Cheers feel great to receive and are super fun to send (seriously, have you tried attaching a Giphy to Cheers yet?). And Cheers are not just feel-good virtual high fives, our data has shown that they actually contribute to overall job satisfaction, engagement, performance, and retention.
Since Cheers have been proven to boost employee happiness among many other things, it is a good idea set a personal Cheers goal for yourself to send each week. There are an endless amount of occasions to recognize your peers, so without further ado, here are 20 fun ideas to inspire you to send more recognition.
1. Celebrate a birthday: Instead of spending $4 on a birthday card, try sending a Cheers!
2. Congratulate someone on their work anniversary: Feeling valued is a huge factor in retention. Let your direct reports and teammates know that their contributions do not go unnoticed year after year.
3. Appreciate coworkers and business partners on special role-specific holidays: There is a special day for almost every type of role! Celebrate your teachers, nurses, administrative professionals, and more on their special day with a Cheers.
4. Cheers a client: Cheers really add a special touch to client interactions and let them know that you care. Here is a pro-tip: Cheers recipients do not even need a Limeade Listening account so you can actually Cheers anyone who has an email address (and this means your clients).
5. Warm-up a prospect: Everyone is shopping around these days so sales professionals need to take advantage of any leg up they can get. Send your prospects a Cheers after a call or on-site visit to let them know you care about their business. Remember, the only thing you need to receive Cheers is an email address so you can basically send Cheers to anyone!
6. Get your team excited about a project kick-off: Starting a new project? Get people excited about working towards a common goal with a group Cheers.
7. Celebrate a project's (hopefully successful) completion: Congratulations on finishing that project! We would send a Cheers if we could!
8. Thank organizers for arranging special office events: Let those individuals know how much you loved their office event. They probably went above and beyond their normal job responsibilities to organize it so be sure to recognize them for their hard work.
9. Congratulate your direct reports when they achieve a goal: As a leader, it is even more important for you to recognize your team members for a job well done. Do not minimize their achievements by forgetting to send a Cheers.
10. Thank someone for a nice gesture: Come into the office to find a coffee or your favorite chocolate on your desk? Show your gratitude for these small surprises with Cheers.
11. Keep job candidates engaged after interviews: You have spent months trying to recruit the perfect candidate for your team. Do not let interviewees walk out the door without knowing how much you appreciate their time and interest in joining your organization. Send a quick Cheers to candidates to set your organization apart in the recruitment process.
12. Welcome new hires: Starting a new job is always nerve-wracking! Ease the transition and let new employees know they are welcome.
13. Thank peers for their feedback or input: Did someone give you some great advice? Did a senior teammate just give a super insightful critique of your work? You probably know what to do by now.
14. Appreciate your female colleagues on Women's Day: And every other day! Just mark your calendars for March 8th and send your Cheers.
15. Send a Cheers in place of a 'thank you' note: Don't get us wrong, hand-written 'thank you' notes are an unparalleled form of appreciation. But we have all been in the situation where we want to give a well-thought 'thank you' card and just do not have the time, and eventually forget. Instead of letting that appreciation go to waste, send a Cheers while you are still thinking about it.
16. Thank a trainer for an insightful session: Coaching and development are key contributors to employee satisfaction, so do not forget to recognize the trainers who work so hard to help you reach your own development goals.
17. Let your mentor know how much you appreciate them: Those of us who are lucky enough to find a mentor need to let them know how much they're appreciated. In case you have not gotten the memo yet, you can send Cheers to anyone with an email address even if they do not have a Limeade Listening account.
18. Keep in contact with professionals you met at a networking event: You never know when you are going to need a connection and networking events are great places to expand your network. But do not let those connections forget you! Send Cheers to them to stand out from the crowd.
19. Let your 3rd party partners know you appreciate their support: Do you rely on 3rd party partners to make your business run smoothly? Think technical support professionals, suppliers, contractors, etc. These partners need appreciation too so do not leave them off your Cheers list.
20. Just because! Celebrate every day with Cheers. There is never a bad time to recognize your teammates, business partners, direct reports, leaders, and prospects!
