Showing Staff Appreciation in 2020
At the Co-op, showing appreciation to one another is a natural part of how we do business. With over 150 employees, it’s important that we work as a unified to team to keep our operations running smoothly and efficiently. Equally important is showing appreciation to one another for the work that we do to contribute to our daily successes. Recognizing staff members’ success and special occasions is vital to creating an affirming and supportive work environment. Some of the ways the Co-op does this on a regular basis is to offer competitive wages, excellent and affordable benefits, awesome perks (generous product discounts, monthly raffles, etc), having an open door policy, and providing a fun work environment.
During the last eight months, Co-op staff have been challenged in ways none of us could have been prepared for. They’ve dealt with panic buying, product shortages, fear of contracting COVID-19, unusual and unpredictable customer service interactions, mask mandates, and constant changes to when, where, and how they work. These changes have happened daily, weekly, and monthly, with no end in sight. Living through this kind of uncertainty and continuous change takes its toll on our mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. Although we can’t stop the changes, the Co-op has strived to make work a little more bearable, and hopefully even enjoyable, by showing even more compassion, patience, and appreciation to those who work tirelessly every day to keep the Co-op up and running!
Some of the ways we have worked to recognize the hard work of our employees include:
offering staff more opportunities to take time off, allowing those who need it to go negative in their PTO
when the salad and hot bar closed down, we provided free daily lunches for 2 months
easy and accessible ways of showing gratitude through our “Shout Out” board, where employees can express gratitude for each other and applause a job well done
monthly giveaways like gift baskets full of wellness items, grocery goodies, and camping gear
a socially distanced BBQ picnic
a root beer float party and pizza days
free staff t-shirts
our continued “hero pay,” an hourly increase of wages for all employees
There are also more intrinsic things like encouraging more frequent breaks to take a breather (pun intended) from wearing a mask continuously throughout their shifts, having “summer spirit days” so staff could dress up in fun ways to add a little excitement to the day-to-day, and a newly implemented suggestion box, so that all staff have the opportunity to offer ideas and feedback to management, anonymously if they so choose.
The Co-op is only as good as the people who work for it, so we believe it’s important to take care of our employees in a way that demonstrates that their work is appreciated and their contributions both matter and are recognized. As we are all finding our way through these challenging times, one thing is certain, we will continue to support each other and find new and innovative ways to encourage and appreciate the employees that show up and help make the Co-op the great place that it is for our community.
by Renee Hall