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On the topic of “reboarding” employees, take advantage of being outside for social events to celebrate employees returning to the workplace or who have been there all along! Outside, it’s easier to socially distance and still have fun – perfect for summer reboarding activities.

Who needs workplace fun? We all do after more than a year of COVID, societal tension and volatile politics. Social events are great for workplace culture and morale which are as important as ever right now.

Parties and team building exercises may not look exactly like they used to, but with some creativity and agility, the fun committee is back in session!

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Research shows that Americans are facing a mental health crisis. At gThankYou, mental health wellness is close to our hearts. We hope to help organizations make strides in sustaining a safe, welcoming environment. It will be noticed and appreciated.

The Olympics has highlighted how pervasive mental health challenges are when even elite athletes are not immune. Michael Phelps reminds us in a recent article in support of Simone Biles that “…If we’re not taking care of both [physical and mental health], how are we ever expecting to be 100%?” True for all of us, not just the elite few.
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If workplace well-being isn’t on your priority list, now’s the time to put it on the top. Worksite wellness initiatives have been gathering steam for quite a while, but the pandemic wreaked havoc on health in a wide variety of ways. To truly appreciate your team members, be sure to provide a healthy environment where the whole being can thrive.

Photo: Dylan Gillis, Unsplash

According to a recent report by Gallup,

“Organizations are responsible for the wellbeing of their employees — alleviating burnout is the right thing to do. And, it is essential for engaging and retaining top talent.”

Burnout is real. And it’s costly. Intelligent leaders are in-tune with the signs are offer ways to address the problem.
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As you reboard, it is a fantastic time to check your overall culture. It is important to welcome back employees back with intention and positivity. But does employee appreciation take center stage in your workplace? If you feel tentative about your answer, this is your chance! Building (or rebuilding) a culture of gratitude begins when employees are valued and appreciated.

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As we emerge from the challenging pandemic to some sense of normalcy at both work and in our personal lives, it’s an ideal time to check in on how we are speaking to ourselves. Many of us had extra time alone with ourselves during the pandemic and while some people seemed to flourish, many of us struggled with added loneliness, stress, grief, and anxiety. Often our own internal voice during this time was our toughest critic and harshest judge. The transition back to an office or to a job can be rough right now.

There is no better time to show ourselves some compassion and grace.

The Language of Affirmation

Affirmations are based in a belief that the frequent use of positive words (affirmations) can motivate, build self-esteem and replace negative thought patterns.
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On-the-spot recognition = instant results. When you recognize employees right away, the benefits start right away. It’s simple and pays off. Try it today!

According to Indeed.com, “When people are offered consistent, actionable feedback, they can gain better insight into their successes and opportunities for improvement. Positive feedback is especially important because it increases morale, encourages good work and helps provide a sense of purpose.”

A once-a-year party is great for tradition, but it doesn’t ultimately affect day-to-day performance. Shift your paradigm from celebrating at the end of the year or on an anniversary to how can we keep appreciation and a culture of celebration alive all year-round?

It’s time to make recognition an ongoing, everyday activity. Read on to find out why on-the-spot recognition is so effective — and easier than you think!
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We are here to remind you: Recognize employees for small wins regularly. Doing so results in a confident, productive workplace.

Praise for specific acts of excellence builds employee self-confidence and increases engagement.

Employee recognition is one of the most important responsibilities of leaders. It’s smart business, directly affecting productivity, retention and overall culture.

According to Quantum Workplace,

“Organizations with formal recognition programs have 31% (more…)

Workplace Burnout Has Worsened During Pandemic

NPR’s Life Kit recently addressed the growing problem of workplace burnout.  They shared results from a survey supported by Harvard Business Review from the fall of 2020 which indicated that burnout is a global problem (respondents were from 46 countries) that has gotten worse during the pandemic.

Here are some statistics:

• 89% of respondents said work life was getting worse.
• 85% said well-being had declined.
• 56% said demands had increased.
• 62% of those struggling to manage their workloads experienced burnout “often” or “extremely often” in previous three months.
• 57% of employees felt that pandemic had a “large effect on” or “completely dominated” their work.

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Holiday gift-giving is a joyous time to spread gratitude. It brings people together (even remotely) and delivers a pick-me-up during challenging times. The COVID-19 Pandemic has rocked many boats, but let’s look at the positive: increased employee engagement! To embrace this uptick, let’s also explore employee appreciation and keeping morale high by giving employees what they REALLY need or want this holiday season.

COVID-19: Good for workplace engagement 

Understanding the importance of employee engagement has always been important to organizations; especially those that care about employee satisfaction, retention, and a variety of other factors that support a great workforce. With the COVID-19 pandemic, employee engagement has been absolutely critical as companies have needed to heavily rely on essential workers and revamp organizational structures. Remote workforces require extra effort to keep engagement levels high, and recent research indicates that this is indeed happening.
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We are extremely grateful for our fantastic customers who enjoy giving gThankYou Gift Certificates to employees and customers for the holidays and year-round. It’s our pleasure to partner with leaders who understand that thoughtful, practical, easy-to-use gifts are an excellent way to show gratitude.

