An Appreciation List on Employee Appreciation Day

By Thad Peterson

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’re well aware that this Friday is Employee Appreciation Day. OK, OK, maybe not everyone is acutely aware that this holiday, established in 1995, is celebrated on the first Friday of every March.

But being recognition people, we tend to know about these kinds of days at Globoforce.

So I got to thinking: Why not bestow some appreciation on one of our employees, an employee that I thankfully have on my team.

Now I should mention that at Globoforce, we’re big advocates of appreciation throughout the year (not just on one day). We also advise that specific recognition is best — and safest — given within company walls.  However, since it’s Employee Appreciation Day, I thought I’d share some appreciation in a more public forum, our blog..

This kind of public appreciation has the delicious ancillary benefit of embarrassing her a bit, too. But just so the embarrassment isn’t too public, I’ll leave her real name out of it. I’ll give her the fictitious name of Cassandra.

I strive to make it clear the level of appreciation I have for Cassandra, but it can’t hurt to articulate it another time. So here are the five things I most appreciate about Cassandra.

1)    There are people who talk about all the things they have gotten done, or they have to get done, or they’re going to get done. Then there are people who just get things done. Every single day. Cassandra fits squarely into the latter category.

2)    As I get further along in my career, it becomes more and more apparent to me that some people just have better judgment than others. Cassandra has great judgment, which gives me tremendous peace of mind about anything she works on.

3)    Some people cut corners. And while sometimes you can get away with it, it also comes back to bite someone. I don’t think I’ve once seen Cassandra cut corners.

4)    Cassandra raises her hands to do things all the time. Come to think of it, I’ve barely had to ask her to do much of anything since I came on board at Globoforce. It’s phenomenal to work with someone who either asks you if she can chip in on something – or just jumps in unprompted and starts working on something – before I ever even think to ask her.

5)    Cassandra is just a plain ol’ good person. I’d go so far as to call her delightful, as I’m sure everyone else who deals with her would. Work is work, and we have to get things done. But life is short, and it’s a hell of a lot more fun to get things done with people you enjoy being around.

It’s true to say I count my blessings daily that I’m on the same team as Cassandra.

So, thanks “Cassandra.”

If you’re half as lucky as me, you ought to go tell someone you rely on every day how much you appreciate them.  Just remember that only doing it on one day doesn’t serve anyone well.  So if Employee Appreciation Day accomplishes anything, it’s that gentle reminder that appreciation and recognition should never be a once- a- year thing.


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