Sparck - Blog

Sparck and Dark Stories: Ignite a Thriving Workplace

Written by Anna Straus, CEO at Sparck | Apr 19, 2019 10:32:07 PM

At Sparck, we have a saying - “Avoid the dark and ignite the Sparck.”  Okay, so you’re probably wondering what that’s all about.  

“Dark” moments are the times where employers have the best of intentions to make their team feel special but your employees end up feeling undervalued, forgotten, and unappreciated - it’s about When, What, and How recognition is received.

So can you guess what a “Sparck” moment is?  Right! It’s when your employees feel valued, appreciated, and needed - the recognition was personalized and meaningful. 

Now it’s story time from SHRM (the Society for Human Resource Management).

Dark Story

Sue Chehrenegar, a writer from Culver City, California, never received her anticipated five-year anniversary pin.  Due to neurosurgery, she missed the company holiday party where milestones were acknowledged and the pins handed out.  The result was that she never received any acknowledgement of her five years with the company. 

A simple letter would have been more than enough, but unfortunately, her employer dropped the ball.  Workiversaries are a very important milestone for employees, and a significant opportunity for employers.  Here are some facts to consider. 

Now, let’s move on to a story with a much happier ending. 

 

Sparck Story

Brad White, the VP of Sales at AddVenture Products in San Diego, was featured in a story on SHRM.   For his anniversary, Brad received a plaque to commemerate his ten years with the company.  No big deal, right?  Well, there's more...

Brad was also a very avid baseball fan, and with the plaque, he also received two baseballs autographed by former Major League Baseball player Rickey Henderson - his favorite player! Wow!  But the icing on the cake was when AddVenture Products’ owner, Alan Davis, also presented Brad with a case containing an autographed baseball bat.  That bat was from the year when Rickey broke the record for runs scored and got his 3,000th career hit.  Brad shared how appreciated he felt, and he knew that his employer truly cared for him.  Personalized recognition really is priceless!

 

Ignite a Thriving Workplace

Our goal at Sparck is to provide you with the tools to merge your core values into employee engagement, company culture, and rewards and recognition best practices. Sparck provides the tools to communicate with the human behind your employee. Knowing when to recognize, what reward or perk is most unique to the individual, and how to recognize this person and their milestone is the key to showing your employees they are valued.  But where do you start?  This is where we step in!

Our platform engages with your employees to keep track of what your employees' needs and wants are!  We have an algorithm that creates a completely unique experience for you, the manager, and your employees.  You invest in your people; let us provide you with the tools to ignite a thriving workplace your people will love.