For most Keapees, the day starts with a meeting. Boo! That sounds really boring! 

Funnily enough, I would say that most of us would agree that our meetings are a highlight of our day—not the soul-crushing, energy-zapping chore that we usually associate with workplace meetings.

One of the highlights that comes up repeatedly in our internal surveys is our Appreciations segment. In fact, we have two back-to-back appreciation rubrics.

 In the first one, we read out the latest love letters we received from you all. This practice helps us all feel more connected to our community of Keapers and remember for whom we are putting in all this effort. It helps us both to feel pride in our work, and to connect with the humanity of our customers. 

In the second rubric, the meeting chair opens the floor to anyone who wants to share an appreciation. Most often it’s for something a teammate did. Occasionally it can be for something about our current reality at work, or even for something like how wonderful it is to hear the koh-ka-ree of red-wing blackbirds in early spring. We also share celebrations, either for work accomplishments or personal events outside of work. 

There is no obligation to share anything—but the practice is contagious. I think even the most diehard cynic, after hearing a few of these sincere appreciations, would feel an urge to share something heartfelt. 

This ritual usually takes a couple minutes, but occasionally we’ll have a spontaneous outburst across the team that can last up to ten minutes. 

Some might think this is a lot of employee time to take on a “non-productive” activity. I think it’s clear to all of us who participate in it that the payoff is massive. It engenders an atmosphere of trust and shared purpose. It allows each of us to see that our contributions are noticed. It puts a pep in our step. And it makes it incredibly easier to give difficult feedback—because at that point, it’s clear that it is meant as a gift, and not as an attempt to undermine or shame.

I know we are not the only company to embrace such practices. I’m curious to hear from any of you if you have other appreciation practices, either as part of an organization or individually. Just send me an email at TheLab@KeapBK.com 

With appreciation,

— Harry from Keap, Steward-Owner