"When I took up the job as a General Manager at ABSPL, I was a bit apprehensive as it was a new industry for me and more than anything, the average age of the ABSPL team members was almost the same as my daughter!!!!
"The biggest challenge for me was to bridge the age gap and motivate the employees in such a way that coming to office would be a pleasure and not a pain….. Thanks to Harriet, and the various tips as well as the “Fire Up Your Staff On A Shoe String Budget” manual I developed an excellent rapport with each and every employee of the company.
"I felt a tremendous sense of achievement on our Annual Day when the Star Reward Program reached its peak and winners were awarded trophies…. And to see such delight on the face of every team member was a reward in itself for ME…..
"Without the backing of the top management, no Employee Morale Activity can be successful….At this point, I would like to thank my board of Directors for empowering and encouraging me to carry on the motivational activities at ABSPL."
Smita Muzumdar
First Smita created a year long program with 4 categories for trophies:
1. Gold Star
2. Silver Star
3. Color Star
4. Cluster of Stars
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Smita with Girish Sarup –
Girish was instrumental in implementing the Annual Star Reward Program at the -Employee Level- and played a pivotal role in making it a big success
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A progress report for each employee created ongoing motivation.
Smita created morale booster activities to use throughout the year using the ideas from our Fire Up Your Staff on a Shoestring Budget Manual, our Employee Morale Tips newsletter, and her own innovative ideas.
As employees won the different activities throughout the year, she awarded them the appropriate stars on their forms.
At the end of the year, the employees who got the most stars in each category were the trophy winners. By using the record keeping form, employees got ongoing motivation. |
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The Four Trophy Winners |
Gold Star Trophy Winner |
"The Award program creates enthusiasm in the entire Team!"
"Winning the Gold Star Award at Accurate Billing Services was one of the Most Memorable Moments in my Life.
"Right from my childhood I used to miss many Awards, but this time I was very lucky to win the Gold Star Award. It has increased my confidence and my desire to work even harder.
"In total, the Award program creates enthusiasm in the entire Team.
"Every organization should opt for these programs to see that work is not done just for the sake of doing work, but there is also a pleasure in coming to the office to work with the right spirit."
Sridevi Natarajan
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Sridvei Natarajan winner of the Gold Star Trophy -
Awarded by Director Mukesh Patel |
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Silver Star Trophy Winner |
"The motivational activities were a great way to have some fun and get the whole group together!"
"I write this for me as much as for everyone. All of us have been frustrated at some point. We have been judging ourselves harshly and unfairly. Most of the time we could not see the forest from the trees.
"The motivational activities were a great way to have some fun and get the whole group together. This certainly was something that people will be talking about for months to come.
"The award has been a great boost to my morale as I have now received independent recognition.
"I can honestly say it was one of the best team building activities. And I feel proud that I had the privilege to participate in it."
Devang Joshi
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Devang Joshi winner of the
Silver Star Trophy –
Awarded by Director Mukesh Patel |
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Color Star Trophy Winner
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"I do not have the right words to express my joy and transformation!"
"I do not have the right words to express my joy and transformation for the difference these motivational activities have made in my daily routine at work.
"Once we got this kind of vision, we became concerned primarily with the deeper feelings and motivations of the other person, and our work place is now a paradise.
"I have always encouraged the motivational activities in our office because - being involved in the community is just as important to the growth and enhancement of my job as doing a good job at the office."
Maneesh Nair
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Maneesh Nair Winner Color Star Trophy –
Awarded by
Director Mukesh Patel |
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Cluster of Stars Trophy Winner |
"Inspiration to succeed is exactly what we got at our workplace!"
"For us to succeed and prosper, it is imperative that we stay highly motivated by immersing ourselves in sources of inspiration. This is exactly what we got at our workplace.
"The motivational activities at my workplace made me feel like I was an integral part of the team.
"It encouraged me to move ahead, to believe in myself, have conviction in my beliefs and have the confidence to execute those beliefs. I will always want to be a part of these inspirational activities."
