Several of our recent posts have been on the topic of recognising your staff.   We all know that if you want staff to stay with your organisation you need to let them know their contribution is valued.  There are many ways of doing this, but sometimes it’s the simple things that really count.

One of my previous roles included organising an annual Teaching and Learning Conference.  This conference was held over 2 days for over 700 staff.   Each year the conference got bigger and better, however one thing remained the same - the component that was consistently rated the best thing about the program was a BBQ breakfast.  

The BBQ brekkie was a bit of an Institute tradition – once a year the heads of schools would don their aprons, roll out the barbie, and cook up a hot breakfast for all the teachers.  And the teachers loved it!

I think what made it so special for the staff was that here were their bosses, who were normally found in suits in the executive offices, in shorts and a t-shirt slaving over a hot barbie!  And they had been there since 4.30am prepping food, filling eskies, and setting out coffee & tea - for no other reason than to say thank you. 

Knowing that their manager valued them enough to get up at the crack of dawn and put on a party in appreciation of their hard work was very powerful.  It was also an opportunity for the teachers to catch up socially with their team as well as with colleagues from other campuses.   The BBQ brekkie was a great way of raising morale, and was one of the simplest and cheapest parts of the entire conference.

The more you express appreciation for your staff, the happier they will be to work for you.

What have you done lately to reward staff in your organisation?

Clio Robertson