The Importance of Celebration

Throughout the year, across the country and across the world, people come together to celebrate all types of occasions- holidays, sports championships, personal accomplishments, and life milestones. Every day of the calendar now seems to include several occasions to commemorate- pizza day, teacher appreciation week, Women’s History month… What we celebrate and how we celebrate may vary but our appreciation of the importance of celebration is nearly universal. In our personal lives we accept this importance but somehow forget it in our professional ones.

What do you take time to celebrate? Your birthday? Your friend’s graduation? Your cousin’s marriage? How many different parties, festivals and parades have you been to? I’m guessing this is no short list. We find reasons and occasions to celebrate most everything. Have you ever stopped to wonder why? 

Why do you choose to celebrate what you choose to celebrate?

Do you appreciate the opportunity to connect and share a special moment with those you love?

Do you feel it is important to recognize a special moment?

Do you believe that celebration is an essential part of living a balanced life?

Whatever your reason or reasons, why should work be any different?

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO CELEBRATE

At work, as in life, it is important- vital, really- that we make time to celebrate our accomplishments. Why must we pretend that our work selves are so very different from our out-of-work selves? Don’t the things that make us happy outside of the office also make us feel happy inside of it?

Life at work is busy, and we operate based on this busyness. We don’t take all of our vacation days. We stay connected to our phones outside of the office. We eat lunch at our desks. And we move from one item to another without as much as a pause or recognition of what has just been accomplished. Instead, we move right onto the next thing. We do not take sufficient time to stop and celebrate the good work being done. We think we do not have enough time or money for such recognition. We do not see the value or importance of celebrating our accomplishments. We argue that we are just doing our jobs, that we are professionals, that the work is its own reward. We take our staff and their work for granted. And we wonder why people are burnt out, disengaged and fed up.

Staff need to know that their work is appreciated, that you notice what they are doing. Yes, self-motivation goes a long way but for most people, it only goes so far. If you are a supervisor, it is essential that your team knows how much you appreciate their work. Not only will this make them feel good, it will help ensure they stick around. Everyone wants to have the opportunity to do what they do best, and most people desire some type of recognition for it. As a boss, this is the very least you can do to keep your staff motivated and engaged.

Another reason celebrating is important is that, in order to function effectively, we need consistent breaks and rest throughout the day and throughout our days. Research shows that what we believe is a demonstration of our hard work and efficiency is actually not an efficient way to work at all. Working non-stop is not efficient. Working too many extra hours is not efficient. What is efficient is focusing and working hard and then taking a break. Our brains and our bodies function better when we give them both a chance to rest and recharge.  Celebrating gives us that opportunity. Whether it’s cake in the break room or a dedicated 10 minutes in a meeting, celebrating allows us to take our minds off of the task at hand and focus on another important task on hand- recognition and appreciation for all that has been done. 

Celebrating as a team also helps build and deepen relationships among team members. For starters, it naturally bonds people through a shared positive experience. Secondly, this time where team members can talk and get to know one another can help develop their relationships which in turn will improve team functioning. As people get to know one another on a more personal level, this will help them work together more effectively on a professional level. Sharing in something fun and positive helps your staff see you and each other in a different light. Unfortunately, in far too many offices, people have limited interaction with one another and only know as much as is required to complete the task at hand. This does not allow the necessary time to understand how people best work together, what drives people and how to best communicate with one another. Providing more opportunities for staff to get to know each other, particularly in a relaxed and natural (celebratory!) setting, will help. 

HOW TO CELEBRATE

Think of the last five parties you went to. What did they have in common? How were they different? Celebrations come in all shapes and sizes, and when it comes to celebrating, you can be as creative as you are able.  A celebration can be a party (in countless different ways) but it certainly doesn’t have to be. It can also be a moment in a meeting where people clap or take a celebratory picture. Or it can be a glowing email to the company about the amazing accomplishment your team just had. It can be an ice cream party or a kickball game or an awards ceremony. It can be an extended lunch or an extra day off. It can be a handwritten note or a shoutout on your company’s social media. It can be gifts, big or small, gag or sentimental. It can be a handshake from the CEO or a team of the month certificate. You can set an expectation ahead of time (e.g., if we hit this goal, then we’ll celebrate this way) or you can be more spontaneous with it. You can spend as much as you choose, including absolutely nothing at all. There are so many ways to recognize, appreciate and celebrate your team.  Ask your team members for more ideas. There is no one better to let you know what they want than them.

THE OBJECTIONS TO CELEBRATING

It’s too expensive- It can be, sure, but it most certainly does not have to be. As stated above, taking a moment to celebrate an accomplishment can take but a moment if you choose. It can be a quick phone call, an email or a blurb in next month’s e-newsletter. It does not need to cost a thing. There are enough options that cost little or nothing so stop using this as an excuse not to celebrate your team’s accomplishments.

There’s not enough time- I understand why it can feel this way, but it is simply not the case. For starters, some types of celebrations take no more than a few minutes. Those that may take a little longer are still worthwhile. Like most of the important work we do with our teams, a small investment up front saves so much more time in the long run. Since valued employees are satisfied employees and satisfied employees stick around longer, think of the bigger picture when it comes to staff retention and turnover. Imagine that, due to increased appreciation and celebration of your team, they started to stick around just a little bit longer. How much time and money would you save if your turnover decreased? By even just a little? How much time would you save if you did not have to invest so much of it in performance issues that often result from people feeling unappreciated and taken for granted?

They’re just doing their jobs- Accurate. But misguided. Think about your life outside of work. What do you do in your role as parent, child, aunt, condo board president, softball team manager, vestry member…any of the many roles you take on. Yes, you have chosen to take them on, but how does it make you feel when somebody thanks you for it? Or even takes it a step further and celebrates you for it? How does it feel when you receive no appreciation at all for it? Or when someone takes it for granted? Yes, people get paid to work, but that does not mean they do not want to feel valued and appreciated for that work. This is true in any field that pays any amount, but amplify it for those fields that pay far less than they should. People have options of where to work, and if they do not like where they currently are, they have every right to go somewhere else. Entice them to stay by sincerely valuing and appreciating what they do.

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Celebration is a necessary and joyous part of life. Most of us appreciate the importance of this in our personal lives but forget about it in our professional ones. If you want your staff to truly be their best selves and stick around, it is important that you celebrate their good work and your appreciation of it. Create a culture of joy and gratitude in your workplace and help create an environment where people want to come to work everyday and contribute. Let go of the notion that work is work and a paycheck is its own reward. Create a space that is positive, appreciative and celebratory and see how much better work gets for everyone involved, including you.

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