Let Them Eat Cake

My adult children were both home over the Juneteenth holiday and to celebrate a family birthday on Sunday. I baked a chocolate cake for the party, which we did not finish. When I got home from work on Monday, I asked my kids what they had been up to all day.  They laughed and replied, “We reverted to our summer-time childhood. We lounged on the couch, watched tv, and ate cake for breakfast.”  What a fun memory. Like all memories, though, not totally accurate. I was a better mom than to allow a summer of laziness and gluttony.  But I love it; that special treat of chocolate cake for breakfast stuck with them.

It's always the little things, isn’t it?  Whether at home or work, a special treat means a lot. At work especially, providing something special is an opportunity to boost morale and build team unity. Ann Mulcahy, former chairperson and CEO of Xerox, said, “Employees are a company's greatest asset - they're your competitive advantage. You want to attract and retain the best; provide them with encouragement, stimulus, and make them feel that they are an integral part of the company's mission.”  Being sincere and saying thank you is the best thing you can do. But, throwing in some metaphorical chocolate cake doesn’t hurt either.

Summer Treats

Summer is a great time to think about some fun employee treats. Research shows time and again that these rewards have a direct impact on employee morale and job satisfaction.  This probably isn’t news to you and, in this competitive market place, I know many you are looking for ways to build your recruitment and retention efforts. Here are a few ideas that are simple but can make a difference.

• Send a personal thank you note, not by email, but handwritten and sent to the person’s home.
• Create a traveling trophy (e.g., golden object, special hat, figurine, etc.) that moves employee-to-employee based on being “caught” doing something outstanding.
• Plan a team outing. Go to a ball game, have a picnic. Do something that is away from the office.
• Give employees a “branded” treat expressing appreciation, such as Life Savers, Kudos bars, Million Dollar bars, Red Hots, etc.
• Host a wellness challenge with fun incentives.
• Send an employee to a seminar/educational activity of interest. It sends the signal that you care about their professional development.
• Bring in a George Forman grill and cook up some hot dogs for your staff.

There are hundreds of ideas out there and a quick google search will give you all the ideas you need. The bottom line, though, is just do something. Like the occasional piece of cake for breakfast while watching cartoons, it’s what sticks with a person. Do something today to make those you work with feel appreciated. That’s how I see it from where I sit.