Category Archives: Culture

Did You Know – End of the Quarter

Did you know – employees truly DO want to know how the Company is doing. As we approach the end of the first quarter of 2019, what approach do you take to keeping employees in the know? (Where has the time gone???)

In a perfect world, goals were set like this:

Leader established Company goals
- Managers established their department goals to support Company goals
  - Employees and Managers set individual goals to support department goals which support the Company goals

We don’t live in a perfect world, but I’ll bet some of these steps were followed – even if it was informally. It’s the end of the marking period now so we need to share our grades. (I have grandkids – report card time is important!)

Nothing says you must share the exact dollar amount of your revenue. However, what about sharing “percentage toward goal” or even “we’re on track”. Don’t hesitate to share the bad either. Rally the troops if the numbers are down – with your employees to foster a culture of involvement and awareness. Who knows, maybe one of the employees will have an idea that will turn the numbers around for the next quarter!

Not sure how to begin a communication program with your employees? Shoot us an email and we’ll help you figure it all out and avoid unnecessary drama!

All the best ~ Karen

Did You Know – Rewards and Recognition Don’t Have to Break the Piggy Bank!

Happy Birthday to Me – Happy Birthday to Me. Yep – it’s my birthday month. Do you know when your employees’ birthdays are? How simple would it be to shoot them an email (or mail a card to their home) to recognize their birthday?

And, employment anniversaries – who remembers those? (I have a note on my calendar for Melissa’s anniversary – it’s that important to me and I don’t want to miss it!)

To this day, I remember my 1^st anniversary note from the President of the Company I worked for in 1989! I single carnation was on my desk when I arrived at work. It had a hand written thank you note on it recognizing my first anniversary. Now, I realize he didn’t drive 45 minutes to leave that on my desk before I got to work BUT he DID take the time to recognize me.

How much did that carnation/note cost to leave this long of an impression on an employee? What kind of an impression are YOU leaving on your employees?

Not sure where to start? Shoot us an email and we’ll help you figure it all out and avoid unnecessary drama!

All the best ~ Karen

Did You Know – When Love Blooms at the Office!

Did you know you CAN say something when a romance starts off at the workplace? Even if you do not have a fraternization policy, you can still (and should) hold an adult conversation with the new love birds. The conversation can go something like this:

Really happy you kids have started a relationship, but I want to review some key points for you. We really don’t care what you do outside of work, but I do need to remind you about your interactions at work. It’s important that you always treat each other like co-workers – no hidden kisses or hugs – just cordial, polite co-workers. Remember, unlawful harassment can happen when someone ELSE is offended by your interactions at work and I’m sure you wouldn’t want that to happen. Also, I hope it doesn’t happen but IF the day comes when you two just aren’t a “thing” anymore, please DO remember that must stay out of the office as well. While it may be difficult to do, it’s important that you both remember, if that day comes, to be respectful to each other at the workplace.

Easy peasey – right?

Still not sure about this conversation? Shoot us an email and we’ll help you figure it all out and avoid unnecessary drama!

All the best ~ Karen

I miss it EVERY year!

While I no longer have school age children, I DO have grandchildren. And, one of them has already expressed interest in taking over the business “after his professional baseball career because all Gammy does is sit on her butt all day.” Carson Leib – age 11 (12 by the time you read this!)

Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day

The official event is April 26, 2018 this year. The event actually started in 1993 (where were YOU when it started?! I was working for International Paper Company and still remember us planning a 1/2 day event.) Take our Daughters to Work was the brain child of Gloria Steinem and the Ms. Foundation. The title was changed in 2003 to be more inclusive. I honestly don’t remember employers limiting it to just girls even in the way back. Continue reading →

Stop Blaming the Millennials

For the last couple of years, it’s been a trend among the Baby Boomer generation to mock Millennials. Endless comments about how they’re lazy, entitled, ‘the generation that needs safe spaces,’ etc. Many insults have been hurled at Millennials but they certainly didn’t take it sitting down, at least not when it came to the twitter war sparked by #HowToConfuseAMillenial. What started out as a way for Baby Boomers and others to levy insults and ‘witty’ barbs turned against them shortly after Millennials started using the hashtag in sarcastic and ironic ways.

That right there should illustrate that while they have no problem fighting back, we’re the problem—not them. Continue reading →

Community Rent: How Volunteerism Betters the Employee Experience

One of my first jobs actually required participation in a community service group. Since then, I’m always amazed to hear about other companies who’ve instated similar practices—and what that’s done to further employee engagement. You see, volunteerism has a fairly large impact on employee engagement, and that’s true for a number of reasons. Continue reading →

Forget “Engagement”: It’s All About the Employee “Experience”

If you’re like me, you’re probably a little tired of hearing about employee engagement, mostly because the things businesses have been doing to engage with their employees didn’t offer long-term solutions. Morale would go up and down in the same month, and everyone would be back at square one. Continue reading →

Whatever Happened to the Company Picnic?

Remember the company picnics of yesteryear? The large outings where employees and their families would come together, and for a few hours, you’d feel that you were all part of the same family? That kind of culture, the one that celebrates togetherness and teamwork, that is what separates the average company from a great one. Continue reading →

What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You: Employee Regulations and Employment Laws

If you have even one employee on your payroll, you are subject to more federal, state, and local employment laws than you probably realize. Quick: if you have an employee, can you answer any of the following questions?

Do you know if you’re in compliance with the law?
If one of the many local, state, or federal agencies comes knocking on your door, do you know how to protect yourself?
Is your paperwork in order?
Do you even have paperwork?

Continue reading →

Having Fun at Work and Beating the “Winter Doldrums”

Whether it’s seasonal affective disorder or you’re simply bummed out because of the cold, gray skies, and snow, winter can be a tough time to stay productive in the workplace. We all handle the season differently but injecting a bit of fun into the workday can certainly help beat the winter doldrums. Continue reading →

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Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day