Purpose: To recognize customer service representatives for customer service excellence and reinforce desired behavior.

A few weeks ago I returned from 10 weeks of being out of the office on maternity leave. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked the question, “So how’s it going being back to work?”

Being out for an extended period of time is always interesting. I just had my fourth baby, so I’ve done this whole maternity leave thing a few times. There are three pieces to the process, in my opinion, so I will give you my “speak-from-experience” advice on how to leave, be gone, and return as smoothly as possible.

They say: “You can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friend’s nose.” Truth. What else can’t you pick? Your parents. Rarely a day goes by when I don’t remind myself of how fortunate I am to have been born to my parents. They are a pretty remarkable pair.

Working at an employee recognition company, I often think about my peers, colleagues, and my immediate manager—and how they contribute to my success and the company’s success. Appreciation is always top of mind on weekdays between the hours of 8 and 5. But, when I get home, do I carry those sentiments with me? Not always.

With Father’s Day coming up, it seems like a good time to reflect on the gratitude I feel for my family, and, especially my Dad, who set the kinds of examples for me that I strive for myself, and that I value in my coworkers. Like…

I just looked at the forecast for this week, and while we Michiganders can’t trust the weather report unless we’re looking out the window while it’s happening, it doesn’t look promising for this week’s Recess at Work activities. Oh, well. Just like we did in grade school when the skies turned inclement we will have to find some mischief to get into indoors!

They say don’t judge a book by its cover, but are you judging your co-workers desk by their clutter or lack thereof? I am guilty! I am by no means the most organized one here, but I have looked over before and wondered “how in the world can someone work in those conditions!?” or “your kid is cute, I get it…” So it got me thinking, not one space is the same (unless you have strict cubicle guidelines) So, what is your space saying about you? I took on the task to find out what’s going on in our offices at the ‘Ville...