November 21, 2016
Bring Thanksgiving to the workplace for stronger teams
*PLEASE NOTE – DropTask is now Ayoa – an all-in-one tool for idea generation and collaboration, that goes beyond traditional task management. Discover Ayoa and achieve your best work.*
As Thanksgiving approaches, we look forward to gathering around the dinner table with our loved ones to be thankful for all the blessings of the past year. But the heartwarming tradition of Thanksgiving shouldn’t only be practiced at home with our spouses, children and special friends; it should also be celebrated with our “work families” – the co-workers and colleagues whose hard graft powers the engine of the business.
As an employer or manager, do you take time to say “thank you” and appreciate your team for going the extra mile for you?
As a team worker, do you express your gratitude to your colleagues and peers for their everyday input and support in your work life?
Don’t be a turkey, now’s the time to celebrate the teamwork that makes your success as a company possible. Encouraging an “attitude of gratitude” in the workplace is not only uplifting in the moment, but has a powerful ripple effect in building team morale, trust and productivity all year long.
So, how can we all be a little more thankful this holiday season? Here are some suggestions:
1. Recognize with a prize
According to a survey by career community site Glassdoor, 81% of workers are motivated to work harder when their boss shows appreciation for their work. And yet in the never-stand-still flurry of the modern work environment, good leaders will often take their team members for granted. A Gallup poll found that only one in three US workers could strongly agree that they had received recognition or praise from their supervisor in the last seven days. With Thanksgiving almost upon us, don’t miss this precious opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of your team. There are lots of simple (mostly budget-friendly) ways to show the people in your workplace that you really care:
- Time off around Thanksgiving
- A personalized thank you note, whether by email, card, letter or even video
- Unexpected gifts such as a turkey, food hamper, grocery store/restaurant gift card or show tickets
- A plaque, award or certificate of appreciation
- Pre-Thanksgiving meal at work with all the trimmings
- A day trip or outing
- A monetary award such as a cash bonus or pay rise
- The ability to work remotely in the run up to Thanksgiving
- Meaningful career opportunities, training or coaching
- Public praise and a handshake at a team meeting or company event
- Highlighting someone’s performance in the company newsletter
Sincere expressions of gratitude like these aren’t difficult to organize, but are indispensable in making teams feel valued for their work. With a variety of Team Plans on offer, DropTask can help your colleagues pull together to achieve common goals and keep their eyes on the prize. People have greater options to work from home during the winter holidays while still collaborating in real-time, so no-one need ever miss out.
2. Get specific by evaluating performance
To get better at saying thank you and giving rewards, you need to stay on top of people’s performance. A general pat on the back for effort is one thing, but recognition is best received when it’s specific. Rather than simply praising workers for a “good job”, highlight exactly what they’re doing right and how they’ve contributed to broader business objectives. This makes it clear what actions or behaviors you would love to see more of in the future and is one of the best ways to positively reinforce first class performance. Use DropTask to track individual and team performance on big or small projects. With the ability to Filter tasks by Assignee, Importance, Effort and Status, it’s easy to keep tabs on how workers and teams are getting on, and you’ll have no trouble finding the specifics to be thankful about.
3. Promote goodwill
Connect everyone to the spirit of Thanksgiving through different media. For instance, create a social network page, blog or bulletin board for folks to post things that they appreciate about each other. People should focus on what they are grateful for in their bosses, co-workers or teams – whether their strengths, the things they do or the times they’ve shared together during their work relationship. Showing gratitude to colleagues can build stronger bonds and spurs teams to get better results. Make a genuine effort to compliment your peers whenever you can. Thank them publicly for their help in a team meeting, bring them a tasty treat or drop them a quick message via DropTask so everyone involved in a task can see it. Better yet, extend your gratitude even further by sending a complimentary email to his or her boss. It only takes a few feel-good moments like this to establish a culture of appreciation and fellowship.
Your special Thanksgiving gift
OFFER NO LONGER AVAILABLE
As a thank you from us, we’re giving you and your team a whole year of DropTask for Business free* when you upgrade to any of our 2 year plans before this Friday 25th November 2016. Don’t miss out, redeem now.
From everyone here at DropTask, we wish you, your family and your entire team a very happy Thanksgiving!
Please note: DropTask is now Ayoa – an all-in-one tool for idea generation and collaboration, that goes beyond traditional task management. Discover Ayoa and achieve your best work.