It feels good to be proclaimed a winner. I speak from experience: The World Sweeping Association recently received a national APEX Award for Publication Excellence for the quality of the educational and training material contained in the WSA Update e-newsletter we send to our members on the first and fifteenth of each month. This marks the third straight year that WSA has received an APEX for some aspect of its operation, a recognition for which we are very proud. The affiliated WorldSweeper.com website also won for the quality and content of the information on its extensive website, which, at over 5,000 photos and articles, is the world’s largest on the topic of power sweeping.
However, I’m not using that as this issue’s topic to blow our horn — okay, maybe a little! — but, rather, to discuss the topic of awards and how they can benefit your own organization. As I said at the start, winning an award makes the recipient feel good and it does so at little cost to the people making the determination.
Consider bringing an award program into your company if you don’t have one already. You might establish a contest that addresses one or more areas where your firm could use some improvement, whether in terms of the quality of work being provided, morale of employees doing the work, or the best overall workplace improvement idea(s).
There are many rewards that are high profile at a low cost. These might include a preferred parking place at your shop, a fancy certificate and/or a gift card for dinner at a restaurant where your workers (and their wives) typically wouldn’t be able to afford on their own. Most restaurants, when asked, will provide you with a gift certificate for 50% off the face value if they know their restaurant will be used as part of a contest. Find creative ways to make your employees happier while making your business more productive.
And, speaking of more productive, find out for yourself the value of the award-winning information, as well as the many other benefits, that are provided to WSA members twice every month. Questions? Contact me via email sent to [email protected].
WSA contributor Ranger Kidwell-Ross has been providing information to the power sweeping industry since 1988. He is editor of WorldSweeper.com, an information resource for power sweeping, as well as executive director of the World Sweeping Association. For more information abotu WSA visit www.WorldSweepingPros.org.
