Category Archives: Fun with Gratitude

Six Ways to Plan a Winning Super Bowl Party

Posted on February 1, 2012 by | 1 Comment

gThankYou! - Super Bowl 2012 LogoWith Super Bowl Sunday just a few days away, we know the players—the New York Giants and the New England Patriots —and party planning is in full swing.

Whether your team is in the big game or not (ours isn’t—Go Packers!) it’s hard not to watch the spectacle of the Super Bowl, if only for the halftime show  (are you a Madonna fan?) and the commercials.

Indianapolis is prepared for the Super Bowl, are you?

If not, check out these six tips for planning your own “winning” Super Bowl party:

If your workplace is focused on the Super Bowl, it’s the perfect time to consider distributing gThankYou! Pizza Gift Certificates to employees as a thank you for a great holiday season or as a winter pick-me-up.  Order today and receive them tomorrow if you want.

May it be a great football game!

About gThankYou, LLC

gThankYou! Turkey Gift Certificates are one of America’s favorite employee gifts and can be redeemed for any Brand whole Turkey, at virtually any Grocery Store in the U.S. 

gThankYou, LLC provides company leaders with a variety of easy, meaningful and affordable ways to recognize and reward employees, holiday time or anytime.  gThankYou! Certificates of Gratitude and free Enclosure Cards are personalizable including incorporating your company logo, and ship same day.

gThankYou, LLC (www.gthankyou.com) is based in Madison, Wisconsin.  Contact:  Rick Kiley, Chief ThankYou! Officer, gThankYou, LLC at info@gthankyou.com or 888-484-1658.
Follow the Company Blog –  “Celebrating Work”.
Watch our gThankYou! YouTube Video – “Learn More About Us”.

“G” logo and “Certificates of Gratitude” are trademarks and “gThankYou” is a registered trademark of gThankYou, LLC.

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Posted in Fun with Gratitude, Pizza Gift Certificates, Workplace Gifts

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Asian Parenting and Workplace Rewards

Posted on February 23, 2011 by | 1 Comment

If you followed all the recent fuss over how Asian parenting styles produce real results, you may think that it appears to contradict the idea that incentive programs can drive success.

In her now famous Wall Street Journal essay, “Why Chinese Mothers are Superior,” Yale Professor Chua describes (somewhat tongue in cheek, some argue) how kids in China –  and Korea and India among others – are driven to do so well in school and outperform kids in the U.S., for example.

For these parents, the reward is a good result, notes Chua:

“Once a child starts to excel at something—whether it’s math, piano, pitching or ballet—he or she gets praise, admiration and satisfaction. This builds confidence and makes the once not-fun activity fun. This in turn makes it easier for the parent to get the child to work even more.”

Blogging for ZDNet, Eileen Yu, who believes Chua’s sentiment was somewhat misunderstood, concludes that this kind of “tough love” method of pushing results would probably not work in every workplace:

“…the primary objective of any workplace [should be] to encourage and help employees realize the fullest of their potential, even if it may sometimes mean pushing them to their limits. “

How a manager accomplishes that for each employee is the tricky part. Success can breed success. Getting to the initial win could mean creating an environment that fosters success and rewards achievement. A simple thanks has been proven to get results according to reports including a survey by the staffing firm Accountemps, which found frequent recognition of accomplishments as the top way to reward employees.

Chua’s essay has sparked an important discussion about how to best facilitate  success, which includes fun take-offs like this from Edie Larson posted on Awl titled, “Why Minnesota Mothers Are Doing Pretty Good.” The parenting style can be summed up in this statement by Larson:

“If a Minnesota child gets a B, well, good for them! Room for improvement.”

In my mind, regardless of whether you’re a room-for-improvement style manager or succes- drives-success manager, rewards make a difference. Don’t forget to say thanks, no matter your style.

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Posted in Employee Gifts, Fun with Gratitude, Gratitude, Gratitude Research, Management & Leadership, Showing Gratitude to Employees, Thank You Power, Trends

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Business Gifting Best Practices Revealed!

Posted on December 7, 2010 by | Leave a comment

At gThankYou, we’re  in the fortunate position to learn and share information about how corporate gifts – to employees, customers or friends — impact business. Study after study as well as documented experiences shared by firms we serve reveals that corporate leaders practicing workplace gratitude gain a lot of what we like to call Thanks Equity. It can be measured in engaged employees, loyal customers and a healthier bottom line.

