Imagine presenting an award as a recognition effort in front of the entire company, only to find your employee breaking out in a nervous sweat, acting uncomfortable, and privately holding it against you? Chances are, your good deed turns into a negative experience for the reciever and leaves you questioning your actions.

Wednesday, April 22nd is Administrative Professionals' Day (also known as Secretaries Day or Admin Day.) A special day set aside to recognize the work of secretaries, administrative assistants, receptionists, and other administrative support professionals.  These are the professionals who go above and beyond every day: planning, organizing, leading, and directing are just some of the roles an Administrative Professional takes part in. Aside from a hand written note or their favorite flowers, we've got a handful of products we think they'd love!

You can have a careful hiring process and feel confident that you’ve chosen the right candidate, but sometimes things still don’t go as planned. This truth is why many companies have a 90-day trial period during which a new hire is evaluated for aptness and aptitude. Do you have one? Have you ever considered that it’s not only the employee’s time to shine, but also yours? In a job market where top talent has options, the last thing you want to do is give them a reason to explore other ones. Just sayin’.

Lapel Pins are a popular award for recognition programs because they are affordable, easy to display, and serve as a long lasting reminder of the recognition. To use lapel pins effectively, give them as a reward for a specific accomplishment or behavior. Here are a few of the most popular ways to use lapel pins for recognition:

In these times, when change is one of the only constants, many companies are feeling the pressure to think differently; to move at least parallel, if not ahead of, the trends. It seems necessary to stay competitive and relevant. But, what happens when your team is functioning in the status quo or the days of yore? Thinking about PalmPilots instead of Apple Watches?