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It’s time to rethink workplace exercise incentives involving cash.
New research shows money does little to motivate gym visits, even among people who have the intention of exercising more.
The experiment, conducted by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers and published in the National Bureau of Economic Research, randomized about 800 new gym members into four groups.
The control group received $30 after six weeks, unconditionally. The other groups were rewarded for going to the gym at least nine times in the first six weeks of membership — with a $30 Amazon gift card, a $60 Amazon gift card or an item of their choosing from Amazon worth about $30, respectively.
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Targeted techniques for engaging Millennial or Gen Z employees are helpful but don’t fully reflect the reality — the need for employee appreciation for a multigenerational workforce.
“If you walk into any office or firm, on any given day, you’ll find Baby Boomers on the cusp of retirement working side by side with Generation Xers staking out new leadership roles and Millennials eager to make their mark,” writes columnist Deanna Arteaga.
Ensuring that your employee appreciation accounts for all ages and generations helps foster a workplace-wide culture of gratitude. (more…)

Workplace friendships used to be commonplace.
Now workplace experts say they’re beginning to make a comeback, particularly among men — and that’s good news for organizational culture.
With World Friendship Day coming up on August 6, take a moment to consider the important role of workplace friendships at your company. It’s a great time to plan low-key but engaging activities that celebrate friendships among employees and coworkers.
Workplace friendships don’t have to come at the expense of meeting work goals, according to Fast Company.
One study showed that “skipping the small talk and focusing on self-disclosure and nonwork-related topics can forge a closeness that makes coworkers more collaborative, productive, and accountable.” (more…)

Time.
It’s one of the main reasons managers give for not thanking employees.
I just don’t have the time.
That’s a shame, because in the long run a robust employee appreciation program actually saves time. Employees who feel appreciated are more productive, and retention goes up.
This is especially true at the holidays, when time is at a premium.
Don’t let a time crunch keep your company from having a great holiday turkey gift program! Begin your planning now.
gThankYou makes it easy to share the gift of a Thanksgiving Turkey with Gift Certificates for any brand, any preparation of whole turkey, redeemable nationally at major grocery stores. (more…)

The dog days of summer are here, and your staff could use a little extra engagement. Now’s the time to bring the team back together from their summer distractions with a late-summer employee cookout.
Why now?
Workplace productivity drops 20 percent during the summer months, team projects take 13 percent longer to complete and workers are 45 percent more distracted, according to Entrepreneur.
Push back against those disengagement tendencies by embracing summer fun in a way that reinforces and builds team dynamics. (more…)

What are we really talking about when we say “employee engagement”? A workforce that shares a sense of belonging in the workplace, for starters.
This is the new evolution of engagement: really drilling down to core concepts to better understand business jargon.
“Engagement is, as I like to joke, a six-dollar word that consultants say when people like what they do and want to come to work everyday,” executive coach and educator John Baldoni writes in a Forbes column on developing engagement.
When an employee has a sense of belonging in the workplace, it “connotes ownership,” Baldoni writes. (more…)

As the value of workplace gratitude gets more recognition, leaders are exploring its impact and studying how to better implement it.
The power of a positive, appreciation-driven culture is clear.
Employees at organizations with positive cultures scored significantly higher scores in leadership caring, confidence and listening, a CultureIQ poll found. (more…)

What comes first, employee gratitude or employee happiness?
Gratitude!
We can “live for days on just a little gratitude,” as this adorable Gaping Void art illustrates.
It’s tempting to let perfectionism and “happiness-chasing” get in the way of actual workplace happiness.
Recall all the times you’ve thought to yourself, We’ll be happy as soon as we get through this project, or My team needs get better at A, B and C — then we’ll be happy! (more…)

Training managers in employee appreciation ensures the success of your workplace recognition efforts and protects your business. It also solves a common organizational problem: employees who don’t understand manager directives.
“Simply put, almost two-thirds of all employees are 33 percent as productive as they can be because they don’t understand what they are now asked to do,” according to a survey of 50,000 employees.
Understanding and appreciation are codependent.
“Training and educating employees in company values and objectives in a way that makes sense to them — through their daily work — is a mission-critical goal for organizations today,” Derek Irvine writes for Training Industry. (more…)

National Ice Cream Day is this Sunday, July 16! What better time to share an ice cream gift with your employees?
Bring a little summer into your workplace with an ice cream gift employees will appreciate and enjoy sharing with friends and family.
gThankYou! Ice Cream Gift Certificates allow you to share a fun, cool treat with staff anytime! Share an unexpected gift of appreciation, stock up your “on-the-spot” reward supplies, or throw and ice cream party and send virtual workers ice cream gift certificates so they can participate in the fun too!
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Every generation in the workplace appreciates employee Thank You gifts, and Generation Z is no exception — in fact, showing appreciation is even more crucial to engaging these young people.
Several characteristics are emerging in the generation born after 1995: they have high expectations, they’re practical and they’re in a position to influence the workplace for years.
The oldest members of Generation Z are graduating college now, so this is the year “Generation Z starts flooding workplaces,” according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and it’s happening “at the same time that there is a tight labor force.”
Like Millennials, the Generation Z cohort cares about the environment and wants to have a passion for work. (more…)

