Sparck and Dark Stories: Valentine's Day

Don't Live in the Dark!

Did you know that generic recognition (or lack thereof) is impacting your workplace?  Sneak a peek into what your employees want to say, but aren't... It's shocking!

It had been a rough couple of weeks at work. We had a big pitch coming up and I had been working overtime to get ready.

On Valentine’s Day I came in early to work, missing the traditional heart shaped pancakes with my kids, so that I could leave the office by 5:00 to meet my wife for dinner. I sent a draft of the pitch to my manager that morning and let him know that I was hoping to leave at 5:00 that evening because my wife had made special plans for Valentine’s Day. He was slammed in meetings all day, so he didn’t get me the edits until 4:45 and told me he needed them made before I left. We still had several days until the pitch and I was planning on coming in early the next day to make the edits, but it was an important pitch and my manager was adamant that he needed them before the end of the day.

I called my wife and told her I would be staying late. We missed our reservation. My wife has wanted me to leave my job for a while now, because it’s clear my manager doesn’t value me or my family. This was just another example. I rarely ever ask to leave early, not that 5:00 is early. It was obvious he didn’t care one bit about me. I started thinking about leaving the company at that point. I haven’t yet, but it’s still in the back of my mind.

Live in the Light!

When the recognition experience is personalized and meaningful, employees feel seen.  Learn from each unique story to elevate your employee experience.

As a manager, I know how important it is to get to know my employees. We try hard to keep our employees engaged in the workplace and happy. After all, they are the lifeblood of our company. Without them, we couldn’t do what we do.

On Valentine’s Day, we decided to switch things up a bit. Instead of a pot-luck or card exchange, we decided to hang up a “love board.” We asked our employees to bring in a picture of something they
love. It was great! Some brought in pictures of their families. Other’s brought in something related to their favorite hobby. It gave all of us a chance to get to know one another better and in the end, we found out that many of us share similar interests. It brought everyone closer to each other and I received a lot of positive feedback. It’s something we’ll now do each year.