Hungry for Candy

Yeah, I know it's only a couple of days after Halloween, but the staff here seems to be hungry for candy. As always, with such things, I think there's a little more to it than what's on the surface. Often complex-looking things are really simple, and some simple things can be a little more complex. But let's not go looking for "meaning" in everything...

We've dropped a few staff recently. A couple of them went elsewhere, and one just plain left. One of them used to keep a candy bowl on their desk. It was a nice treat to stop by every once in a while and grab a chocolate or two and munch at your desk. We'd gone without for a while, and it seemed like the bowl was missed. It was kind of a morale thing. Since nobody else picked it up, I went ahead and dropped a few bucks on some candy, threw it in a bowl, and put it on my desk, with a big virtual sign that said, "Help yourself."

The response has been good. The bowl's almost empty. True, it wasn't all that full to begin with, but I think I'm going to pick up a little more candy this weekend, and stock up the bowl a bit before I head out for paternity leave. Hopefully, it won't be bone dry when I get back.

I think the little things are important when considering employee morale. It doesn't have to be huge monetary incentives, though they are nice, or big celebratory events. Just a little recognition, or a little perk every now and then, makes a big difference. It's nice to know you're appreciated, even in little ways. I suppose I'm just letting folks here know that I appreciate them. It feels just as good to show appreciation as it is to receive it.

And with that, on to work.

-D.