These days, having a stable and long-lasting career is incredibly hard. This fact gives us even more reasons to celebrate each milestone we pass and each new goal we set ahead. Sure, some people may call this vain and overly indulgent. But humans are emotional beings. When we work hard, we want to know those struggles that moved the needle.
Celebrating professional achievements allows us to experience those accomplishments in the most tangible and immediate manner. It turns the daily grind into something worthwhile and gives us fuel to keep pushing forward.
So, no matter whether you want to reward yourself or you think some of your employees are due for some well-deserved ‘Thank You’, it is the right way to go. Let us take a look then at some of the tried and true celebration tips that should steer your goodwill in the right direction.
Make celebrations public
Rewarding yourself or some of your employees for a career achievement can be very stimulating. However, doing this behind closed doors does bite off some of the significance of the moment and makes the whole affair empty or self-indulgent. So, make sure the whole celebration is public and that all participants are aware of all the hard work that paved the way to the said milestone. You don’t have to invite dozens of people – even a couple of close friends or co-workers will do the job. But we do need support from our environment and career achievement celebrations are really no different.
Take some time for self-care
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. So, even if you took notice of the progress you or some of your co-workers have made, that doesn’t change the fact that, if we want to keep moving, we need to take occasional breaks. These breaks can come in the form of vacations, company retreats, or more free hours to spend with friends and family. You can even reshuffle the schedule to allow for flexible work hours or other workplace perks. But, in these cases, some sort of cool-down is more than necessary. The more enjoyable it is, the higher the motivation to reach the next milestone.
Capture the moment and make it last
When we are faced with constant challenges, positive emotions tend to wear off rather quickly. That is why people like to keep reminders of the moments that made them feel proud or the persons they hold dear – they instantly summon positive emotions. So, while you are organizing a celebration party, be sure to hire professional event photography services, or at least shoot some footage of the whole affair. Sure, it’s ok to have a good kick while it lasts, but framed photography or a photo album will make the party more significant. And people love coming back to these keepsakes.
Make the award personal
This usually applies if you are organizing a celebration for someone else, but you can pick up a couple of cues even if you are doing something for yourself. The point is that, when it comes to making someone feel special, no rules apply about the means – it’s the person at the end that matters. So, if you want to get that Nintendo Switch, do it – you work hard for that piece of family-friendly fun. If your employee likes comic books, a rare issue of DC or Marvel will be a perfect award. When used in the corporate environment, personalized gifts have a much stronger effect than traditional corporate picks.
Make the award proportional to the accomplishment
It’s not that you or your co-workers don’t deserve to be rewarded for your hard work. It’s just that if you keep indulging everyone for any success they make, the awards will produce diminished results. Reaching the monthly target is a cause for celebration, but it doesn’t really entail a trip to Vegas. So, keep the awards and big celebrations for big milestones that are truly special. Small steps are worth commending but in good taste. Having some sort of rulebook that will outline the budget and scale of different types of career achievements can be of great value in keeping you from going off the rails.
Keep the things in line with the corporate culture
As we stated earlier, holding public celebrations can summon a great sense of community and keep everyone involved motivated to aspire higher. But, if you are going to such celebrations on a corporate scale, they need to be kept in line with the corporate culture. If used correctly, they can even evolve into genuine team-building activities and opportunities for networking, strengthening personal relationships, and passing down corporate values. But, these subtle variations should never take away from the main purpose of the event – celebrating someone’s career achievement.
Be spontaneous
Finally, we would like to remind you that even though they should reward predictable behaviours, celebrations of career accomplishments should never become tedious. So, set clear goals about what you want to do and how much you want to spend, but be spontaneous about how you are going to celebrate the moment. Sometimes, you can take the celebration to a nourishing spa retreat. In other cases, it would be much more spontaneous to make a splash during the Knicks’ game. But you need to keep things interesting, or you may get yet another framed phone on the wall.
Conclusion
So, there you have it – the top seven tips to celebrate career achievements and make special milestones… Well, it’s even more special. But, the most important thing is to take notice of these moments and give them all due attention. People are working on very limited amounts of fuel, and if they feel they are not properly rewarded or even recognized, they will quickly use up their supplies and burn out. Don’t allow this to happen. No matter whether we are talking about patting yourself on the back or doing something special for some of your employees, success is always a cause for celebration. Now you know how to do that right.
Author bio: Marie Nieves is a passionate blogger with an eye for design, a flair for storytelling, and a love for culture. She contributes regularly to various blogs and online magazines, all while satisfying her wanderlust by exploring states and countries near and far.