Thanksgiving is a tradition that originally started in 1621 when the Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn feast with the Plymouth colonists to celebrate a bountiful harvest. We celebrate 400 years later by wearing our “Thanksgiving pants” to feast on turkey, potatoes, and cranberry sauce with our closest family and dearest friends. But at its core, Thanksgiving is still a time to gather and reflect upon what we are grateful for in our lives.
The spirit of Thanksgiving can also be channeled into different aspects of the workplace, but many companies may not know how to accomplish this. So let’s talk turkey with two lessons in thanks your company can adopt this holiday:
Lesson #1: Appreciation
Employee appreciation is important all year round, but during this season of thanks, employers need to recognize all that their employees do for them. According to this article by Gallup, only 20% of American employees are engaged at work. The key to having a more engaged workforce? Appreciate and recognize their work.
Companies that have employee appreciation programs have happier, more productive employees overall; in fact, more satisfied employees are 13% more productive than those who are lukewarm about their jobs. And it doesn’t take a large budget to show gratitude for employees. Something as simple as posting “great job on your first week!’ to a new employee on your company’s internal newsfeed can encourage others to support their colleagues.
HOW APS IS SHOWING APPRECIATION
APS shows employee appreciation in a variety of ways. Through our employee advocacy program, we can connect with our employees through various social media challenges throughout the year, earning rewards such as gift cards and catered lunches for their department. We spotlight employees on our social media who exemplify our core values through their role with the company. We also highlight new hires, birthdays, and work anniversaries on our company intranet to acknowledge our staff in a positive way.
Lesson #2: Giving
How is your organization currently exhibiting social responsibility? People and organizations alike tend to have more generous hearts around the holiday season; after all, half of all donations are made to nonprofits and charities between September to December. According to Nonprofit Source, 82% of employees want the opportunity to volunteer with their co-workers in a company-supported philanthropic event.
There are several ways companies can give back, either by offering paid time off to employees for volunteering or offering a company match for every dollar donated by workers. Even if your organization is smaller, there are several ways you can give back to your community without spending a ton of money. Providing free professional services to people in need, hosting a canned food drive for the local food bank, and donating unused coats to homeless shelters are just a few ways companies can give to charities.
HOW APS IS GIVING BACK
Each Thanksgiving, APS gives back to the community by teaming up with our local Shreveport-Bossier Rescue Mission to collect canned goods and donations. These donations help residents in the Life Recovery Program and those in our local community suffering from hunger. One person can provide a Thanksgiving meal to someone in need for just $1.99.
If you would like to donate to the SB Rescue Mission, please visit their website at sbresucuemission.com/get-involved/.
What APS is Thankful For
Payroll Technology
It may sound a little cheesy to say, but payroll is our bread and butter. It’s what we started with, and it’s at the core of the services we provide today. Payroll is such an essential aspect of every organization, and most of the time, it’s an unseen expectation in our daily lives.
Without payroll, hard-working Americans wouldn’t be paid accurately or on time. Payroll technology ensures every hour worked is accounted for, and employees receive every hard-earned dime.
HR TECHNOLOGY
The other side of the payroll coin is Human Resources. First off, to all HR Managers and departments out there, we appreciate you and are grateful for your hard work. Since our mission is to make payroll and HR easier, we strive to develop HR technology that makes your lives easier.
While not everyone understands how many hours you put into making sure all your co-workers are taken care of, we do, and we would like to acknowledge your hard work. That’s why we work so hard to develop the HR technology we do. Knowing that we can help in even the smallest ways can significantly impact how companies internally operate every day.
OUR PARTNERS
The partnerships we’ve developed over the years hold a special place in our hearts. Our partners provide services to our clients which expand beyond the basics of payroll and Core HR.
They provide us with a little something extra in our technology, and we help them by providing payroll and HR technology that’s both functional and easy to use. We always enjoy working with new businesses in new industries, as they help us push our boundaries and go above and beyond for our customers.
OUTSTANDING TEAM MEMBERS
Our team members have been the secret ingredient to our success for 25 years and counting. Without them, we could never develop the technology we do, and we wouldn’t have the client success we’ve had over these past two decades.
From our sales and marketing department to our development, IT, implementation, and tax compliance teams, our support, customer success, training, and accounting experts, and our very own HR staff, everyone is an integral part of the APS community. We truly work as a team, and without them, we couldn’t do what we do best - create intuitive, logical payroll and HR software for businesses across the country.
OUR AMAZING CLIENTS
We saved the best for last. Without our clients, we wouldn’t be here today. Since 1996, APS has been providing our clients with the best payroll and HR software they deserve. Here at APS, we want to make sure we’re making our customers feel like they’re at grandmother’s for Thanksgiving all the time, with the full spread of HR and payroll technology available to them.
So to all our clients - we are incredibly thankful for every one of you. Thank you for your continued support and confidence.
ALL THE TRIMMINGS
It’s essential to count your blessings, not just around the holidays. Implement an employee recognition program to engage with your employees, stay involved in your community by giving back to it. Remember to appreciate and give throughout the year and not just when the season calls for it. Embrace the Thanksgiving attitude as part of your company culture, and you’ll soon see how it impacts your workforce.
We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
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