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Machine Plaque
More Honorable Company Awards Lead To More Loyal Employees
Companies have used recognition awards for decades as a way to show they value their employees. From the classic gold watch at retirement to Employee of the Month perpetual plaques, employee awards have become a standard part of doing business.
However the fact that company awards have become so common, so everyday, is exactly what is wrong with them. Employees no longer feel special. It's simply a routine part of the workday, an excuse to get away from the desk for a few minutes.
With a little creativity, you can restore that special feeling to company awards. Make your employees feel unique by giving them unique honors.
Certificates aren't worth the paper they are printed on
If your company gives out certificates for events like Employee of the Month, you need to stop. The durability of a gift sends a message about the durability of your feelings. Paper is disposable and a paper award, no matter how nice the penmanship is, says your loyalty to your people is disposable as well.
Think about it - why do you use paper certificates? Because they are inexpensive. If you want to save money on pens and staples that's one thing, but going cheap on employee awards means you are going cheap on employee relations.
Stay away from the same old plaques
Maybe you are one of the companies that give out actual plaques. You know those black plaques on dark wood (or wood-like plastic) with gold or silver engraving - the same plaques that every other company hands out.
A plaque is a step in the right direction. It's durable and sturdy. It has some heft to it and says that your commitment is solid.
On the other hand, the message this sends is, "You're unique - just like everybody else." Employees don't want to feel like a cog in the machine, even a valuable cog. For all the talk of teamwork, employees want to be rewarded as individuals.
Make unique awards for your unique people
Break out of the mold of boring plaques and explore other options.
Rather than the same old run-of-the-mill "Company Award Plaque #3" look through the catalog and see what else there is to offer. Find ways to personalize the award, say by going for a plaque that includes the employee's picture or a sports plaque.
Add a personal message that reflects the employee's individual contribution to the company. Why is this person being honored? If it is because of a broken sales record or an idea that saved the company a half-million dollars, say so.
Try abandoning plaques entirely. Splurge on a breathtaking crystal trophy or silver cup that an employee will be proud to display prominently on a desk.
Will these ideas cost more? Yes, probably. However an exceptional employee is the most valuable asset your company will have. A genuine act of appreciation boosts morale not just of the recipient but of all employees and that's money in the bank.
About the Author
Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information on
Company Awards, visit
http://www.Allstar-Awards.com/.
Any experienced bread makers?
I would like to learn to make bread but I'm terrified to try. I can't even make biscuits! Can you imagine a southern woman who can't make buttermilk biscuits...everyone rags me about it! We inherited a little kitchen plaque from my husband's grandmother with a bread recipe on it - one she actually used - but I don't know if I should waste my time trying it. Are there any basic, simple recipes I could begin with? Do I have to buy a bread machine or is the oven ok? Are there special pans I should get?
You can go either way. A few tips to help you get started:
You can try a bread machine on the cheap by visiting your local thrift stores. They often have a selection of bread machines for under $20. A lot of folks buy the machines, use them once or twice, end up as a novelty dust collector, and get donated.
As others have noted, you don't need a bread machine, all you need is a big bowl, or even a large counter space. My Mom's M.O. was to heap the flour on the table, make a "volcano" and pour the liquids and yeast in and mix and knead by hand till she had a good dough ball. Hardly any measuring happened. I weigh my ingredients to the nearest gram, and use my bread machine as a mixer (you can use a kitchen mixer if you have one, just keep it at the slowest speed or you might strip the gears) and bake in the over.
Major Eyswater offers a recipe and some good directions, and some of the other folks' tips are good, too, but I saw a couple incorrect statements I'd like to correct:
1) bread flour is by no means necessary, nor will it guarantee a better loaf. Don't get me wrong, it contains more gluten producing protiens, which is especially good for tinned breads (a.k.a. breads made in loaf pans), but is utterly unnecessary (and often undesirable) in most freeform loves.
2) do not try to bake tinned loaves in a super-hot oven, you will end up with a scorched crust and raw crumb (interior). High temps are for "artisan" breads, which typically are wetter and freeformed.
3) you can knead in alternating directions, same direction, the protiens don't care, and you won't create better (or worse) gluten fabric (or network, depends on who you talk to) with one technique over the other. You DO need to know what the dough should feel like (smooth, slightly tacky like a post-it note, "window-pane" test mentioned by others)
4) tap water does not contain so much chlorine that it will kill yeast. If it did, it would kill you, too.
5) if you have raised a child and know what baby milk temperature is, then there is no need for a food thermometer. Life is amazing in that most life thrives in the broad range of temps between freezing and boiling, and much of that lives in the narrow range right in the middle, around 100F or 40C. If it is comfortable to you, yeast will be happy, if it is too warm for comfort, it will kill yeast, and if it is cool to touch, yeast will grow slowly (not a bad thing, just means longer rises).
6) check out some of my previous answers in this subject area for some additional science of baking
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