I was looking at a post by Paul Hebert’s i2i about service anniversary awards and it got me thinking about the inherent ridiculousness of the whole concept. Why are we giving awards for people sticking it out? “Oh hey Jimmy, you made it through another year. Here’s your bronze pin. After that, you can get your silver, gold and then platinum pins.” Don’t get too excited Jimmy. Those pins, watches, and plaques all meant something at some point.
Getting an anniversary pin or plaque feels like getting the perfect attendance award back in school. It’s an accomplishment, yes, but it is an odd one. One where you don’t know what is exactly wrong with the perfect attendance kid. Why did they feel the need to stick it out every mind numbing day of class? Did they really never get sick?
Who would have guessed it would be rainy for a November wedding in Portland?
In my cynicism, I forgot something. Anniversaries can be good! I was letting some of that negativity in there.
Yesterday, my wife and I celebrated four years of marriage bliss. As every married person will tell you, everything has always gone perfect, there’s never been any problems and we have never ever fought about anything.
I kid. It hasn’t always been perfect but our anniversary always gives me an opportunity to appreciate both how far we’ve come and how far we can continue to go. It is the instant romance maker. Even if I procrastinated with planning this year, we had a great time because I was focused on reflection and our future together.
In what is probably obvious to others, if you have a good relationship with your career and your career partner (i.e. your workplace), anniversaries can be a wonderful time to celebrate another year of engaged employment. Is it directly aligned with a business result? No, but who cares. If you are managing your workforce well, being employed for another year is a great indirect business success and one that is worthy of your celebration.
If you are in a crappy relationship with an employer (or your spouse), an anniversary can be as empty of a gesture that can be made. And I imagine many of my Gen Y compatriots haven’t had the best jobs in the world yet so it is easy to become very cynical about anniversaries and the recognition awarded to them.
Let’s not recognize survivors, let’s recognize thrivers. And let’s be sure that the number of people with empty anniversaries is minimized while maximizing the ones we can celebrate another year of success with. Because that anniversary is a beautiful thing if done right.
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It’s like the old joke – married 20 years – 10 of them happily.
Congrats to you and don’t you both look so dapper – @steveboese will be jealous.
But your point is well taken – the celebration IS important if it is the exclamation point – not the entire sentence. Taking time to review and discuss and celebrate the experiences is great – and time needs to be made for that – just like in a marriage.
But my rant was the idea that you can have a year go by – or 5 – and THEN say those things. It only has impact if it is the summation of good things – not the only good thing.
And I was ranting on the sheer stupidity of using lapel pins as an award in today’s business dress world.
Congrats! and many more!
I believe anniversaries at work do matter. I write a personal Thank you to every employee for their time and efforts during the year, at their Aquire Anniversary. It is a celebration of the retention of an employee. Every month we also announce employee’s longevity at their anniversary. I believe it is a very worthy milestone.
Excellent post, as always! I agree that anniversaries are important if they celebrate the experiences…not just punching the clock everyday. It’s an important distinction to make.
(P.S. Love the photo!)
I like the idea of using the anniversary as a time to talk about the future. Instead of giving someone a watch or pen set and walking away for another year, or five, what a great time to discuss their future.
Careers are a lot like marriage and I like your comparison. Did you ever hear that people finally get divorced because someone squeezes the toothpaste the wrong way and that is the last straw? Work is no different. People don’t just up and leave you (typically), it takes months or years of the little things to add up so that they suddenly feel like they can’t take it any more. Let’s help them be thrivers.
Great post and I wish you and your sweetie all the best!
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