RecogNation, an employee recognition blog

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RecogNation, an employee recognition blog
It’s Time to recognize: Discover daily insights, ideas, and inspiration on all things employee recognition, corporate culture, and wellness.

Posts by Allison

Allison is currently living out the elaborate fantasy she described to her now-former staff and colleagues in early 2001. With a hearty dose of courage and absolutely no plan of action, she abruptly left her middle-management job to become a writer—and today she is doing just that in her role as Baudville's Senior Content Writer. She's here to tell you everything she's learned in her 20-years+ professional life, plus a lot more. She's wordy like that!
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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Don't Be a Boob; Get Involved!

Almost exactly five years to this day, I got a call from my sister. She told me that after some suspicious self exams, her doctor ran a series of tests and procedures that revealed a cluster of malignant cells. At 41, my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer.

How powerless we all felt—me, my parents, her husband, her two daughters, her dear friends, and, of course, my sister herself—as we waited to learn what was next. Was it treatable? Would she be pumped with drugs that would sap her energy and cause her hair to fall out? Would she have to undergo surgery and lose a part of herself? Would the unthinkable happen?

She did receive treatment, and ended up being one of the fortunate ones: within about six months, she was almost entirely back to her old self. Minus some tissue, but plus a positive prognosis for a full recovery.

Whew.

I could recount a similar story about my maternal grandmother. Or my mother-in-law. They were also touched by this frightening disease and lived to tell about it. But so many aren't so lucky. Which is why my family gathers every year in April to raise funds and walk a 5K to support research and promote breast cancer awareness. It's also why I take part in Baudville's campaign during
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Four Tips for Celebrating Customer Service Week!

Every business that's in business has two types of customers. You're probably familiar with the most obvious kind: external customers who buy or use our goods and services.

But, there are also internal customers: that is, the departments and individuals who we interact with on a daily basis. Our cooperation with one another is what keeps the company running smoothly, which means giving exceptional service to our co-workers is just as vital as it is to anyone over the phone, at the counter, or in the aisles.

In turn, that means that even if we aren't in Customer Service proper, we're all still serving customers—and we all need a little appreciation for giving our best, no matter who we're giving it to.

Now that we've got that out of the way, let's start planning the celebration you're going to have with everyone in your company that first week of October! Take our advice and...

Make it Affordable. The purpose of Customer Service Week is not to blow your budget, it's to have a blow-out event that shows how much your team matters to your business. With gifts from our new
Value Line, you can give a keepsake to everyone and keep money in your pocket, too.


Make it Interactive. When creating activities for the week, think of ideas that will get your employees mingling. Team contests, group lunches, and collaborative exercises are all great ways to help your staff get to know each other better. They'll build more personal relationships with each other, and work harder in the future to keep those bonds strong.

Make it Fun. Yes, there's some strategy in celebrating Customer Service Week, but the best way to make it meaningful and memorable is make your celebration easygoing and fun, not over-worked and tedious. We've all experienced forced fun. There's nothing fun about it! By hosting activities that are carefree and at-will, your employees will choose to participate and end up
truly enjoying themselves.

Make it Heartfelt. You're celebrating Customer Service Week because you want to thank your team members for the exceptional service they provide every day. Amid the hoopla, don't leave out the raison d'être!
Express your appreciation all throughout the festivities and your team will get the message—loud and clear!
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Allison is a self-proclaimed Copywriting Diva and has the certificate to prove it! She's been writing for Baudville for four years and has worked in a variety of business settings for more than 19 years. Before becoming a professional writer 12 years ago, Allison worked as a department manager where she used Baudville products to motivate her team. She's what we call a true believer!
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High Five for Friday: Five Stress Reducers for Teams Under Pressure.

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An Evening at the Gardens

Last week was our annual company picnic, and it was a blast! We left work, and met up at Fredrick Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. We brought our family and friends along for an entertaining evening of food, prizes, music, and adventuring at the Gardens.

The night started off in the Grand Ball room where we picked up our nametags, a scavenger hunt for around the different gardens, and gift cards for the kiddos. Then it was time for dinner! We had a yummy picnic themed buffet - followed by some delicious cake, of course! The room, reserved just for us, was a great place to chat with our fellow coworkers, and introduce our friends and family to one another.



After dinner, Cindy our HR Manager and Brad our CEO, raffled off prizes including mystery bags with various gift cards, and personal fans with built in spray bottles, a perfect accessory for our current heat wave…and lots of fun for the Baudville kids!

Once the prizes were handed out, it was time to explore! Our name tags allowed us free access to roam the museum and all the indoor and outdoor gardens, so everyone got to check out their favorite areas. I personally really loved the exhibit from the Chinese artist, Zhang Huan. The water filled play area was an especially big hit with the families who have kids. We even got to hear some free music outside in the Amphitheatre Garden, a relaxing way to end the night!

Our picnic at Fredrick Meijer Gardens was a terrific event. It gave us a chance to mingle with our coworkers and their families as well as check out some really cool art and scenery. It was my first company picnic, and it was a great opportunity for me to get to know a few coworkers that I don’t work with everyday. Overall the evening was a success!

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Lauren has just arrived at Baudville as the latest Marketing & Communications Intern! She's a fresh college graduate ready to join the wonders of the working world. Lauren plans to put her skills to work and become an accomplished Social Media and SEO wizard!

 

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The Creatives Speak: Insights and Inspiration from Baudville's Design Team.

In our catalogs and on our site, you see their creations every day...now, meet Baudville's design team! This summer, we're bringing you a new series that features the personal works of our talented artists. You'll learn what inspires them, get to know their signatures styles, and even have the opportunity to download free, one-of-a-kind desktop wallpapers they've imagined just for you!

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