This time of year is full of traditions.  For me – they start at Thanksgiving with the Hallmark Channel Christmas movies.  But, I know from Social Media how many of you “traditionally” go Black Friday shopping (as crazy as it may sound…). Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas Eve, Christmas, Boxing Day, etc.  There are traditions that go back generations that we all love to keep alive and well.  And, each time you successfully keep another tradition going, how does that make you feel? I know that my family loves every tradition that my husband and I have brought from our families.  But they feel equally connected to the traditions that we have started as a family unit.

But what about Traditions in Business?  Do you have any in place?

Webster’s Dictionary defines TRADITION as – “an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior”.  You don’t have to ponder too long about what positive traditions in business can do for employee morale.  In my former PEO life, we had many traditions, but perhaps my favorite was Halloween.  Each department concocted a theme, meetings were held, costumes were made, and then everyone was allowed to decorate any time between close of business the day before Halloween and the beginning of THE contest day.  On Halloween (or the designated business day), the judges walked the entire office and judged each department (there may have been some bribes offered, but I am sure none were taken).  Winners were announced toward the end of the day.  There was a lot of pride taken in winning this contest – but of course there were prizes as well!!  You may think “loss of productivity, disruption, etc”. To that, I say “Bah humbug”. The morale boost and team building associated with this event was amazing and had such a positive impact that it was worth every minute of “down time”.

So – what are your Traditions in Business?  What do you do for certain holidays?  What about when a deal is closed?  Maybe, you do something for your company’s anniversary each year.  If you don’t have any traditions for these events, the beginning of the New Year is the perfect time to start one. If you have some great traditions in place already, we would love to hear your favorites and if you will give us permission, we will post them on our Social Media for others to enjoy or brainstorm from to create their own.

We hope your Holidays were fantastic and 2019 brings joy and prosperity.