Launching Kudos — App’n’roll blog

Gratitude is one of the most important values for us at App’n’roll.

Showing our appreciation and thankfulness for what life brings us is something we believe can make you and those around you considerably happier. The idea of gratitude is the reason we want to give members of our team a small incentive, to show how much we appreciate and want to reward the good deeds of others.

We would like to introduce Kudos.

Who is the silent hero? Is it somebody who spent half of the day pair programming with me, or helped with my onboarding? Perhaps it’s someone who walks the dog, throws away the rubbish or empties the dishwasher?

Such small things sum up to better attitudes and make us happier. Happiness is something which multiplies when you give it, the more you give, the more you get back in return!

Silence Isn’t Always Golden

Sometimes, it can be easy to notice someone doing something and forget to thank them. It’s always better to say something, that way the work is appreciated straight away! Encouragement aids success and success means continued results.

Keeping teams engaged means that there is less likely to be any awkward moments where people feel uncomfortable sharing their grievances with one another. Knowing where to find the right information or how to inform the right people about certain things is key.

Being curious or concerned aren’t bad things, they’re significant, they’re how we learn and once you find the information you require and utilize it, who knows, perhaps kudos will come your way!

Mutual Value

Despite always being ‘switched on’, it’s always important that we’re able to switch off. We’ve mentioned this previously in our post about burnout. Most of us at App’n’roll are digital natives, we’re never usually too far from our devices, development is part of a way of life! We integrate online and offline simultaneously, it comes naturally.

The opportunity to directly network with colleagues means that we’re able to even just for a few minutes, communicate in a different way, we’re able to speak without digital distraction. We are mutually without technology in that short period of time (even if we’re talking about technology — which we usually are).

The idea of being ‘in this together’ means that we’re able to understand one another better, we’re able to know one another’s value. If a piece of the puzzle is missing, the puzzle isn’t complete, we value one another because we want a sense of completeness, of success.

Mutual value is not just a relationship surrounding employees but it also relates more importantly to the relationship between employees and employers, colleagues and managers, it shouldn’t feel like a hierarchical system, it should feel approachable.

We don’t know where you’re going but we’ll help you find your way. The teams are the heart and soul of a company, they are what makes it a global family. Whether based on the same or different continents, everyone plays a huge part on the structure of the company.

If you look at the chart above (courtesy of iProspect and Squared Online, 2016) you’ll notice that most millennials (i.e. those born after 1980) aren’t as interested in being ‘rich and famous’ as one might initially think.

We can see that spending time with family (which can be achieved through remote work), growing, experiencing and learning new things, health and having a successful career in general all seem to take the top spots. These are things which should be rewarded, these are the qualities possessed by some of the best employees, these employees deserve kudos.

Incentivised Development

Being part of something bigger is something it’s crucial to feel a part of, for digital natives being part of a global, virtual and social company means more opportunities. So, what is incentivised development? This is where you work on a project which you can proudly add to your CV, where you’re recognised for being part of something extraordinary.

Development opportunities should be made available to your team, a goal to aim for, a competition, a little more travel, all of these things make a job worthwhile. Kudos is the recognition that comes as part of incentivised development.

By enabling team members to strengthen their CVs, to learn, to discover, to share ideas and collaborate, an environment fuelled by curiosity and bettering oneself begins to emerge.

Our innovation comes from you, the team.

The brightest minds are employed, not with the focus of long term career plans but where each individual project can take each individual team member. We focus on the strategic view of the team, how can each project benefit them and therefore, benefit us as a company.

We’d Love to Hear from You

Do you feel appreciated by others where you work? How do you show each other your appreciation? Is there anything you’d like to add, have we missed anything?

Please feel free to share your experiences with us in the comments below or via social media (send us some photos or videos too), you can find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest, let’s connect! We’re also on Snapchat: appnroll

To learn more about App’n’roll, take a look at out our website and our other posts. If you enjoyed reading this article, please click on the clapping hands and recommend it!

All images used are CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0).

Originally published at https://www.appnroll.com on November 2, 2016.