Employee morale. Employee engagement. Employee retention. 

This week calendars are promoting Fun at Work Day; our calendar lists it on Thursday, January 28. Though some people may roll their eyes or consider office diversions like Fun at Work Day to be frivolous, having fun at work can actually be extremely profitable, as Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For prove. 

At SAS, a privately owned software company at the top of Fortune’s list this year, an employee-friendly culture reigns supreme and fun isn’t hard to find. Employees watch intramural teams compete in volleyball and soccer during weekdays and M&Ms are readily available for staff (they go through 22.5 tons a year). 

Companies are responding to the crisis in Haiti and supporting the recovery efforts of the earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince last week. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that U.S. companies pledged more than $43 million dollars within the first 72 hours after the earth quake, and many more have donated since then. Baudville has also joined the cause. 

Getting employee recognition started in your organization or team doesn’t have to be rocket science. Managers can choose a recognition theme, select coordinating tools and have a program up and running before you can say aeronautics. To start an employee recognition program for your team, follow these six easy steps:

Step 1: Choose a recognition theme. Use your team goals as a guide to select the right recognition theme. Because your team is evaluated on successfully achieving its goals, you’ll want to give recognition that reinforces goal-driven behaviors. Recognition themes focus on positive attitudes, excellent performance, teamwork, outstanding customer service and many more. Browse all 100+ options at the Baudville website.

As Cindy mentioned last week, we had our Year End employee party last week. This event has major cultural significance for our organization, and the 90% participation rate can prove it! It’s an employee-only event that encourages team building and camaraderie among the entire company. Employees look forward to spending the evening together eating, being entertained, winning prizes and receiving recognition from our President and Senior Vice President. 

Baudville has some special recognition traditions that happen at the end of the year. We actively promote and practice day-to-day recognition throughout the year, but our experience has also taught us that having formal awards is an important part of a recognition strategy. Employees strive all year to receive such honored recognition.