Making Sense of Celebrating

Even not-so-great workplaces are pretty keen on celebrating.  There are beer bashes, Costco cupcakes, Christmas parties, service celebrations and more… though without a high level of trust in management and camaraderie with peers, much of this forced fun can make team members cringe.

Celebrations succeed when teams are strong.  Think about that for a moment.  When teams are strong and members share a genuine interest in each other as individuals and the results they achieve together, celebrations reinforce strong bonds and a sense of respect.  Celebrating together does not create relationships but builds on strong ties that already exist. 

Great workplaces know this and so they use celebrations liberally but judiciously inside their organization.  At many, celebrations mark personal milestones such as marriages, babies, illnesses going into remission, marathons being completed and more.  These celebrations work because employees know each other as people and not just by their job title.  At those same companies, celebrations are used to commemorate company-wide achievements such as hitting profit goals, bringing a new product to market, or unveiling a new program or initiative.

The ultimate in celebrating for these companies, just may be earning a spot on the Best Workplaces list.  It may take a couple dozen hours to survey and complete the application, but it takes a daily commitment to living out values, communicating transparently and authentically, and making each and every decisions with the greater good and goal of being a great workplace in mind, before a company can earn a spot on the list. 

Below are a few photos from our recent celebration of the 50 Best Small & Medium Workplaces.  At Great Place to Work Institute, we recognize how essential it is to celebrate these companies who set the bar for what it is to be a great workplace. 

If you are a Best Workplace, send me photos and videos of how you celebrated making the list.  We’d love to feature your employees on our blog.  Everyone else? Send photos, tell stories, what makes celebrating succeed at your company and why?

View photos from the 2011 Best Small and Medium Workplaces Gala

Leslie Caccamese serves as Interim Program Director and is an avid blogger for Great Place to Work^®.

Leslie Caccamese