Month: January 2008

Business Anniversary Cards – a little card goes a long way

Monday is never a good day for me, but last Monday was especially awful. The power had gone out the night before due to an intense thunderstorm, (which didn’t stir me from my slumber at all) and my alarm clock reset itself to 12:00 am. I woke up in a panic upon realizing that I was half an hour behind schedule. Great start to the week. I rushed to the bathroom for a shower, and realized that my sister had beaten me there. I heard the radio playing, but banged on the door anyway and told her to hurry it up. She did, but left me no hot water. I hadn’t even been awake for five minutes and already I was in a bad mood. No time for breakfast, no time for television, and to top it off, I left my lunch bag at home.

I sat in traffic for 40 minutes and punched in to work late. But hey, I finally made it. I could settle down a little bit and regain my composure (and lower my blood pressure). I slipped into the kitchen for a much needed cup of tea and found an empty pot…no hot water. I begrudgingly made a new pot and made my way to my desk, which was a huge mess. The weekend made me temporarily forget all of the loose ends I needed to tie up, but all the papers and my jam-packed inbox immediately brought me back. So much for settling down with a cup of hot tea.

I noticed an envelope addressed to me amongst all of the papers. It almost got lost in the mess, but the gold writing caught my attention. I opened up the envelope and pulled out the business anniversary card inside. It was a beautiful card! The gold foil shimmered on the big stars that adorned the front. In cursive, it read “Happy Anniversary,” and I realized that it was from my company. I couldn’t believe it…had it already been a year? Did they really remember my start date? Does the President of the company actually take time to sign his employees’ business anniversary cards by hand? What a great way to keep up employee morale. I know it brought a smile to my face…the first smile all morning! It is very reassuring to me that I work for a company that actually notices and appreciates my contributions. It makes me want to do more and show them how much their appreciation means to me. One little greeting card goes a long way, and this particular anniversary card was the ray of sunshine I needed to brighten up my horrible day.

Why do we light candles on top of a birthday cake when celebrating someone’s birthday?

Because it is too hard to put them on the bottom of a birthday cake (bah dum dum). Actually this custom can be traced back to ancient Greece when the moon goddess, Artemis, used to make offerings of cakes with circles of candles representing the full moon. Several centuries later, the Germans put a single candle on a cake to represent the spirit of life.

Send Get Well Cards to Show you Care

Sending corporate get well cards has become somewhat of a tradition at my company. So when I was home sick with bronchitis for two weeks, it felt so good to receive get well cards from my co-workers. I will always remember and cherish the feeling of caring and compassion I felt when I needed it most.

After I was back to work and feeling better, I ordered some personal greeting cards to keep at home. I feel it is very important to have a handy supply of get well cards so that I can send out a personal greeting as soon as I hear about a friend or relative who is not well. Get well cards show that you have other people’s best interests at heart. These greeting cards also let your friends and loved ones know they’re missed and needed. Sometimes the reassurance of a get well message can brighten someone’s day by simply showing them that you care.

It’s fast and easy to find the perfect card when you have your own personal greeting cards at home. So many times we have good intentions and think of others when they are sick but don’t take the time to send greeting cards. Now that I have my own supply of get well cards, I feel I am always ready to send a quick note to my friends, letting them know that I miss them and I hope they get well soon.

Anniversary Cards – More Years Should Lead to More Cheers

The month of December tends to be a busy time for me when it comes to celebrating our employees’ annual anniversaries with the company. 55 employees celebrated anniversaries with the company this December, with a total number of years in service adding up to 533 years! This total averages out to about 10 years per employee!

One of my responsibilities is to make sure that all of the corporate anniversary cards are signed by our President and by our Chairman of the Board. We celebrate every annual anniversary for each employee with anniversary cards, whether it be for one year or for 20 years. And while the greeting cards that we give to our staff fit under the category of business anniversary cards, each card receives this personal touch.

As a human resources professional, it made me wonder if more companies send their employees company anniversary cards to commemorate the day that they said “yes” to their companies. Giving business anniversary cards is an inexpensive way to extend appreciation to your staff, reaching out to them on a day when they may not expect to be recognized.

And as for this blogger…it will be seven years on June 25th.