by John Cassidy
President & Co-Founder
It’s been a very good month. I’m pleased to announce that Poppy Olivia Cassidy was born on the morning of Sunday, 13 November. I am grateful for her safe delivery and for the amazing stamina, grace and beauty of her mother, my wonderful fiance, Kate.
It set me thinking about the power of thank you in business. Last year Tim Askew, CEO of Corporate Rain International wrote a compelling piece for Inc Co where he focused on the power and the good sense of thanking people. He expands on his point of view that “thankfulness is a key to business health.”
One of the features of research into the “Great Resignation” has been the suggestion that a simple reaffirmation of gratitude and show of appreciation can have a marked impact on workers’ propensity to stay engaged. Workhuman iQ polled over 3,500 workers in late 2021 and found that those thanked and recognized for their work were half as likely to be looking for a new job. Measures of happiness, engagement and sense of purpose in the workplace were also significantly higher.
It has long been said that recognition is more important than reward for most people because it is relational rather than transactional. In its own way recognition is also a form of reward and there is plenty of merit in building a more all-encompassing approach to appreciation within a team. Psychology Today reported back in 2013 that survey respondents suggested that peer recognition had significant motivational impacts as well as that from managers.
This has led to the development of thinking on “social recognition” in the workplace, that is democratic, non-hierarchical and connected to shared purpose. The Hershey Company’s development of social recognition led to a program called SMILEs which is detailed in “The Power of Thanks:How Social Recognition Empowers Employees and Creates a Best Place to Work.” Growing familiarity with social media and shared workplace systems has made it increasingly easy to build supportive online communities within businesses.
Almost inevitably given the turbulence of the past few years, there is also a growing employee recognition software market with predictions that it will grow at a rate of more than 6% annually to $51bn by 2030. It’s an attempt to cope with more fragmented and distributed workforces as well as give genuine rewards – whether tangible or intangible – to ensure good performers stay.
The events of the past few years may have given people reasons to consider their lives and those of people close to them in new and more thoughtful ways. There has rarely been a more important time to give thanks than when the world begins to emerge from the shadow of a global pandemic. Gratitude for those on the front-line health services has been manifest but we should also recognize how academe, business and government moved jointly and at pace to build defenses against a scourge that blighted the lives of many.
TALTRAN THANKSGIVING
TALTRAN Global began as a very small business just a few years ago when the need to share success and failure, sometimes by the hour, built a powerful sense of camaraderie. Thanking colleagues every day was second nature because we worked so closely together. As the business grows it is something that I am keen to keep in the culture of the organization as we welcome new colleagues.
In that respect I want to take a moment to thank Hooman Hadavand (Recruitment Consultant), Jovanna Franco (Account Manager), Miguel Palma (Recruitment Manager) and Vannessa Fravel (Office Manager) who have all joined the business in the past few months. We have faced such extraordinary growth opportunities that there hasn’t even been time to do company announcements for them. I am grateful that they have all taken the personal decision to believe in TALTRAN Global as a company where they can fulfil their potential, develop their careers and enjoy their work.
As we approach the end of a fourth year of doubling our revenue, we know that would not have happened without the very best, most progressive and forward-thinking clients or the top talent that agrees to become candidates. We recognize the trust they put in us and hope they find we are effective in delivering results for them. They are generous in showing their appreciation and we intend to keep on earning it.
I have been fortunate to have had a number of good bosses and many terrific colleagues over the years. Readers of previous insights will know the role of Bill Carey, the man who put me on the path to a career in finance, was a mentor, raconteur and a believer in finding the unique qualities of individuals. I remain thankful for his wisdom, guidance and understanding as well as the insights and influence of all those who continue to influence my daily work.
It is also natural to take this moment to thank my mother, Jackie Cassidy, for so many things that it would take a year of Thoughts for a Thursday to even scratch the surface. Also, my brother Dan for always being there for me whatever the circumstances or the hour of day or night. So many other kind relatives and good friends that the list would cover many pages – they know who they are and I appreciate them all.
Giving thanks is good for the soul. As I take some leave to enjoy being with Poppy and Kate in these early days as a family, I will certainly have good reason to give thanks for what life has brought me. It will also be a moment to remember that time with loved ones and good health are among the most precious of all things.
Thank you for reading. I wish you all a healthy and happy Thanksgiving.
John Cassidy, President and Co-Founder
