All of us at one time or another in our lives have had the real joy of celebrating a special day, whether it is a birthday, anniversary, or a graduation. During this celebration I’m sure we’ve all received lots of great gifts, and cards from our closest family members and friends. But how many of us can say we’ve received this same sentiment from our employer? Probably not many.
This is why sending your employees assorted greeting cards is so essential. It lets them know how much you care. It lets them know that they’re an individual who is important to your company, not just another random face punching a clock. It makes them feel their work and loyalty is appreciated by their bosses and supervisors. These greeting cards, given out without any fanfare but with a firm handshake and done unexpectedly, would be a tremendous morale booster, especially now when the economy is flagging and people’s minds may be distracted by negative economic news.
Lord knows how many people are worried about whether they may or may not keep their jobs or if they can pay their bills on time. But receiving a small note of acknowledgement and appreciation from an authority figure can do wonders for an employee’s state of mind and productivity.
This sound great in theory, but just to be the Devil’s advocate here, the last time I was unexpectedly invited to my boss’s office, i was told to pack my things because my job was eliminated, so within 15 minutes, i went from sitting at my desk working, to being escorted out. So, if you are going to recognize someone, please do it ‘in the open’, to save someone some major stress!
Derick, sorry to hear about your situation, I hope all is working out with you. I do agree that recognizing employees for special events is a good idea, especially since we know what some people (like Derick) have gone through,
I don’t know where Elvis works but it sounds like Fantasy-land to me. If “actions speak louder than words” then getting a birthday card from your boss seems almost insulting. If the “words” in a card are supposed to be morally uplifting, compared to the “action” of receiving a reasonable paycheck so you wouldn’t need to worry about how the bills will be paid it falls short. Perhaps I misunderstand Elvis but to quote Cuba Gooding, Jr. in Jerry Maguire, “show me the money.”