Driving around town, I’ve noticed quite a few going out of business sales. Merchandise is being drastically discounted because everything has to go. Not a huge surprise in this economy.
I always wonder when I see these if the company could have done something to save themselves from going out of business. I mean…could they have a great sale or special promotion or lowered prices? If these companies have always been doing all that, I never see those signs…just the ones for when they go out of business. Like the only time they market is when they’re closing their doors.
Reminds me of when employees announce they’re leaving. Now all of a sudden, we need to throw a party or do something because they’re leaving. I’m not anti- going away parties but the questions remain, “What are you doing for employees when they arrive?” “How are you thanking them every day?”
Like the company that only promotes the going out of business sale, I wonder how many businesses only recognize employees when they leave. Instead of celebrating their arrival and the great things they do each and every day.
I’ve also seen the opposite – organizations that get criticized for not making a big deal out of a person’s departure. The employee perception is, the person who doesn’t get a going away party wasn’t liked by the company. Or the person who gets what is viewed as a token compared to someone else who might receive more. So, what is meant to be a gesture of thanks, becomes a popularity barometer.
We have to market ourselves and our business every day; otherwise we’ll go out of business. Right? And, we need to recognize our employees regularly – or we’ll be out of staff.
Image courtesy of timetrax23
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Pat Wood says
Definitely I could get behind, but I feel why this is common compared to appreciating employees or new hires, is that either: no one thought to do it, or it’s too costly/too much effort needed. While I don’t think that that should be the case I could definitely see it being hard to get a company to pick it up for the long run.
I do think that the new hire “party” could definitely be a great way to bring them right into the company culture as well as giving them a chance to meet everyone in a non formal setting.
AH says
I do not think that the idea of giving someone an “arrival party” is a good idea. These are unproven employees who have yet to make a contribution to the organization. Employees are also regularly praised for work they do, it just might not be in the form of a party. I know that the organization that I work at has a policy about going away party’s so that it’s fair for everyone. If an employee has worked at the organization for 3-5 years, they get a cake and a small gathering of employees to see them off. If they have worked there for 5+ years, A pizza party is thrown and everyone in the organization comes together for lunch. This is somewhat cheesy, but it establishes a precedent that is fair for everyone.
Sharlyn Lauby says
Even if companies don’t want to do “new hire parties” per se, it’s important to make a new hire feel like you have confidence in their abilities. Otherwise, why would an organization spend all that time and money to hire them?
The key here is to recognize people for what they do. Not only when they are walking out the door, but all along their career. And I’d caution people not to confuse consistency and fairness when it comes to recognition. Giving everyone the same thing is consistent, that doesn’t mean it’s fair.
Thanks for the comments. It’s interesting to hear everyone’s perspective.