The 4th of July is behind us. Up ahead: two months of summer — sunny, lazy, distracting summer, with vacation days and “summer Fridays” tempting employees at every turn.
In other words? A recipe for disengagement. And your task is keeping employees engaged.
It’s not as tough as you may think! Keeping up engagement levels through the summer months depends on a good balance that integrates fun, freedom, fitness and focus.
If employees have opportunities for regular, low-key summertime celebrations that center on accomplishments, family and wellness, they’ll be more likely to be productive the rest of the time. (more…)

Summertime appreciation gifts keep employees engaged through the distractions of the season.
“Savvy companies maintain staff productivity and morale by embracing summer in the workplace,” says Brandi Britton of staffing firm OfficeTeam, which recently released survey results on what employees want most for summer engagement.
The ability to leave the office early on Friday afternoons — “summer Fridays” — is a popular perk for employees this year.
But showing appreciation with schedule flexibility just doesn’t work in all businesses and industries.
“For those in the hospitality, construction, recreation and outdoor industries, the summer is actually a very busy season, so these workers have no time to be distracted by the lure of lazy summer days,” according to the Daily Herald of Provo, Utah.
Many manufacturers, mom-and-pop shops and other small business owners must work nonstop through the summer months, too. (more…)

Data, numbers, graphs and percentages only go so far in engaging with employees and customers. Organizational storytelling fills in the gaps and actually connects with people. It provides the emotional context for why the organization does what it does.
Tony Hsieh, CEO of online shoe retailer Zappos, has “a mental pantry of stories at his ready” to explain his company and business philosophies, according to Chief Executive magazine.
“It’s possible for a leader to have a grand vision, but it’s not possible to turn that vision into reality unless countless others adopt it as their own and work tirelessly in concert to achieve it,” Chief Executive’s Bill Baker writes.
Inspiring others requires good storytelling. (more…)

Building great workplace culture doesn’t just happen inside the workplace. Sometimes going out into the community with your team is the best way to strengthen company culture.
The United Nations’ Public Service Day is June 23, and it’s an opportunity for this kind of culture-building community outreach.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon describes Public Service Day as a celebration of the individuals and organizations dedicated to “serving people and improving the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable.”
What does serving the public good have to do with building great workplace culture? A lot, it turns out. (more…)

Make it a goal this summer to check out employee engagement books that will inspire and challenge you, whether you’re planning a major “think week” or just have 15 minutes a day to read over lunch.
Get a head start on engagement planning for this year by exposing yourself to fresh ideas and perspectives. Spark your creativity!
According to Kevin Kruse, consultant and NYT bestselling author of “Employee Engagement 2.0,” employee engagement is often misunderstood.
That lack of understanding is holding back (more…)

Employee welcome gifts for new hires and interns send a message from day one that your company values and appreciates its staff.
Welcome gifts show your company is ready and excited for their contributions.
At the San Francisco office of ad agency DDB, new employees on their first day are chauffeured to work in a Town Car. Flowers, a hoodie and a water bottle greet them at their desk. (more…)

Sharing appreciation couldn’t be sweeter — share a doughnut today with colleagues, customers and friends! It’s National Doughnut Day — always the first Friday of June.
There’s a doughnut for everybody. Doughnuts are the most “craveable” treat in America.
Give your employee appreciation program a little boost to kick off the summer season — bring in doughnuts to share with your team.
Or turn the day into a fun opportunity for community outreach. Doughnut shops like Krispy Kreme and Dunkin’ Donuts always give away freebies on (more…)

Workplace gratitude spreads through small, everyday acts of kindness. Spread workplace gratitude in your place of work June 1 to celebrate Say Something Nice Day! It’s an easy opportunity to take time to engage with staff and share your appreciation.
Saying something nice to employees (and doing it well) isn’t a squishy soft skill without hard benefits. It’s a critical aspect of leadership and business success.
Even a quick look at recent headlines shows that civility, positivity and gratitude are sorely lacking in the workplace today.
“Does HR Have a ‘Humanity’ Problem?” — that was the question an HR Dive headline posed earlier this week. It was prompted in part by the BackChannel essay, “Human Resources Isn’t About Humans.” (more…)

Marc Flanders, principal at consulting firm WC Solutions Group, sees a common mistake in workplace safety engagement.
The mistake is in how incentives are targeted, Flanders tells EHS Today. Companies may think they’re checking off all the right boxes by incentivizing safety, then reward the wrong employees.
“I see some companies put all their budget into the people who are safe for a year,” Flanders says. “I tell them, ‘Wait a minute. You’re spending all your money on the people who are safe. What are you doing to change the behavior of people who aren’t safe?'”
Successful safety incentives programs need to have an “everybody wins” mentality. After all, a workplace isn’t (more…)