Recognize Your Team Members With a Kudos BoardBy Andy BaileyWe spend nearly 40 hours in and around the offce during a normal workweek. Add in the time spent working at home or staying late, becausefnding an ideal work-life balance can be hard, and some team members work closer to 50 or 0 hours a week.When people spend this much in the offce, it!s important to make sure they feel appreciated" in fact, it!s absolutely necessary. A sur#ey by the American $sychological Association%A$A& found that feeling #alued at work is a key indicator in 'ob performance and engagement. (t!s an essential part of staying moti#ated to accomplish work.)ut between client meetings, tra#el and the daily humdrum of routine, it can be hard to make appreciation a priority on your to-do list. (ntroducing . . . the *udos )oard.Choose a Method+our mode of appreciation doesn!t ha#e to be a board. (t can be a wall, a corner, the chalkboard in your lobby, or the fridge in your break room. Where#er it is, designate a space in your offce to display notes of gratitude.,ne my clients, -om -urner, ./, of 0ash#ille-based 12i , created the Applause )oard, a space for team members to fll out cards thanking fellow coworkers. -he board is located in the company!s kitchen where e#eryone can see it and participate.Spread the Word3or your *udos )oard to work, people ha#e to know it!s there. 2hare the news with your team about the new initiati#e. 0eed an e4ample5 )e the frst to recogni6e someone.2tart with, 7( appreciate you because89 -hen use a specifc e4ample. A#oidbeing cheesy or using clich:s like 7being a team player9 or 7gi#ing ;00 percent.9 +our note should thank or recogni6e someone for a specifc action that taught the team a lesson or mo#ed the company forward.+our kudos could sound like thisonday when you arri#ed an hour early to meet with a client who had no other time open. +our commitment to pro#iding an e4cellent customer e4perience and being a#ailable really left a great impression on the client and the team= Way to li#e out the company #alues=9-he notes can be casual, fun, and full of your company!s culture.Reward Hard Work/ach ?uarter at 12i, company leaders collect kudos from the Applause )oard and select four that best represent each of the company!s four core #alues. -hen, caricatures of the chosen team members are displayed on the company!s 7Wall of 3ame9 for the entire ?uarter. At the end of the year, team members #ote on an o#erall winner for each core #alue and these indi#iduals spin a 7Wheel of 1estiny9 for additional pri6es.