Week or Month Celebrations

Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up May 8 – May 12. It can be argued that teachers are the most hardworking group of people on the planet. We think they deserve to be celebrated all year long. Thank you, teachers! Be sure to send your kids to school with handwritten thank you notes. (Teachers love them!)

Mentors and Trainers are Teachers, Too!

As we honor the teachers who educate our children, we should also show gratitude for those who teach in the workplace. Trainers and mentors should be celebrated for their critical roles, too.

According to the Association for Talent Development (ATD), “Training is one specific and common form of employee development; other forms include coaching, mentoring, informal learning, self-directed learning, or experimental learning.”
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Did You Know that January is National Thank You Month?

The holidays are an excellent time to give and receive, but January is the time to slow down and say THANK YOU! January is National Thank You Month and is the perfect time to invest in new activities to nurture gratitude and kindness in the coming year.

We’d like to revisit 5 ways to embrace gratitude in life and the workplace, setting the stage for a year full of thankful habits.

5 Ways to Embrace Workplace Gratitude Now

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National Nurses Week begins May 6. Get inspired by these nurse appreciation ideas to thank the nurses in your company! (Photo via Esther Max, Flickr)

Nurse appreciation is the focus of National Nurses Week, which begins May 6. Plan your Nurses Week celebrations now!

According to Gallup, nursing is among the most highly regarded and trusted professions, ranking higher than military personnel, doctors and teachers.

So why aren’t nurses feeling the appreciation?
One major factor could be the overall lack of employee recognition across all industries. General respect and trust for a profession doesn’t automatically translate into concrete acts of appreciation. (more…)

Acts of kindness are one of the most powerful ways we have to connect with others.
February is the perfect month to share workplace kindness  – with Random Acts of Kindness Day (17^th) and Week (February 17th though the 22nd), and Valentine’s Day! Take advantage of these dates and inspire kindness in your workplace.

Planting seeds of kindness yields improved moods and productivity. Better yet, it’s contagious. Share a little kindness and see how it ripples through your office.

Easy Ways to Share Workplace Kindness

Here are some fun and easy strategies you can try out in February (or anytime):
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Celebrate Employee Health and Fitness Month with a fitness challenge, like these U.S. Embassy employees did in May 2015. (Photo via U.S. Embassy, Flickr)

May is Employee Health and Fitness Month. Now’s the time to revitalize and recommit to workplace wellness goals!
Until six years ago, it was known as Employee Health and Fitness Day and observed the third Wednesday in May. From 1989 to 2010, tens of thousands of employees nationwide engaged in health and fitness activities on that day.
But in 2011, the nonprofit National Association for Health and Fitness (NAHF) decided to expand it to a full month.
Their reasoning? Developing health habits takes longer than one day.
“It is clear that healthy behavior changes take time to develop into (more…)

Celebrate workplace kindness! Visit randomactsofkindness.org to connect with other #RAKtivists.

Random Acts of Kindness Week is here, and we’ve got your seven-day guide to celebrating workplace kindness all week!
Why focus on workplace kindness?
Because every kindness operates to the power of three.
“Every act improves the lives of at least three people,” according to the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation.
The benefits of being kind — which include an increased sense of belonging, better health and lasting happiness — apply to the giver, to the recipient and to anyone who happens to witness the act of kindness!
An act of kindness can have an impact on even more lives when (more…)

Start 2016 with a “Think Week” – detach and take a big-picture look at your business.

As your 2016 gets rolling, before you carry on with business as usual, consider a “Think Week.” The start of the new year is a great time to step back and do some long-range strategic thinking about your company before you take action!

Reflect and Reset

Microsoft founder and CEO Bill Gates starts each year with a “Think Week.” In his case, it means a private retreat away from colleagues, family, and friends. In “Why You Need a ‘Think Week’ Like Bill Gates,” app developer and The Creativity Challenge author Tanner Christensen explores Gates’ motive behind (more…)