As the year is quickly coming to a close, you may be evaluating your recognition programs for the year ahead. What's working, what's not, and what needs a program refresh?

Many workplace core values include working together as a team to achieve a common goal. And if you're following recognition program best practices, you will want to align your programs with your organization's core values for the best business results. While you may not think of Employee of the Month as one of those programs that brings people together, we've got an idea to change things up a bit!

What if I told you that your Employee of the Month program could also serve as a high-performing team building tool? As you look to re-evaluate your current program, try this:

I love to read. I’ve been known to read two books in one day. Of course, those were fiction and I was sitting at the beach, but it tells you how much I appreciate a good book.

Fiction books aren’t the only ones on my shelf, though. I’ve read many business books over the years for professional development, to find inspiration, or, quite honestly…because I was forced to. You’ll find books about Customer Service, Sales, Marketing and Leadership in my collection. From the likes of recognized gurus Seth Godin and Ken Blanchard, as well as up-and-comers like Dale Partridge, my tastes and interest ranges based on my current experience and needs.

I’ve been working at Baudville for more than six and a half years, and, the other day, I realized something: gradually, I’m learning to be a better person. I’m not saying I was a complete barbarian “Before Baudville,” but I am definitely improved “After Baudville.” How did this happen? Did I simply mature? Unlikely. No, I’m pretty sure it’s all this exposure I’ve had to the practice of recognition and culture building. Here are some of changes I’ve noticed:

When we developed our Team Shirts™ product line, we hoped to partner with our customers to fulfill their special event apparel needs. To our surprise, our shirts also served another purpose for a great printing company right down the road! Brightformat, a Grand Rapids-based digital printing company, had been riding on the proverbial uniform struggle bus for years – until they saw our Smart Sayings™ Team Shirts! Read more about how these fun tees have impacted their business WAY beyond “just a shirt they wear every day.”

Can you believe it? Yes, the polar vortex did finally get knocked off its axis and spring, seeing the opportunity, managed to sneak past it. Along with green grass, bountiful blooms, (seasonal allergies!), and warm breezes, it's also summer event planning time! Time think about the what, the how, and the where of this important workplace activity.