Recognize and Celebrate Successes

It’s remarkable what a difference a simple thank you can make. That thought came to my mind as I prepared today’s blog post. It’s the latest in our Engagement Series, and it highlights how important it is to recognize and celebrate successes.

Jeannie Price, USANA’s executive vice president of sales for the Americas, Europe, and Australia-New Zealand, recently gave USANA employees some ideas to help celebrate each other. It’s always an important thing to do, but even more so now that so many of us are working remotely.

“While we cannot control the ongoing progression of the pandemic,” she says, “we can hold fast to our company values of health, excellence, integrity, and community, as we navigate through our new normal.”

Price explains, and I wholeheartedly agree, that building on our values and culture is more important than ever.

“While the road to normalcy is unknown, it is important for people to know what is important here and now,” she says. “Recognizing people for their commitment to challenging circumstances gives employees a sense of what is important.”

6 Ways to Celebrate Employees

Here are six ways Price identified to recognize and celebrate employees in a remote workforce.

1. Celebrate anniversaries and birthdays

While in-person office celebrations have been temporarily suspended, we still have opportunities to create special, memorable experiences. Send an employee lunch, or mail a gift card to his/her home. Taking the time to send a personal note can be extra special. Organize a virtual happy hour and invite the guest of honor’s spouse and/or family to the event. This helps build a stronger connection with the employee and their family and the work team.

2. Recognize small milestone successes

In other words, don’t wait until a big project is completed to offer praise and congratulations. Set milestone markers and recognize an individual’s or a team’s efforts along the way. And then, once the project is finished, be sure to celebrate the achievement.

3. Show appreciation for the right behaviors

Do you have employees who are especially responsive, even when working remotely? Write them a personalized message that details how appreciative you are of their ability to remain attentive from their new home office. This will reinforce the value of communication throughout your remote team and motivate employees to continue building these behaviors.

4. Celebrate small acts of kindness

Paying it forward is such an important part of our culture. And right now, there are ample opportunities to help others. Many employees are doing small acts of kindness every day that we simply are unaware of. Everyone can search out opportunities to highlight these acts of kindness. We can showcase them not only as an opportunity to recognize but more importantly, to inspire others to do similar activities. It helps to foster emotional connections among team members.

5. Allow for peer to peer recognition

Being recognized by a peer can be very rewarding. Do your part to congratulate colleagues on their successes.

6. Tell the story

To maximize recognition, it’s important to tell the story and shout it from the rooftops. Deliver your recognition in a social setting, including special virtual meetings/calls. That way, peers get the opportunity to add on to the praise and make the appreciation even more special.

“Whatever your style of recognition, celebrate achievements,” Price says. “It will go a long way in fostering relationships and keeping us connected.”

To view additional articles in this series, please click here.