Acknowledging and appreciating employees is essential for a more positive, productive, and profitable organization. Over the years, there has been more and more evidence and data that links employee appreciation with customer satisfaction, and organizational growth.

Few of us could have imagined 25 years ago how much the internet would change the way we work. Today’s globally connected labor force works whenever and wherever thanks to technology that has all but made the corporate office obsolete in certain fields. And thank goodness we have the technology and infrastructure set up as we face this global pandemic together, forcing so many employers to go 100% virtual practically overnight. While there are many great benefits of being virtual or remote, especially considering the safety and health of your team, it's not necessarily a cakewalk. The challenges with telework and virtual teams are real and require managers to think strategically and creatively.

With Valentine's Day and Employee Appreciation Day around the corner on March 2nd, it's a good reminder to check in on your employee engagement. Not only is an engaged culture more fun to work in, creating a culture that embodies happiness and satisfaction just makes cents! (Pun-intended.) Effective human capital practices can and will, lead to positive financial outcomes.

Your HR Manager just notified you she is leaving the area. After sitting down and taking a deep breath, you start thinking…. “Hmm…what do I do now?” The scenarios may sound something like:

Buzzwords in business are overused to the point of becoming fads at times. We hear phrases daily such as “culture”, “engagement”, “wheelhouse”, “synergy”, “incentivizing”, “strategic”, and the list goes on and on. When these buzzwords become so common in our workplace, it shouldn’t be surprising to hear so many managers and executives misusing these terms to suit their own agendas, while confidently speaking as experts on achieving each.