As another year comes to a close, it’s fitting to look back and share the best information we’ve found in the past year plus, a best practices of corporate gifting of sorts.

  1. How to engage employees? Just add dirt! 
  2. Gaining worker buy in by offering an office recess.
  3. Making Thanks easy by lowering the transaction cost.
  4. Timing is everything, except when it comes to workplace giving.
  5. What to give: It’s truly the thought that counts.
  6. Creating awareness with recognition.
  7. Health and happiness through giving.
  8. Recognition helps gain competitive advantage.
  9. Giving builds customer loyalty.
  10. Gifting is the best recruitment and retention tool.

More innovative corporate leaders are recognizing the value of Thanks Equity. You probably won’t find it on any P&L, but it does mean a lot to an organization’s health. Please share with us your stories of how workplace gifting helps your company.

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Posted in Employee Gifts, Fun with Gratitude, Gratitude, Gratitude Research, Management & Leadership, Showing Gratitude to Employees, Thank You, Thank You Power, The Art of Thank You, Workplace Gifts

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A Lesson in Appreciation

Posted on November 24, 2010 by | Leave a comment

Around Thanksgiving each year, teachers invariably urge students to talk and write about what they are Thankful for. (Insert groan here if you remember this exercise.)

This is not an easy task for child nor adult. So, it’s with utter amazement and heart-melting admiration that I learned this year about one 10-year-old child’s poignant expression of gratitude before his class this Thanksgiving.

When asked by his teacher to share what he appreciates, this kid thought and thought. Finally, he told classmates how he really is grateful for how his mom pours milk on his breakfast cereal every day.

What sounded trivial to him turned into a lengthy classroom discussion about how the little things we do for each other daily really add up to make a big difference. And his simple expression of Thanks became not so little anymore.

The simple truth is that small good things we do in our homes, communities and, yes, workplaces, every day add up in ways we probably don’t realize.

Another truth: Thanks is a powerful tool that pays big dividends when shared. It needn’t be a big gesture, either. (Even though I’m sure things like Snowplow Driver Appreciation Day marked this week in Wisconsin is nice, so is a well-worded note.)

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you from all of us at gThankYou.

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Posted in Fun with Gratitude, Gratitude, Thank You, Thank You Power, The Art of Thank You

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Frozen Dairyland (or Ice Cream Flavors we Love)

Posted on June 3, 2010 by | 1 Comment

It’s hard to imagine just how many flavors of ice cream exist. But creative ice cream makers keep coming up with new tastes all the time.

Take, for example, one boutique ice cream maker here that concocts custom ice cream flavors for big events and special occasions. During a recent charity event, The Chocolate Shoppe came up with a “festive yellow/red cookie dough” ice cream that had the distinct appearance of – you guessed it – sausage laden with yellow mustard. (Yum!) When the city this year wooed Google to bring its fiber optic service here, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Babcock Dairy launched Madfiber ice cream featuring M&Ms in Google’s company colors with sweet granola in vanilla ice cream.

Although it appears that I live in a magical Frozen Dairyland, plenty of other ice cream artisans across the country come up with unusual flavor combinations , too.  Exotic is the niche at In the Mood Coffee and Ice Cream in Woodbury and Magic Fountain in Mattituck. Not to be outdone, the tiny Humphry Slocombe in San Francisco keeps customers current with its 100 flavors including prosciutto, milk chocolate tarragon and foie via Twitter.

Regardless of the number of flavors out there, one flavor stands alone as the consummate favorite: vanilla. There are good reasons why. Vanilla is anything but plain or boring. Vanilla’s flavor profile is complex as the Washington Post notes.

“Such complexity and multidimensionality have made vanilla one of the most sought-after and copied spices. But its use is still fairly limited. We add it to sweet dishes to emphasize their sweetness. And that’s about it. Although homemade vanilla ice cream is one of the most wonderful things I know, I don’t think we should stop there.”

Plus, vanilla pairs well with just about everything. Check these top flavors from a Food Network survey. The top five of 15:

  1. Vanilla
  2. Chocolate
  3. Butter pecan
  4. Strawberry
  5. Neapolitan

For contrast, here are the top ice cream flavors based on sales listed by the NPD Group:

  1. Vanilla
  2. Chocolate
  3. Butter Pecan
  4. Strawberry
  5. Chocolate Chip Mint

I see a trend. What’s your favorite scoop?

www.npd.com

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Posted in Fun with Gratitude, Gratitude

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Growing Engagement: Just add dirt

Posted on May 19, 2010 by | 4 Comments

What’s an instant recipe for growing  morale? Just add dirt.

