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I am not aware of any culture on planet earth where birthdays are not celebrated. I am also not aware of any individual that doesn’t like receiving special attention on their birthday. So why not celebrate staff birthdays to the max and demonstrate just how much your employees mean to you.

There are a number of ways celebrating staff birthdays.

One of the most common is the provision of food, often in the form of a birthday cake, for morning tea on the day. However one custom that I have never been able to comprehend is that for many organisations, the person who organises and pays for the special treat is the person whose birthday it is. If someone out there can explain the logic behind this tradition, please contact and explain it to me. If this is what happens at your place of business, STOP IT! How much more appreciative would you be knowing that your workmates or management have gone to the trouble of organising something special for your birthday?

Another option that has become a tradition at a number of organisations, is to give the member of staff celebrating their birthday, the day off. This is the company’s way of saying "thank you for your past efforts, we value you as a member of the team, and please accept the day off as our birthday gift to you." Now I can immediately hear some company beancounters saying that the company can’t afford it, but seriously, the actual cost is close to zero, and the upside returns are extremely high. Try it, you might just be pleasantly surprised.

By the way, a logistical problem occurs when their birthday falls on a weekend. This is easy fixed by giving them the Friday off which further enhances the gift by creating a three-day weekend.

If, for whatever reason, the day off option is not acceptable, it is important to make the staff member feel appreciated on their special day. This can be done in a variety of ways. Why not let them park in the CEO’s car-bay for the day? Maybe give them a company car for the evening? Why not hang balloons and streamers around their workspace? How about organise an ‘in-office’ massage? The options available to you are only limited by your imagination.

Gifts are also an option, but please exercise some creativity when choosing something suitable. Why not tickets to see their favourite sports team? A book about their favourite hobby. A bottle of their favourite wine. A CD of their favourite performer. Tickets to the ballet or opera. A voucher for their favourite restaurant that they can share with their partner. Choosing these sorts of gifts requires some research into the lives of fellow members of staff which in itself can be a very positive exercise.

You often hear companies stating that their people are their most important asset. Birthdays give organisations the opportunity to demonstrate exactly what that really means.

Until next week, many happy customer returns!

Graham Harvey APS

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