If you’re in charge of buying holiday gifts for your employees, you may face a seemingly insurmountable problem. You will understandably want those gifts to feel personal, but also something where you don’t have to spend a lot of time buying an individual gift for five, 10, 20 or more people. You will also want […]
Employee Recognition & Motivation
Distinctive Gift Ideas For Your Boss
Do you have a great boss? Are you looking for a gift that will express your appreciation for leadership and guidance? If so, then you’re in luck. Although the majority of the products we carry are geared toward rewarding and recognizing employees, we have a number of fantastic options for bosses too who need to […]
Recognition That Makes People Stay
You know how people say employees leave managers, not companies? That’s mostly true, but honestly, it goes deeper than that. A lot of folks don’t leave for the money or the perks. They leave because they start feeling invisible. And that’s the part leaders sometimes miss. Gallup and Workhuman have been digging into this for […]
Leading Through Uncertainty: Why Recognition is the Cure for Workplace Anxiety
Layoffs. AI taking jobs. Inflation. Trade wars.It’s no wonder so many employees today feel anxious, drained, and disengaged. Gallup data published in April revealed a sobering truth: only 21% of employees worldwide are engaged at work, down from the previous year. The steepest drop came from managers under 35—the very people tasked with bridging leadership […]
The Big Boss Era: Why Recognition Matters More Than Ever
The pandemic-era lean toward remote work is slowly reversing. A new wave of CEO mandates is pushing employees back in the office, trading flexibility for hustle culture. At Robinhood, CEO Vlad Tenev explained the company’s tiered return-to-office (RTO) policy this way: “Executives in-office five days a week, managers four, and individual contributors three, because it’s […]
When AI Turns Into Your Desk Buddy (and Why That’s a Problem)
AI tools, whether it’s ChatGPT, Claude, or Replika, are no longer just task crunchers. They’re becoming pseudo‑coworkers. People are naming them (“Deborah,” “Claude”), thanking them, venting to them, all of which are signs of emotional reliance. But here’s the catch: psychologists like Laura Greve warn that slipping into a routine of AI companionship can lead […]
How One Simple Habit Can Transform You Into an Exceptional Manager
New research shows that being an exceptional manager boils down to one simple-but-powerful habit: regular, meaningful recognition. According to the 2025 State of Recognition report from Achievers Workforce Institute (AWI), only 15% of employees feel their manager recognizes them regularly. That’s a seismic opportunity for leaders willing to lean into gratitude. But here’s where it […]
The Autumn, Post-Vacation Realignment Playbook
As summer fades, so too does its easygoing vibe. It’s prime time for managers to reset energy, engagement, and focus across the team. 1. Watch for the Post-Vacation Slump Summer isn’t just sunshine, it’s distraction. Productivity routinely dips around 20% during the season, and re-entry often brings anxiousness that threatens to overwhelm. Look out for: […]
Leading with Trust: Strategies to Strengthen Workplace Connections
If your workplace isn’t built on trust, it’s built on sand. That might sound dramatic, but the data backs it up. According to Gallup’s “The World’s $8.9 Trillion Workplace Problem” report, low engagement and poor management practices are draining the global economy. Much of that stems from a simple, foundational issue: a lack of trust. […]
Quiet Vacations: Millenial Edition
Move aside, quiet quitting, it’s time to meet quiet vacations. While the term quiet quitting described a mental check-out, millennials have quietly escalated the trend. Nearly 4 in 10 secretly hit pause on work, logging in from a beach, a café abroad, or a mountain cabin, without filing a PTO request. They’re working, yet away. […]