Economic uncertainty seems to remain in the air, but it’s also clear that the job picture must be improving, at least in the macro, from some recent things I’ve been reading on certain career-focused Web sites.
This recent post from Career Builder advises companies how to attract and win over ideal job candidates. The list includes lots of perks that range widely:
- Offering a healthy work/life balance
- Having flexible or alternative work schedules
- Corporate volunteering groups and efforts
- Cross-training opportunities
- A “Green” facility
- Tuition reimbursement
- Health benefits for an employee and his/her family
- Casual dress
- Dogs in the office
- Employee trips
- Candy at the reception desk
- Free yoga
- In-house massage
- Learning opportunities
- Fun contests to promote recognition
- 15 days off during the holiday season
- Profit sharing
Missing from this list, arguably, is the key strategy of engaging current employees and offering them a tangible system that helps them set, achieve and celebrate goals. Employees under your roof now are your greatest asset, and best advertising tool to boost your ranks with top-performing people. Best to start the year right by setting a policy and agenda toward employee engagement for a sustainable organization.
As discussed in this recent post from Jo Confino, executive at the London-based Guardian, employee engagement is not really rocket science, but more a matter of communication. Says Jo:
“We are delighted that our most recent employee survey has shown that our staff engagement programme has led to a dramatic uplift in the scores on sustainability, compared with the same survey the previous year.”
According to Career Builder, the job forecast for the upcoming period is improving. It’s probably a good time to shore up employee engagement to build a truly sustainable and productive workforce.
Categories: Thank You Power · Trends
Tagged: Employee engagement, employee rewards, job picture, Sustainable workforce
To the fortunate many who received gThankYou! Ham, Turkey or Grocery Gift Certificates recently, congratulations! Yours is a thoughtful and useful reward for a job well done!
To help you through the process of using your gThankYou certificate, I’ve created this handy primer designed to answer any questions. Since I, too, was the recent recipient of my first gThankYou Turkey Gift Certificate, I thought there no better way to help than to share my own experience
Told that my gThankYou Turkey Gift Certificate would cover $20 toward the purchase of any Turkey of my choice from any grocer, I went shopping. Here’s how it worked.
After settling on the exact Turkey I wanted – Kosher this year – I planned where to shop for the perfect size Turkey at a good price. I found the perfect bird at Trader Joe’s, a national specialty food retail chain that caters to the foodie crowd. The bird fit my criteria, and those spelled out on the certificate (it needed to cost at least $20).
Certificate in hand, I advanced toward the check-out. After I presented the certificate, my checker examined it and began reading the instructions. He was a first-timer too, having never seen a Certificate from gThankYou. A manager responded, and after he read the certificate instructions, completed my transaction.
After hardly the bat of an eye, I was done. It worked just like a coupon presented during the check out process. But this was better, because I was fulfilling a reward.
A few tips:
- Pay attention to the specifics. Details on your certificate will tell you what the gift covers: Turkey, Ham or Groceries and for how much.
- Certificates will have a good-through date. Use the certificate by this day to ensure you receive the full benefit of your gift.
- Expect to wait a minute or two for verification from a store manager. Shopping during a slower time of day on a slower store traffic day will minimize your wait.
- If you run into stores with questions, there’s a toll-free number on the certificate that managers or clerks can call on the spot.
- Rest assured that the certificates are usable for any specified item at any store, even if they’ve never (as was my experience) processed a gThankYou certificate. It’s the real deal.
It was truly an unexpected thrill to receive a gThankYou Gift Certificate. I felt proud using it, and enjoyed serving the Turkey I purchased with it, which this year had more of a story. Share your experience getting and using gThankYou certificates, and serving the resulting meals.
Categories: Employee Gifts · Showing Gratitude to Employees · Thank You
Tagged: Using gThankYou! gift certificates
