Recognize your community

For many within our community, this will be a period of transition. Certain staff members will have to prepare for returning to campus, while others will need to adjust to a more robust on-campus presence for our community. Recognizing your fellow staff members for their work during this time period is critical to helping our community move forward together. We have put a quick list of ways you can recognize your colleagues throughout this time.

Send a Positive Vibe. As always, the HRMD Positive Vibes remains available for you to publish a note you have written for a colleague! Once you have written the note, your colleague receives a notification, letting them know that a positive vibe has been written on their behalf. You can choose to have your name removed or published.

Write personal notes. Along with Positive Vibes, reach out to your colleagues via email or with a handwritten note, expressing your gratitude for any piece of work that they have done that has had a positive impact. Throughout this period, it’s particularly important for supervisors to recognize staff members for their work, and personal notes can be very meaningful for employees. Challenge your team members to recognize one of their colleagues at least once a week.

Personally thank those staff members who have remained on-site throughout the pandemic. Many within our community have continued to report on-campus throughout the pandemic, in order to keep the university operational. If you have staff members on your team who continued to report, or if you know of any staff members who did so, we encourage you to reach out and say a quick thank you! 

Nominate a team hero at the beginning of the meeting.  If you are a supervisor, at least once a month, begin team meetings by going around and providing everyone with an opportunity to recognize each other! Have everyone provide a name as to who is their silent hero of the month. By providing a built-in opportunity for recognition, you are giving your colleagues a space to give kind words to their fellow team members, and encouraging a commitment to recognition. 

Provide timely recognition. Ensure that the recognition you are providing is timely and authentic. Do not wait too long to recognize your colleagues for their hard work. After a project or a task has been completed, reach out and send them a quick thank you message!

Approach your colleagues with care. Throughout this period, your colleagues may be undergoing a wide variety of experiences. Your messages of recognition may be valuable to your colleagues during this period of time, but they may also not respond as they ordinarily would to them. Show your support and appreciation for your colleagues by practicing patience and care during this transition.