Sometimes people go beyond the routine, daily tasks that consume our work lives and do great things.
These great things can be as simple as picking up trash in the parking lot on the way into the office, or as grand as organizing large charity drives. Every contribution that goes beyond the status quo can mean significant improvements in another person’s life and builds the company’s culture.
Recently, Nextep asked for stories of people who did great things at work, and boy did you deliver! We received stories that made us laugh, warmed our hearts, and some that even touched our emotions. Among our favorites:
- One small business owner gives fun perks at work, including a dress code that allows workout gear.
- A man bikes across third world countries and the U.S., helping charitable causes along the way.
- During a remodel, an executive made sure everything was designed with the employees’ ultimate comfort and workability in mind.
- A business owner carries “blessing bags” with toothpaste and other necessities to give to those less fortunate.
- A speech-language pathologist was coming up against roadblocks in her therapy to a young child, and instead of giving up, she made innovations to help even more.
- An office manager reviewed costs and benefits to make sure employees were getting the best options.
- Before escaping to safety during a hostage situation, one employee stayed to make sure everyone in the building was warned.
- An employee made major changes in his job and found the key to career fulfillment and a happier home life.
- A client was going through an extremely difficult time. An employee gave him the personal sympathy that he needed at that moment.
These stories are so inspiring and can make any HR department proud to have hired the people behind them, but these people are all over the workplace. They’re the people who lend a helping hand when a coworker is overworked. They’re the people who cheer each other’s accomplishments. They’re the people who examine processes and think of ways to make them easier on the end-user.
When you see someone doing great things at work, you can utilize one of the many ideas presented in our previous HR Tip on recognition on a budget, or you can simply offer a thank you in the moment and let the person know that their efforts are not unnoticed.
For more ideas on recognizing the good work your employees do, please contact Nextep’s HR team.
