How Giving Recognition to Your Employees Makes Your Company Culture Strong

When we think of what will make us happier as employees, some may think of beer taps and ping pong tables in Google’s head offices, and others may think of generous benefits packages and stock options. While these all come into play to statistically make employees happier, efforts to improve your company culture will always be more beneficial in the long run.

Forming your company culture to be a culture of recognition will allow your employees to feel secure in your company, therefore:

Increase employee retention
Create happier employees, which creates better results in the long run
Build humanized relationships with your employees and the company as a whole

Here at Ballistic Arts, we believe in the power of human connection in life, and in business. That’s why we wanted to strengthen these relationships and improve our culture of recognition in our organization by arranging a local event to celebrate all the hard work that has helped us thrive in business for the past 20 years.

On June 24th, 2022 the Ballistic Arts team gathered for the 20th year celebration event of a Forage & Feast Culinary Adventure with Top Chef Canada Season 7 Winner and founder of Wild Origins Paul Moran in the Coquihalla Summit forest.

Not only did this 5-hour morel mushrooms & wild food foraging trip provide feasting for an 8-course meal in a beautiful greenery outdoor setting, but it also provided opportunities for our team to take a break, bond together, and be in nature together.

“You never realize how much you missed nature until the view really hits you. The trip to Coquihalla Summit was full of surprises and accompanied by great people ending with an excellent feast!” – Rico

The dinner was a success thanks to our amazing team and our great host Paul Moran. To top off the evening, there was interactive dinner prep and 20th Anniversary Themed Cocktails before dinner. Afterwards, the team headed back to Vancouver and had one last celebration cheers before wrapping up a day full of exploration and team building.

You may be thinking – how does foraging in the forest for 5 hours with your team help your company culture? Especially since it’s out of the office and into the wild. This event provided a wide range of opportunities for team building and employee engagement. From going outside of some employees’ comfort zones to working together to craft a delicious dinner – the team engaged in a non-traditional way. These interactions are the core building blocks to successful relationships and improving company culture.

“We got to see so much life sprouting out of a forest post-wildfire, and hidden places that most people in BC don’t even know exist. An absolutely unique experience and the craziest, most Ballistic Arts way of team building”. – Graziela

Although, one event may not change your team drastically and it most definitely will not cover up a toxic company culture but instead will get your company one step closer to better-engaged employees. Having employees that want to engage, instead of feeling like they have to is the bridge between “just an employee” and a human relationship. Building your company culture is a continuous process and has to be done genuinely.

Many employees may be able to see through events that are just for show or PR purposes. Just like any relationship, company culture is built with many actions and efforts to show you actually care.

Here are some ideas on how:

Trying a fun activity (like foraging in the forest for food to cook with Top Chef Canada Season 7 Winner Paul Moran) that helps employees get out of their comfort zone and work together
Publicly acknowledge your employee’s work, in a newsletter, on your website, etc. to shine some light on them
Create a “kudos” recognition system where team members can give recognition to one another, collect points, and win prizes such as subscriptions to Netflix or a night out on the town
Buying local art and gifting it to employees (see how we did this to support indigenous communities) to show you care about local businesses, and your employees – a double bottom line
Let your employees know that they have the support they need. Offering sessions from a service Inkblot (therapy sessions that match you with a therapist, especially for your needs).
Provide cultural sensitivity training like Indigenous Awareness Building with Indigenous Relations Consultation
Have fun interactive Zoom parties if your team is now work from anywhere
Buy the whole office coffee, even if you’re working from home!

A big thank you goes out to everyone who has worked with Ballistic Arts over the past 20 years to make it what it is today, we couldn’t have done it without you!

We’re curious – what are your favourite ways to recognition to your employees?