Years ago when I was working at the Coors brewing company, we started a program amongst the first layer management and hourly workers to recognize safe behavior. Each employee would carry a card with them and if they saw a coworker doing something safe, they would comment to the safe worker and also write it on their card. Once the worker received a number of good comments, they would then receive a token, worth a minimal amount, at the company gift shop. But, IMO, it was really worth more than that. It started employees, now this is in my memory, talking to each other about safety, recognizing good work and in many cases coming up with better ways to perform a task to make it not only safer, but potentially much easier. And it was fun to do. On a normal work day, where the work was quite repetitious, it gave an employee a reason to be thinking out of the box and try to find someone doing something in a safe manner worth commenting on. I think I still have one of the silver coins / tokens. I suspect few were cashed in, most were probably kept as souvenirs.
Some of my fellow management team at Coors didn't approve of my relationships with my employees in that I was quick to offer a thank you for the completion of mundane, daily duties. The comment made to me was "that is what they're getting paid for". But my response to that was, it costs me nothing to say thank you and sometimes it even puts a smile on the employee's face to realize that I noticed that they're doing those mundane, daily jobs, that they are being paid for. One of my mentors at the brewery suggested to me too keep a file of good stuff, thank yous, or recognition. Then, on a day when you feel like things are sucking, open that file and read those notes. It kept me balanced.
I think most of us like a little recognition in our lives. I've always been a proponent of thank you notes, handwritten is ideal, but even a text message or an email is appreciated. I still have a few handwritten 'job well done' notes that I received while working. If you are in the working world, I highly recommend it.
Getting snail mail is a treat these days, as most communication is done over the airwaves. Receiving a handwritten note or letter is always a nice surprise and a real treat.
Over the years, I have kept most of the snail mail thank you notes that I have received from friends or family. I don't look at them often, but it is a good to know that I could.
Today, I got two nice thank you notes. One via USPS.
Every year, my Colorado pal, KS, walks in the Furry Scurry to benefit The Denver Dumb Friends League. I don't know how many years I have donated to her fundraising but it was for many years while I was still working so that puts it at more than 20. Every year, I get a handwritten thank you note from Kristy.
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