Office Appreciation Toolbox

[#1]

Building on the "Workplace Mental Health and Wellness Sensory Box" post, I thought I would also share my team's "Office Appreciation Toolbox".  A study in the Chicago Tribune with 35,000 respondents stated the number one reason individuals leave jobs is lack of appreciation.

It is not only the managers job to solely provide appreciation - peer-appreciation is also important for a cohesive and fully functioning team. This toolbox is a fun activity you can create with your team - everyone brings in an item or two to fill the box and/or replenish it.

We also created a "Recognition Corner" on GCconnex (internal to my workplace) with tons of tips, tricks and ideas to show appreciation at work. It seems so simple, however appreciation is often forgotten in times of busyness and stress.

This toolbox is not a one-size-fits-all initiative, you need to tailor your appreciation based on an individual's preference, this is just one idea of many that you could implement. The posters are available below in English and French if you would like to try this out at your workplace. I created the toolbox in the photo below for my team and added stamps to send thank you cards to our virtual colleagues, to ensure they were also included.

Does your workplace have an initiative similar to this one? If not, what are other initiatives that could easily be duplicated by other teams related to appreciation in the worklpace?

[Meg Holbrook]

Great article, @Jodi LeBlanc !

I have a big cabinet in my office where my team can grab cards, stationery, and other fun things very similar to your box idea. My team provides service desk support for a lot of external customers and sales people and one of our ongoing initiatives is for each person on my team to send three cards each month to one of those external customers. We tend to focus on connecting with folks who have been 'tough customers' since these are the biggest relationship-building opportunities. 

It's great to see my team using this resource and happy to hear that other sites are doing this as well!

[Jodi LeBlanc]

Hey @Meg Holbrook ! Thanks so much and thanks for sharing what you do at your workplace, I love that you focus on connecting your team with those who have been "tough customers" - I agree, definite relationship building opportunities. 

Your team is so lucky that you supply them with the means to be able to do this and that you encourage them to send three cards a month.