Disclosure: This post is part of International Quality of Life BlogIt Day, sponsored by Sodexo. All opinions expressed are my own.
It’s International Quality of Life BlogIt Day! Sodexo and a group of bloggers have gotten together to focus on Quality of Life in the Workplace. Most of us spend a majority of our waking hours in the workplace. If the quality of life isn’t great in the place we spend most of our time, how can our overall quality of life be where it we want it to be?
Of all the different aspects that Sodexo focuses on, I find Recognition to be the most important. If you work hard day in and day out but are never recognized for it, what is your motivation to continuing to go above and beyond? Working hard because “it’s your job” will on take a person so far. I’ve worked in places that have no recognition plan or where no one was ever acknowledged for good performance. No matter how hard you worked you were acknowledged as much as the person who just did the bare minimal. It’s a negative environment and that transfers to other aspects of your life. You know when you’re unhappy at work it’s hard to be happy and positive when you get home.
I run a daycare. Is it a traditional workplace? No. However, I work out of my home and spend 11+ hours of my day there. A good working environment is not only important for myself and my co-teacher, but also for the children we take care of.
It feels fantastic to be recognized when you do a great job. Having a plan in place that recognizes employees makes the workplace a more positive and pleasant environment. While monetary recognition is fantastic, I find simply being acknowledged for the work you do motivating and uplifting. In the childcare business, people say “helping the kids is a great reward”. Well that is very true. I do feel rewarded in the fact that I have a huge part of how these children start off their educational lives. What we teach them provides the base for everything they learn and how they learn during the rest of their school years. I personally know this and it does feel great. However, having other people acknowledge this and believe your job is important, would be a fantastic as well.
This awesome video is a great moment where I feel like what we are doing is important and appreciated (especially by the jumping two year old).
While we have fantastic families in our care that let us know how much they appreciate what we do and great we are at our jobs, not all people in my field are as lucky. Many times, I feel that people look down on what I do for work. I’ve seen people actually say I should make less money. That is terribly discouraging to feel that undervalued in society.
I think a huge positive change in working environment of people in my field would be to feel more like people appreciated my job and the important role I play in the lives of children. Bringing more awareness to the importance of early childhood education is a great way to help myself and other preschool teachers feel important and recognized in our workplace.
I think its awesome that Sodexois so focused on Quality of life issues. Their wide range of programs help people and companies provide the best in Quality of Life services. They believe that providing quality environments for workers drives individuals and businesses to achieve higher performances. They have done extensive research and provide assistance in many different areas dealing with Quality of life.
There are so many things that can be done to improve the Quality of Life in workplaces all over our country. From the physical working environment to being acknowledged and recognized, Sodexo has helped tremendously with their services. By sponsoring this opportunity to bring these issues to light, they have brought awareness to these issues and what can be done to make sure we all lead the amazing lives we’d love to live.
I love the quote! I love leading my team and Celebrating Rewarding and Encouraging them it makes them feel awesome and their work shows!
I love this post! Words of encouragement definitely go a long way in the workplace and motivate me more because I feel appreciated and validated!
Great post, I definitely believe encouraging a workforce and rewarding them will lead to be work efficiency. I know these things would really make me feel appreciated as an employee.
I definitely think that a lot of people in the workforce could benefit from some encouraging words and rewards. Those things really go a long way.
It is definitely great to feel appreciate and so many jobs do not make you feel that way. I agree, those who feel appreciate will do even more!
This is definitely something that needs to be addressed. Some work environments are terrible places to be. Enjoy those little guys and gals you watch. They can become your own little family if you put your heart into, which great day care providers usually do.
What a great message you are trying to send to all of us! I definitely agree with you, it needs to be stopped. People need to be appreciated!
This is a great post. Even though I now work from home it is still nice to be recognized for a job well done.
Recognition and appreciation sure do go a long way. These are things that not all companies give value to. I like how you put emphasis on recognition – it’s healthy and it keeps employees motivated & happy, things that are important in day-to-day operations of the team and of the company.
i agree wholeheartedly with the thoughts in this post. I find many times that people have forgotten how to receive praise or recognition. When they are told they are doing a good job they just brush it aside with comments such as, “it’s nothing” “it was all of us” “it’s my job” and so managers don’t bother, which is a shame, I always like the quote “catch your people doing something right” from Ken Blanchard in his book ‘The one minute manager’.
Recognition is so important, because whilst work pays the bills you still want a job that is rewarding. Sadly some companies just view their employees as yet another number, I am lucky to work for a small company where our time and effort is recognized.
Couldn’t agree more with regards to recognition, it’s so important. Lack of recognition demoralises people and leads to not getting the most out of he workforce!
Very timely message for me this week! Great post. Jo x
Definitively there is nothing better than someone happy to do their jobs.
Your work makes a difference for families. I am glad you get your motivation in!
Whether you work at home or out in the field or in an office, the quality of your workplace really can affect the quality of you life. It is awesome to feel acknowledged for doing a great job!
I can’t believe someone thought you should make less money? I used to run a home day care. That is hard work because you are out numbered by tiny little people and you don’t sit stil until nap time. While I despise the cost of child care, mainly because I can’t afford it which is why I became a stay at home mom, it doesn’t mean I don’t think that our teachers and child care providers don’t deserve to get paid well. It’s a hard job.
I think its great you run a daycare!! its hard for people to find someone to trust with their kids it says a lot about you!
This is an awesome post. It is very true. People should be treated much different in the workforce. Some bosses are actually cruel and uncaring. Just a few kinds words and make your employees day go so much better then if all they are is ridiculed.
I completely agree with that quote. It’s always better for morale and productivity when employees feel appreciated!
Quality of life issues were definitely a big factor when I decided to leave the workforce post motherhood. I’m a firm believer in family first so this is good to see.
Awesome & Inspiring Quote. It is very true that appreciating helps to get more out of someone than what we expect out of them. The video is pretty good too. Thanks for sharing.
I love this post! I really think that the concept of recognizing others is lost – workplace moral is low…in all different sectors and I think that’s because quality of life and work is just not the same.
I totally agree…when co-workers and employees feel appreciated, they will certainly go the extra mile. It’s true in my own life too.
It can be areal challenge to keep on doing a good job without recognition, I’ve had jobs like that and I had to constantly remind myself that recognition or not, I wanted my work to reflect my integrity. I don’t typically lower the quality of work based on lack of recognition, but if it continues long enough I will start looking for another job.
For me, improving my workplace meant changing it. I find that I work better working for myself and I’m loving the fact that I’m location independent. I wish I would of come across some of these tips when I did work in an office. It might of made it more bearable.
A daycare in your house !! Congratulations,I believe recognition is a vital part of growing as a person in order to better yourself.
What a beautiful post. Love the quote as well. When people around are recognized for their efforts, they put in more positive energies and get productive with what they work on. I have seen that a lot.