by Carly Stewart 

                When determining how well a business will function and if they are likely to maintain long-term customers and partners, one must first look at the foundation.  The success of a business is determined by how well the individual people function independently and use their individual strengths to work together as a whole.  A family-like, yet professional, business structure is necessary in order to provide this strong foundation on which a business can be built upon and flourish. Employees must be able to trust and relate to one another in a friendly and professional manner. In order to propagate these relationships, a business should provide opportunities for employees to interact in not only a business setting but social settings as a company as well.  Inphonite has realized this and have many ways in which employees can interact and feel welcomed and important.  From these, we can suggest some examples of beneficial activities that companies can do to further the trust, camaraderie and accountability among employees. 

                While meetings are important places to share ideas and become informed on company happenings they can become tedious and dull very quickly.  Instead of long business meetings that employees and management both dread, make this an opportunity to give employees a break and give them something to look forward to. For example, Inphonite usually plans meetings on the same days that we have company sponsored lunches.  These lunches typically last about an hour and allow for a break from the stresses of work and a time for employees to discuss topics both inside and outside of work.   After everyone has settled down and gathered in one area, the meetings are a lot more relaxed and focused.  When meetings do not fall on a lunch day, the company provides snacks and refreshments.  Combining quarterly meetings with the announcement of employee of the quarter and/or employee recognitions can make employees more engaged by giving them something to look forward to. 

                In addition to the provided lunches, Inphonite also has monthly potlucks. These potlucks bring the employees personalities into the work place and allow employees to be creative and bond over their favorite foods. Each month there is a different theme for the potluckand employees become very creative choosing and cooking their dishes.  

                Once a month we also have birthday and employee recognitions where we celebrate each employee for the individual things they did that month that stood out as well as everyone who has a birthday in that month a scrumptious dessert.  These recognitions and celebrations are very important ways to remind employees that they are appreciated.  It is a time for managers to mention specific things that perhaps would otherwise go unnoticed, like when customers call or write in a special note of thanks, when an employee skips a lunch to help someone, or when an employee has a great idea of a product improvement. The Inphonite employee of the Month is determined by management and then rewarded with a covered parking space and the use of a semi-automatic nerf gun for the month.   

                Another way of showing employee appreciation is to have an Employee of the quarter program.  This is a very motivating way of ensuring employee excellence and devotion.  This fosters friendly competition throughout the company and encourages employees to continually raise the bar by striving to reach beyond their personal bests.  Sharing company successes on a personal level builds the high morale that is crucial to any business. At Inphonite, all employees vote for an Employee of the Quarter and have a chance to recognize their peers for something outstanding they have noticed in the last quarter. The winner then receives a covered parking spot and a 50 dollar amazon gift card.

                Another time to bring everyone together is with an Annual Party.  A little known, but easy way for a company to save money is to hold their holiday parties in January instead of December.   This January Inphonite invited employees, plus one to enjoy food, fun and entertainment.  We rented a photo booth and hired a dinner theater company for the night's entertainment.  The night was an absolute success; the photo-booth provided a place to take professional business photos and silly photos with costumes and props that allowed employees, spouses and friends to laugh a lot and spend and enjoyable time together.   The dinner theater performance consisted of a very minimal set and storyline, which included audience (employees, etc.) participation and ended up being a hilarious night full of employees' bad dancing, sub-par singing and radiating laughter that all addedup to be a night that we will all remember.  I can truly say that that was a night spent with friends.

                All of these activities provide a place for employees to not only discuss business matters but to also share personal experiences and get to know each other. Knowing your colleagues better leads to improved business relationships and a strong, supportive group of dedicated individuals.   When employees have friendly relationships during social events, these positive relationships will transfer over to the work place. Employees are more likely to help other employees when they are in need and be able to work together and provide tips and criticism in a positive way. 

                Relationships with customers are a top priority with any business but we cannot have great relationships with our customers and partners until we have great relationships among ourselves.  This is why Inphonite devotes time to making sure that employees are recognized and are comfortable with the people around them.