It’s that time of the year again, summer has ended, the days are getting shorter, and the weather is getting colder. With these changes it’s easy to feel a bit bleak and stuck in your fall routine.
During our last work/life balance lunch of summer, we tackled the topic of Celebrations! Heading into our lunch I felt confident that here at the Firm we were doing a good job of celebrating people’s wins and personal accomplishments. Sadly, I got sick and was unable to attend the lunch, but the prevailing feeling expressed by co-workers was that we did a good job of celebrating the big things but often forgot to think about the small things.
While most wouldn’t call it “little” our first celebration is for our Associate Robin Mann, and our Senior Law Clerk Christine Allan. In August they closed a deal that was a personal milestone for them. I can’t give specifics but one of the parties was tied to the pancake industry (perhaps my favorite industry). To celebrate this achievement, we decided to have an in-firm pancake brunch, as well as gave each of them a small pancake art piece.
In our work lives it’s easy to feel that our day-to-day is the expectation of our employment, and “just part of the job.” But it’s important that we acknowledge the accomplishments our employees and co-workers achieve through their careers.
A few of the benefits of celebrating the little wins include:
1. Celebrations help to break up the day-to-day routine that we can find ourselves slipping into, this helps reduce the risk of burnout by breaking up that routine, as well as offering employees and co-workers something to look forward to.
2. While self-motivation is a necessary skill in today’s workplace, a little bit of external motivation is never a bad thing. Rewarding employees and co-workers for continuous self-improvement is a great way to lend a helping hand. It’s important to remember that milestones and achievements are not the only things that can be celebrated. It’s perfectly normal to acknowledge individuals’ efforts when they are pushing their boundaries and exploring new aspects of their lives and careers.
3. Imposter syndrome goes away when your success in your career is emphasized by others.
You don’t need to choose to celebrate with pancakes, but if you’re not celebrating your Team’s wins, you’re missing out on an even better Team than you have now.
Dylan Coffey, Human Resources Manager