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Do Thursdays at work seem to drag on and on and on? So, why not goof around a bit? Thursday, January 28 is National Fun at Work Day so it’s completely appropriate to play a few gags on your co-workers, plan a special event or try one of these boredom-busting activities to get the entire office laughing.

Hold a Costume Party

Why wait until Halloween to play dress up? Encourage everyone in the office to dig out their favorite past dress-up clothes, or set a theme for the day. You’re bound to have a little fun at work if everyone is dressed as their favorite celebrity. Or, if you need to keep it a touch more professional, ask everyone to wear the same color shirts or goofy hats that can easily be removed before important client meetings.

Schedule a Breakfast Potluck

There’s nothing better than starting the work day with a relaxed meal. Plus, there’s no such thing as too much bacon or too many doughnuts. Ask everyone to bring their favorite morning foods to share with the rest of the team and let the staff ease into the day with brimming cups of cocoa and steamy lattes.

Set up a Photo Booth

Convert the break room into a goofy photo station. Encourage employees to dress up with props such as oversize glasses and feather boas and take photos with their co-workers. Post the pictures on social media throughout the day to let your customers know that you know how to create a fun work environment for National Fun at Work Day.

Bring Your Pets to Work

Nothing elicits more smiles than cute puppies prancing down the hallways. Or, maybe that quiet guy from IT has a pet iguana on his shoulder to admire. Who knows! Plan to have a pet parade over the lunch hour so all the animal lovers can attend. And don’t forget to give out a few awards for best tail wag, longest whiskers and most colorful critter.

Celebrate Ridiculous Awards

Brainstorm some wacky honors and document it on cool certificates and with small prizes. Throughout the day, reward individual staff members with crazy awards such as Most Likely to Eat a Box of Doughnuts, and present them with a fresh dozen. Or, what about dubbing someone #1 Sales Call Smooth Talker and present them with a new case for their cellphone. This is best for a small staff, so by the end of National Fun at Work Day, each person has earned an award and small gift.

Are you ready to create some cool invites for your employees to this year’s National Fun at Work Day festivities? Or, maybe you need to print some award certificates to commemorate the silliest of participants? Paper Direct has a huge assortment of options available for you to browse online. Shop now!

It requires ongoing efforts to keep your company’s sales force motivated and closing new clients. Of course you compensate them appropriately and provide regular recognition for their service, but if you’d like to get the most from your team, you’ll need to provide creative incentives that go beyond standard rewards. Here are ten sales recognition ideas designed to keep your team whistling while they work.

Shoutout Board 

Go a little old school and tack a bulletin board to your office wall. each week recognize someone for an achievement. Whether it’s straight up sales goals, shortest to close, had work, or another recognizable goal, giving them a shout out is a great way to recognize sales employees. 

Upgraded Work Gear

This one is kind of a win-win for your salesperson. If someone makes a big sale, why not give them a new phone or computer? Not only will your employee appreciate the new toy, your client will appreciate the fact that your salesperson is handling their account with state-of-the-art technology. If a little inter-office jealousy happens to breed some friendly competition, all the better.

Go With A Gadget

These days, everyone has a hobby, and every hobby necessitates some kind of gadget. If you’re looking to recognize a salesperson’s hard work, find out what their hobbies are and then get them a little gadget. In other words, get your employee something they’d want, but they’d never buy for themselves. They’ll be grateful for the personal approach to recognizing their sales work.

A Trip

This one is obviously on the pricey side of things, but if you’re really ready to shine down some affection on one of your high-performing salespeople, consider springing for a trip for them and their spouse. You can bet a  paid all-expenses vacation is something they won’t forget for years to come, and you really can’t put a price on that kind of incentive. It doesn’t have to be a two-week getaway to Europe, but a night or two at a nearby vacation destination will certainly demonstrate your appreciation.  

Bring In Food For Everyone

If you’re looking to single out someone’s performance, but you’d also like to help build a little office camaraderie, consider ordering a meal for the entire staff. When everyone is milling around, enjoying their free eats, take a moment to give credit for the lunch to the specific individual you’re trying to praise. They’ll look like a hero in front of their coworkers and you’ll look like the coolest boss on the planet.

Show The Winner You Value Them

When you’re trying to instigate a little competition among your sales staff (which is never a bad thing), why not single out your highest performing salesperson by having a semi-extravagant lunch prepared and delivered directly to their desk. You can bet your other employees will take note.

Tickets To a Weekday Matinee

A good movie can be a great stress reliever, as can a little time out of the office on an otherwise mundane workday. When you’re the boss that combines the two, then you can bet your employee will take note. Nothing says, “thanks for the hard work,” like the implication that you’re employee has things so well handled that they can take a few hours to enjoy it.

One Word … Beer

The headline here says it all. Few rewards pack quite the same punch as the gift of beer. Whether it’s a six pack at the end of the week for your top earner or a case for everyone who deserves a little recognition, beer is one gift that rarely, if ever, fails.

Say ‘Thank You’ With a Certificate

You would be utterly amazed how far a private or public “thank you” will go with your employees. It’s cheap, it’s easy, and it will be immensely appreciated. Look them in the eye and proclaim your appreciation for their hard work with a certificate; you’ll never regret it.

A Night Out On The Town

Spring for dinner for two at a five-star restaurant. Maybe throw in some extra dough for babysitting money, if applicable. Rent a limo. Really show your salesperson the recognition they deserve. A fun night out on the town with their spouse is just the ticket when you’re looking to incentivize your sales team.

Research shows, “Seven out of 10 employees who report they’ve received some form of appreciation from their supervisors say they’re happy with their jobs.” 

When deciding on an employee of the month, you want to evaluate individuals based on a variety of factors. Key employee of the month criteria include work performance, demeanor, professional growth, client/customer service, loyalty, dedication, and workplace cultural contributions.

Work Performance

Most, if not all businesses, will want to recognize a particular person if his/her work performance stands out from the rest. When deciding on an employee of the month, work performance should always be included in your evaluation as it is one of the most important aspects of an staff member’s contribution to your company. Whether it’s a sales leader or a customer service powerhouse, work performance is the top employee of the month criteria.

Demeanor

No one has a good day every day. Despite that, this is the employee who always has a smile on his/her face, and offers positive reinforcement when a project takes a turn for the worst. You’re not going to award the employee of the month honor to someone who is short-tempered, hard to work with, or is overall unpleasant more often than not. Recognize the worker who demonstrates what it means to love their job and to remain dedicated to it even during a bad day.

Professional Growth

There’s room for growth in any position. An employee who takes the time to seek out learning or networking opportunities to better themselves for the job is someone management should absolutely recognize. This worker is dedicated to strengthening their professional skills and knowledge in service of the company. Over time, this person will become a stronger asset for your business.

Client/Customer Service

When an unsatisfied customer gets in touch with your business to complain, this employee can turn lemons into lemonade. Or maybe this employee is a networking master who has built invaluable client relationships for your company. Your business would not exist without clients, so your next employee of the month might be the person who best met your customers’ needs.

Cultural Contributions

Every business has its own culture, and certain employees go above and beyond to contribute to the overall wellbeing of their workplace. Pam from marketing always spear heads charitable efforts the office can participate in. Or maybe IT tech Dwayne designed a green initiative to reduce your company’s carbon footprint. An employee recognition program is an invaluable component of your corporate culture, so a staff member’s efforts to contribute to that should be reviewed when considering who to recognize as employee of the month.

As businesses vary, you’ll want to determine which employee of the month criteria best suit your company, its culture, and objectives before launching this employee recognition initiative. Consider what employee of the month criteria would define a top-performing staff member in relation to your business goals and company values.