LOOKING FOR THAT LAST MINUTE HOLIDAY GIFT?
Dr. Joanne G. Sujansky's new book Pittsburgh Will Steel Your Heart is not only a great gift for friends and family members, it's a unique business tool as well. Use it to reward employees, wow prospective hires, or to send a big Steel City "thank you" to clients and customers. Be sure to keep a copy for yourself, too. It's a great way to discover (or rediscover) Pittsburgh's best-kept secrets! To learn more about this unique book, visit http://www.pittsburghwillsteelyourheart.com.
SPECIAL TIME OF YEAR
One of the things I like best about the holiday season is the opportunity to thank the people we work with. We express our appreciation through cards, gifts, parties and, traditionally, year-end bonuses. Those annual bonuses seem to be disappearing, however, as more companies replace them with performance-based rewards. But, while rewarding employee performance is a great idea, it's not really the same as showing your employees appreciation for another year of hard work, loyalty and dedication. That's what employee bonuses used to be all about, and whether your organization provides for bonuses or not, don't miss out on a marvelous opportunity to express your gratitude.
Sign in an office:
"This job is only a test, had it been an actual job, you would have received raises, bonuses and promotions"
INTERESTING HOLIDAY BONUSES AND GIFTS
Of course, sometimes year-end "gifts" can have the opposite effect, such as these examples (courtesy of Entrepreneur Magazine, bloggingstocks.com and other sources):
- An associate editor for two regional magazines in Arizona was expecting a generous year-end bonus after a very lucrative year at the publications. He was stunned when, instead, the editor-in-chief handed him an oversized Hershey Kiss.
- One boss decided to "re-gift" a homemade cake to one of her employees at the end of the year. But, when the re-gifting boss was asked if the cake had nuts in it, she was forced to guess and said "no." Unfortunately, the employee was extremely allergic to nuts and wound up spending part of the holidays in the emergency room.
- A manager gave all of her employees a brightly colored envelope. Inside each was a picture of a goat. Fearful of receiving a unique pet at their doorstep, the employees found out instead that each "goat" was actually donated in the employee's name to feed hungry children.
- One professional at a large non-profit agency set an all-time record for acquiring new donors one year. In December the agency's board called her in, commended her for her "amazing achievement" and handed her an envelope in gratitude for all the hard work. Inside the envelope was a coupon ... for a free small ice cream cone.
Just remember that it really IS the thought that counts. Don't forget to let your employees know how much you think of them before the New Year is upon us.
"By appreciation, we make excellence in others our own property." -- Voltaire
PLEASE ACCEPT MY THANKS
In keeping with the spirit of the season, I wish to express my appreciation to all of you who have taken the time to read Sujansky Says and my thanks for all of the wonderful comments, ideas, suggestions and questions I've received over the past year. Best wishes for a happy, prosperous and productive 2007!