Some companies have  found a fun and innovative way to engage employees by providing an unlikely benefit: a vegetable garden. This growing trend was recognized as one of the best ideas in Human Resources recently.

Minneapolis PR and branding company Haberman & Associates  spent about $10,000 last year to start a garden for its employees.  “It’s creating that water-cooler effect,” the article quotes company co-founder and chief executive Fred Haberman “People have a greater excitement [about] working at Haberman.”

Haberman’s off-site garden, called the “Dude Ranch,” was recognized by Human Resource Executive magazine editors as one of the  “Best HR Ideas for 2010.” You can follow the company’s growing season, or get tips on how to start an employer-sponsored garden yourself, at the project blog.

The National Gardening Association says vegetable gardening is up about 20 percent, although it’s not clear how much of that is done by companies. But a growing number of firms have taken up the hoe including Google, Yahoo, Kohl’s, PepsiCo and Twisted Limb Paperworks, which began a 1,500-square-foot garden outside its offices to boost engagement, as this Washington Post story relates.

University of Maryland business professor Paul Tesluk says a garden can encourage camaraderie, help in recruiting and differentiate a business from competitors. Perhaps it’s time to plant a row for employee morale and engagement and, of course, to just say Thanks!

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Posted in Fun with Gratitude, Thank You, The Art of Thank You, Trends

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TIME-OUT!!! Thank you.

Posted on October 5, 2009 by | 2 Comments

There was a campaign this summer that encouraged companies to plan a recess period at work as a way of thanking and engaging employees. Here’s more about the program:

“It has been proven that breaks are essential for satisfaction. But what does this mean to an employer? Well according to Rich DiGirolamo, Founder of Recess At Work Day, it’s simple……..Breaks lead to satisfaction; and satisfaction easily transfers to increase morale, reduced employee stress, more engaged and healthier employees; ultimately having a positive impact on productivity, absenteeism and profits.

Now in its 6th year; Recess At Work Day is the perfect complement to any Health and Wellness or Employee Engagement Initiative.”

This initiative hits a couple of HR goals, covering both praise and motivation as well as the continued movement toward corporate wellness programs and team building.

How can a game of Dodgeball provide  engagement? Consider this from Dale Sweetnam, an Army public affairs specialist who worked at Google’s office in Washington, D.C as part of a training program. While there, Google put on a “Recess at Work” day that included “square pizzas, chicken nuggets, juice boxes, four square and dodgeball.”

“I can’t remember ever having that much fun at work. The whole office got into it.  A computer and speakers were set up on the side of the room and a projector  displayed YouTube Michael Jackson videos while we pelted each other with         dodgeballs.  The event was a huge success. I really felt like it was recess. I was still attending recesses in grade school when Michael Jackson came out with “Bad” and it had probably been that long since I’d last played dodgeball. It was a             blast.  The event led straight into the weekend. As far as I’m concerned, weekends don’t start out much better than that.”

There seems to be a mini movement toward this idea of corporate recess as a reward. There *are* lots of creative ways to say “Thanks” and engage employees.

Stay tuned!

Rick Kiley is President of gThankYou, LLC, based in Madison, WI.  gThankYou® Certificates of Gratitude™ are one way savvy companies recognize employees’ great work at Holiday Time. The company is best known for its Turkey Gift Certificates, Ham Gift Certificates, and Grocery Gift Cards.

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Posted in Fun with Gratitude, Gratitude, Management & Leadership, Showing Gratitude to Employees, The Art of Thank You, Trends

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Do the Gratitude Dance with gThankYou

Posted on April 10, 2009 by | 1 Comment

We just couldn’t resist sharing this fantastic video, which really gets to the heart of the gratitude-happiness connection.

gThankYou couldn’t say it better. Now, get out there and dance!

gThankYou, LLC, in Madison, Wisconsin, sells Gift Gertificates that savvy companies give as employee gifts and promotional incentives to appreciative employees and customers.  The company is best known for gThankYou® Ham Gift Certificates, Turkey Gift Certificates and Grocery Gift Certificates.

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Posted in Fun with Gratitude, Gratitude

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