Every organization has their own unique stories of sharing gratitude.

We are excited to share three customer case studies of organizations who use gThankYou Gift Certificates to share gratitude in different ways with their workplace teams. We hope it provides inspiration and insight for sharing gratitude in your workplace. You can find all of these and download PDFs to share with your management on our new gThankYou Case Studies page!

Nothing tells a story better than satisfied customers and thousands of happy employees!

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First responders were always at the frontlines, heroically confronting risks to their own safety and well being.  High stress and trauma were already part of their realities. But the COVID-19 pandemic has exponentially increased that risk, stress and trauma.  Employers of first responders are thinking of ways to better support and appreciate first responders and how changes to the workplace might help.

As workforce leaders find their way through the COVID-19 world, defining ways to keep remote workers happy and engaged is of utmost importance. Remote working isn’t new to the world of work, but for many industries and people, it’s a brand new endeavor.  

According to the New York Times, “In a May working paper, Erik Brynjolfsson, a professor in management science at M.I.T., and a group of academics reported survey results indicating that half of those who were employed before the pandemic were now working remotely. That’s a significant increase — pre-Covid-19, the paper estimates, the figure was about 15 percent. (In 2018, a U.S. Census Bureau survey found that just 5.3 percent of Americans worked from home full time.).”

According to SHRM.org, “This working arrangement may seem exciting at first, but it can lose its appeal over time, resulting in disengaged employees. And, when employees aren’t engaged, their productivity and motivation can suffer.”

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Let’s start this blog post with kudos for you for hanging in there during these uncertain and challenging times.  That you’re taking the time to click on this post shows your commitment to staying engaging with and supporting your remote employees.  So hat’s off to you for remaining curious and committed to bringing out the best in your staff.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a host of challenges to everyone and we are seeing that people are dealing with those challenges in different ways.

Maybe you already had remote employees at your company so your challenge was expanding that scenario to many more employees.  Or perhaps you are like many companies who find themselves dealing with a remote workforce for the first time. 

Turkey by itself — especially the breast meat — doesn’t have a ton of flavor and can run a little dry. For the best-tasting, juiciest turkey, most birds need a little help.
Here are the most popular ways to add richness, spice and excitement to your Thanksgiving turkey.

Photo via Indulgy.com

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Celebrating Thanksgiving in the workplace is an appreciated and valuable way of showing gratitude to employees. (Photo via Satya Murthy, Flickr)

Celebrating Thanksgiving in the workplace is an appreciated and valuable way of showing gratitude to employees. Don’t miss out this year!
SHRM calls Thanksgiving workplace celebrations an “incredible tool” for managers.
A business veteran and author quoted by SHRM says that “in so many organizations, employees go through their days assuming that their co-workers, and especially their bosses, don’t notice or appreciate all of the hard work that they do.”
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The appointed hour has arrived: it’s time for you and dozens of your relatives and friends to gather around the dining room table, stretched out to its full capacity for the most celebrated meal of the year –Thanksgiving. But, like a weary child from the backseat during a cross-country trip, one question nags at you: Are we there yet? Am I sure the turkey’s done?
For cooks who are afraid of disappointing all their aunts, uncles and cousins on a national holiday, here is a quick list of tell-tale signs that your Thanksgiving turkey is ready for its grand entrance.

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A holiday ham doesn’t have only one part to play in your end-of-the-year celebrations. Check out these great ham appetizer ideas for passing around at family gatherings — all finger food and easy to execute.

Ham Appetizers You Won’t Be Able to Pass Up

Ham and Cheese in Puff Pastry

From Ina Garten, The Food Network.
This is one of my all-time favorite holiday appetizers. It starts with premade puff pastry and comes out of the oven bubbling and delicious. (I especially like it because it doesn’t involve filling little individual quiche cups or wrapping dozens of shrimp in bacon. Who has time?)
You can vary the cheese — cheddar is great for a more kid-friendly version, as is part-skim mozzarella — and any hard cheese could substitute for Gruyere. Yum!

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Redeem your gThankYou! Ham Gift Certificate for any brand of whole or half ham, at major U.S. grocery store chains that honor Manufacturer Coupons.

Redeeming your gThankYou! Ham Gift Certificate is easy!
For the best service, we recommend choosing a traditional chain grocery store such as Kroger, Safeway, Shop-Rite, Publix or other similar types of grocery stores in your area.
Redeem (and enjoy!) your Ham voucher today — or whenever works for you. Your holiday gift is good through the end of April of next year. You get to choose when to enjoy your gift and where to redeem it. It’s all up to you!
Read on for a step-by-step guide on how to redeem your gThankYou Certificate.
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