After kicking cancer to the curb and spending three years in recovery from this surgery or that surgery, I decided to take back my life in 2022.
Those three years seemed to have been a blur, and habits created to make my health better have been long gone.
One of the habits that was strong in 2018 surrounded my physical health and the goal, of course, was losing weight. I joined a gym, started eating super healthy, and by September 2018, I had lost 51 pounds. And then came the cancer diagnosis, and it all came crashing down.
Needless to say, my strength waned, my eating habits were awful at best, and when it came to my physical health, all efforts to make it better ceased. Until January 2022! It was time — time to pick myself up, start exercising and eating healthier.
Today came a milestone after three months of “practice.” Today (Wednesday), I did a “get up” with a 15-pound weight in my hand — on both sides. As I gritted my teeth and stood up from the floor, the quiet pride made my eyes burn just a little.
Two weeks ago, a fellow workout partner did a sit up with a weight in her hands for the first time. She did shed a tear, and she had every right to! We even took pictures and celebrated with her.
Those milestones that may seem small to some mean the world to others. That sense of accomplishment should be celebrated!
It’s no different in the workplace.
Celebrating milestones, no matter how small, helps everyone feel appreciated for their contributions, creates a stronger sense of purpose, engages all team members and keeps motivating individuals reach for their true potential.
The milestones you celebrate at work for or with employees can be personal or work-related. For instance, when I was a member of the staff at Express Employment Professionals, we always celebrated birthdays, babies, and holidays together on a monthly basis. To come together, even if for just a half-hour, was always refreshing, full of laughs and comradery, and it truly felt as though our morale was boosted as we went back to our cubicles. Those celebrations were much needed!
Workplace milestones can, and should, go beyond the simple milestone of “Years of Service.” Although important, and nowadays, can be pretty impressive, there are many more celebrations to be had!
If you’re wondering what milestones could be celebrated in the workplace, here are a few. If there are high priority tasks that are completed on time and lead to meeting a goal set for the business, celebrate it.
How about checkpoints on the way up to achieving the big goal? Those posters hanging on your conference room wall? They aren’t hokey! They work. Each time you hit a goal on the way up, celebrate it! Celebrations do not have to cost an arm and a leg, nor do they need to be elaborate. Business can’t hand out cash and trips, but bagels or brownies and coffee from the fancy coffee shop down the road do the trick! And, if you are a business owner, manager or supervisor, never forget how far a handwritten note goes!
Also, remember this, increased employee engagement = increased dollars to the bottom line. One cannot argue with numbers in a spreadsheet or on a bank statement!
How is the turnover at your place of work? High? If so, have you gotten to the root of the issue? Might it be something as simple as not celebrating those who do the work around you?
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