The Delta Issue #16

How we practice year-round gratitude for our team.

By:  Anna “AJ” Norman

Hey everyone, it’s Anna ‘AJ’ Norman . I’m back with a simple message this holiday week: Let that Thanksgiving message of gratitude spill over to your teammates all year round.

On average, we spend more time with our coworkers than with our families, which is why it’s so important for us to show up for one another. 

First and foremost that means taking care of your employees with the big stuff — competitive salaries, ample PTO, high-quality health insurance at low cost. We know you can find lots about that on LinkedIn. But today, I want to talk about the small stuff. 

I’ve found that when a team knows their managers and bosses care about the little things, they in turn feel pride to invest in the organization. A team that feels seen all year round is a team that performs at its best. 

Last year, we set a goal at Watershed Advisors to have an Employee Net Promoter Score of 55 (Note: if you aren’t familiar, this is a metric that measures how likely employees are to recommend their company as a good place to work). Our results? Our team gave us a remarkable 91. 

Here are three simple ways we show gratitude at Watershed Advisors that might inspire you to start something similar in your workplace:

1. Make a habit of saying thanks. Since we are a fully-remote team, we are big on Slack . We celebrate birthdays, anniversries, and milestones virtually, and we also shout out wins in our bi-weekly Slack update, and our monthly all staff call. We work hard to create a culture where everyone is encouraged to send direct Slack messages to express gratitude for their teammates’ contributions, efforts, and ideas.
2. Say it with a gift. At every in-person event, our team gets Watershed merch to show our appreciation — we’ve done blankets, water bottles, button downs, hoodies…you name it. For birthdays, we give a $50 gift card sent via Tremendous , which allows the recipient to choose from 200 retailers. And on Watershed’s anniversary every year, we send a thank you gift to each employee (last year it was a basket of custom 3 cookies for our third birthday) thanking them for making Watershed great. Of course we could just add $50 to a paycheck, but I believe these experiences matter when it comes to building camaraderie. A not-very-scientific search of our team Slack quickly brought up 42 times our team members have called out feeling appreciated in just the last year.
3. Let your actions speak even louder than your words. Don’t get me wrong, I love a branded hoodie — but you don’t have to buy merch for your whole team to show them you care. We also do this by having each other’s backs. And we do it by thinking about the small stuff that really can impact an employee’s day. 

Speaking of, I want to shout out Robert Algarin for making our team feel so cared for, as evidenced in a recent post-event survey: 

I’ve been managing a real gluten allergy for over 10 years, so I’m used to navigating work events without expecting any special accommodations. Typically, I handle it myself. But Robert has consistently gone above and beyond, ensuring there’s always something I can eat at every meal and even seeking me out to let me know where to find it. The real standout moment was at a restaurant: I ordered something without checking if it was gluten-free, but Robert quickly informed the waitress of my allergy. She confirmed it wasn’t safe and was able to suggest an alternative. This level of attentiveness is entirely unnecessary yet incredibly appreciated. This may seem small but I also know that this was one of about one million details you all were keeping track of all week.

Let’s Get Muddy

What are some ways your team shows appreciation for one another? I’m always on the lookout for new ideas, so I can’t wait to read your comments.

Happy Thanksgiving!