Workplace Celebrations, Contests, Fun

Happy National Pie Day!

Let’s be honest, any day is a good time for pie. But if you need an excuse… enjoy Pie Day today and share a sweet treat with your at-home or work family. It’s an opportunity to engage and celebrate each other. And easy with gThankYou! Pie Gift Certificates!
Don’t worry if you missed today, create your own “pie day” or celebrate the next PI Day – March 14th! This is a celebration of the mathematical constant known as pi, or π, the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, commonly approximated as 3.14159. Mathematicians love pi because “it puts infinity within reach” and has a “tantalizing” tension between order and randomness, according to the New Yorker article “Why Pi Matters.”
What does math have to do with the pie we eat? (more…)

Engage employees in gratitude on Veterans Day! In this photo, United Technologies employees walk in a 2014 Veterans Day parade in Connecticut. (Photo via Barbara Bresnahan, Flickr)

Veterans Day is in November. Wondering how to thank veterans in your workplace and beyond?
If you aren’t already, now’s a great time to start incorporating celebrations of giving and honor (like Veterans Day) into your employee engagement calendar!
Thanking the veterans in your workplace isn’t just a nice thing to do for them, it’s also an excellent opportunity to engage all employees with gratitude and a good cause. Employees now more than ever are embracing workplace volunteerism, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and giving back to their community with coworkers.
Here are five tips for how to thank veterans in your workplace and community as a tool for employee engagement.
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Halloween team building is employee engagement at its best. Have fun! (Photo via r0sss, Flickr)

Halloween is less than two weeks away! Are you ready? Make it easy on yourself this year. Plan ahead for a workplace celebration that energizes employees with Halloween team building.
Games, a costume parade, themed potluck, or contest for best office decoration — Halloween team building activities turn the focus on play, laughter and connecting with coworkers.
Play is a powerful tool to increase creativity and strengthen relationships. Employees will return to work with renewed enthusiasm and better ideas. (more…)

Finding Thanksgiving gifts for employees is easy with gThankYou! Gift Certificates — give a turkey or the whole Thanksgiving feast!

Hard to believe, but it’s autumn already! Now’s the time to start planning your Thanksgiving gifts for employees.
Giving employees a Thanksgiving turkey is a company tradition going back generations. Historians date the practice to the manufacturing boom of the 1800s, as a way to introduce immigrant workers to American culture and the holiday spirit of Thanksgiving.
In the early days employers handed out actual fresh or frozen turkeys. It was, and still is, an appreciated gesture.
Now we have a more practical, easy and appreciated way for (more…)

The following blog is contributed by public relations expert JP George, who enjoys blogging about leadership, talent management and organizational business.
Summer in the Workplace — Taking Advantage of Building Workplace Community

Companies have a great opportunity come summertime to create a fun and enjoyable workplace, while at the same time building a great teamwork environment. Businesses that invest in team-building develop the most productive and happy employees. They’re also seen by potential job-seekers as an appealing place to start or continue their careers. As O.C. Tanner explains, “A growth of team-building skills in the workplace can positively influence group projects, campaigns, employee engagement and motivation in the workplace.”
This summer, take advantage of the easy ways to inject fun into your workplace and build a stronger workplace community. Michael Kerr, author of “You CAN’T Be Serious! Putting Humor to Work” shares his top 10 ways to add fun this summer in the workplace in this recent blog post.
Read on below for five fun, festive and community-building ideas to help you make the most of summer in the workplace.
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Open for business on Labor Day? Reward employees with a company picnic!

Working on Labor Day? Thank your employees! After all, not only are they working while most people have the day off, they do their best for you all year.  If your workplace is closed for the holidays, plan ahead to share your Labor Day appreciation.

Labor Day is a perfect opportunity to recognize your hardworking staff’s achievements. Ensure that employees feel appreciated, inspired to be more productive, and more loyal. When you share your appreciation with workers, you build morale and improve employee retention.

If you’re closed on Labor Day, there’s still time to give employees a shoutout beforehand and wish them a happy holiday!

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