Recognizing an employee for the incredible work that they are doing is so important. Giving a shout out to your coworker, employee, boss, or team member is a great way to showcase them and thank them for all of their work. A small gesture can raise office morale and just make people feel awesome. Change your entire office dynamic & culture by creating a shout out board!
It’s that time of year again. Easter candy has replaced the Valentine’s clearance section, the groundhog predicted another 6 weeks of winter, and mentions of online brackets and “selection Sunday” keep popping up everywhere. You guessed it: March Madness has arrived.
The NCAA Division 1 men’s basketball tournament (aka March Madness) is played every year in the spring and features 68 college basketball teams from around the country. This wildly popular, single-elimination style tournament, has an estimated 70 million people filling out a bracket every year in an effort to try and predict the winning team. It’s obvious why this might be a headache-inducing nightmare for bosses who are clinging to something resembling productivity. The headache only gets worse in the post-Covid rise of people working from home (don’t pretend you wouldn’t also be wearing pajama bottoms and cheering on your favorite teams during work hours if you could).
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When you start researching the term DEI initiatives you will find that this is considered a growing trend in the business community. DEI refers to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the workplace. Take a moment to consider this. How is this a “trend” in the business community, not the absolute standard? Hard to believe this is something that must be implemented into workplace culture. 2020 seemed to become the year that we all were forced to slow down, in turn allowing us to really pay attention to some of the inequities occurring in the world. Our culture has finally decided to shine a light on increasing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the workplace and while we are shocked it has taken this long, we are here for it.
DEI stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Specifically this term is used to describe how these terms are applied in the workforce. In order to fully understand what this means and why these initiatives matter, we have to take time to define each term separately.
Diversity is simply welcoming people from all different backgrounds into a group. In this article, we are specifically talking about the workplace, but diversity refers to all different situations. Whether personal, social, or business, it is important to make sure we are welcoming all different backgrounds. This can mean race, religious beliefs, economic background, age, gender, all abilities, and learning differences. It is important to remember that not all differences can be seen, so we need to focus on making sure we are really diving into differences and including everyone.
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If you are connected to a company’s workforce in any way then you have likely heard the following three letters mentioned often: DEI.
These letters stand for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and are each vital to any work environment. Topics like these, though to some might boil down to nothing more than trendy buzzwords, provide a crucial foundation for a prosperous society - both in the workplace and outside of it. To create a diverse workforce and environment that is welcoming and accessible to all, DEI initiatives are becoming common solutions to a problem that is deeply rooted in our history. As companies become more intentional about how they approach DEI initiatives and prioritize them in their employee experience strategy, we will begin to see why we need DEI initiatives in the workplace. Before reaching that conclusion, however, let’s first look at what diversity, equity, and inclusion mean within a workplace context.
Saying goodbye to a favorite coworker can be bittersweet. When Trish moved on to her next adventure, her coworkers were happy for her—but sad to see her go. They created a Kudoboard to send her off with best wishes, and we were so touched by the messages.
I am so sorry to hear that you are leaving us Trish! It has been an absolute pleasure working with you and although I am sad to see you leave, I wish you all the best with your new role!
Belinda
You have been just absolutely amazing. A joy to work with and your positivity and kindness has had a massive impact on those around you. I will miss working with you and I know you will be amazing in your new role.
Sara
Trish was definitely feeling the love from her coworkers and enjoyed her farewell Kudoboard.
"I love that this has been available for people to use during the pandemic. It's a brilliant way to send special messages, an AWESOME concept...Sheer genius and as good as getting a card. I've found that people write more of a message than they would on a classic card."
Good luck with your next role, Trish, and thank you for letting us share!
If you are looking for a fresh way to say farwell to a coworker, a virtual card is a fun and easy option. There are many websites to make virtual cards, Kudoboard being one of them. To start a card with Kudoboard, simply go to their website and click “create a kudoboard.” From there, you will be prompted to fill out a few questions about the occasion of the card (click farwell), and who the card is for. Before you can start creating your card, you will choose which type of board fits your needs. If you have less than 10 people contributing to the card, a mini board is a perfect (free) option! Once you choose the type of board needed, you can start creating your board. With kudoboard, you can change the background, add all kinds of media, and add contributors.
To add contributors, simply click "add contributors" at the top of the board. You can share the kudoboard in 4 different ways (QR code, social media, direct link, or email). Contributors do not have to sign up for Kudoboard to add to the board.
There are many ideas of what to write in a virtual coworker farewell card. Here are a few:
For more ideas of what to say, check out this article from BetterUp.
Saying goodbye to a co-worker who is leaving is a classy and kind gesture. This also helps provide closure for employees who have been at the company for a long time. Saying goodbye also expresses appreciation for the years of dedication and hard work at the company.
For more information about group leaving cards, check out this article.
A work culture where everyone feels valued and a variety of perspectives are brought to the table is likely to thrive. If everyone feels able to contribute and has the tools to do their jobs to the best of their abilities, it’s going to lift up the whole team.
DEI – diversity, equity and inclusion – programs can help achieve this. But a lot of DEI initiatives miss the mark. There are a few things to consider when developing an effective DEI strategy at your organization, and a few pitfalls to avoid.
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Now that many companies have moved to work remotely, they need to develop creative ways to celebrate holidays or birthdays. Remote or hybrid working can be challenging because of the lack of human interaction. A large complaint of many employees in different industries is a lack of employee appreciation and employee experience, which can lead to burnout and lack of employee retention. A way to solve this and help employees feel valued, is by celebrating birthdays. Even if it is a simple virtual card, employees will feel recognized and important on their special day. Even though you cannot see your coworkers in person, you can still have a great celebration. Whether you choose to get together through Zoom or mail out a card, there are several different ways you can celebrate.
The United States Healthcare system has experienced challenges for decades now. Despite efforts taken by the U.S. to improve the problems in healthcare over the last decade, most individuals believe that it has a host of issues in need of repair.
According to a study by Public Agenda, only 7% of Americans are satisfied with the current healthcare system. 6 out of 10 people, despite political affiliation, believe the system needs changes or a complete overhaul.
To improve healthcare in America, we must understand the challenges it faces this year. Here are five challenges facing healthcare in 2023:
In comparing the median prices paid by private health insurance companies for specific services among nine countries, The Health Care Cost Institute found costs for healthcare were substantially more in the U.S. than the other countries. Healthcare costs increased due to staffing shortages, supply change problems, and rising inflation rates.
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Being a manager or company leader in today’s job market is no easy feat. Finding and attracting top talent is difficult enough, but retaining those employees takes it to another level of “hard.” The workplace landscape is rapidly changing and leaders are trying to adapt to new technologies and needs, as well as navigating the increase of remote work. If a company wants to succeed then it must continually evolve to meet employee and customer demands and strive to create a positive, diverse, and supportive environment. All of this boils down to prioritizing the employee experience and investing in ways to improve it.
Everyone has something to say and something to contribute. The best teams are ones that have a variety of perspectives and diverse backgrounds – and where every team member feels like theirs is genuinely valued.
You can ensure that your organization thrives in this way with programs that focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, also known as DEI.
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