about new and creative ways to make [...] a better place to work. Ultimately, the goal would be to help the staff feel appreciated. Some suggestions…
- Ice cream day – self explanatory and yummy!
- $50.00 Gas cards – a way to reward those going above and beyond their normal duties to get the job done. Managers
submit qualifying names each month. Those names are them entered into a drawing for the gas card giveaway.
- Once a month encourage senior managers to do something creative for all employees, or for employees in their divisions:
cook them breakfast, bring around an ice cream cart, serve them doughnuts and coffee, or even take them all to lunch. These small acts of appreciation will be remembered and talked about for weeks!
- Have a "Laugh a Day" bulletin board where you display appropriate cartoons and humorous writings. You may also want to keep a fishbowl of cartoons and jokes in the reception area of your organization so that visitors, too, can have a smile while they are waiting. Research has shown that the most productive workplaces have about 10 minutes of laughter every hour.
Anyway, just a few suggestions from me. I'm sure with all of our creative folks, we could come up with TONS of great ideas.
Thanks!
[...]

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