Chirag Shah
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Chirag Shah Winner of the Cluster of Stars Trophy –
Awarded by Director Mukesh Patel |
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Smita stands proudly in the center of the four trophy winners
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Founding members of the Company were recognized with appreciation certificates at the awards ceremony.
Chaitali, Sridevi, Vibha & Jayesh
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Quarterly Awards |
Chintan Trivedi, Director and the man behind the existence of ABSPL, presented the quarterly awards.
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Spirit of Accurate Award
Parthesh Kavishwar |
Employee of the Quarter Award
Bhavesh Patel |
100% Attendance Award
Devang Joshi |
Team of the Quarter Award
Orchard Team |
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A few of the many ideas Smita used from the
"Fire Up Your Staff on a Shoestring Budget" manual
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Instant appreciation cards
Smita gave these colored index cards to employees on the spot for a job well done!!!
The number 1 thing employees crave is appreciation.
Colored index cards cost very little, and the words Smita wrote made a big impact. |
Spirit Teams
Smita created six Spirit teams
1. Fun Team
2. Grievance Team
3. Social Service Team
4. Commando Team
5. Training Team
6. Sports Team |
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Greeting Card Making Contest
Employees display their creativity by making greeting cards.
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Traditional Day – Team members in Indian Attire Create Cultural Pride
This morale booster doesn't cost any money, but created an exciting atmosphere by employees in their beautiful traditional attire - just like in a play the costumes help set the mood. |
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An Employee Newsletter Titled: - Oasis "A Positive Element"
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Girish Sarup
Was inspired to create the company newsletter
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"I feel empowered to continue striving to motivate others!"
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank Smita who gave me the ‘Fire Up Your Staff on a Shoestring Budget manual – written by Harriet Meyerson’.
"This was absolutely awesome! I was motivated to make a difference on all levels, and the things I have learned from this manual I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
"I found a variety of ideas which were very relevant, and included interesting and captivating activities. We got the basics of motivation from this manual, which was very helpful in the development of our team. It also contained any information we needed during and after the process. I feel empowered to continue striving to motivate others!
I took the opportunity to implement one of the ideas from this manual - A company newsletter, which was a great success.
"We had no problem in encouraging many of our staff members to participate in the making of the newsletter ‘OASIS – A Positive Element’. "I loved the convenience of having a newsletter tailored for my organization ...without doing all the work myself.
"The idea of a Newsletter was so inspiring that Daksh Bhatt came up with an extension to this magazine ‘Oasis Health’. Both are a credit to the Fire Up Your Staff on a Shoestring Budget Manual.
"Once again, thank you for this experience and the chance for me to reaffirm where my heart lies in respect to faith and values."
Girsh Sarup
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Employee Magazine on Health & Fitness, “OASIS Health”
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Oasis Health released by Director Satish Nadkar
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I was inspired to create Oasis Health - a 2nd Publication for our Employees!
"The spirit with which the Accurate family responded and contributed towards Oasis, inspired me to put forward this supplementary magazine on Health & Fitness, “OASIS Health”.
"I would like to thank our General Manager, Mrs. Smita Muzumdar for encouraging me to edit this magazine and put my thoughts into words."
Daksh Bhatt
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The Accurate Board of Directors
Satish Nadkar, Mukesh Patel & Rupen Patel
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The Accurate Family
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The Good News for YOU is that...
...This is an example of what any company or organization can do with some time and effort and lots of low-cost and no-cost creative ideas. |
Smita got her information from the Fire Up Your Staff on a Shoestring Budget manual, which can be purchased alone, or as part of the Employee Morale Secrets - Power Pack. Click Here for Details
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On a personal note - How Smita and I met in person
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Harriet Meyerson, Smita Muzumdar and her daughter, Charmi
Harriet models the beautiful scarf that Smita brought her from India.
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Smita had corresponded with me by email numerous times in the past - all the way from India to Dallas, Texas USA - sending her ideas for our Employee Morale Tips newsletter. Then one day I received an email from her saying,
"I will be in Houston in the middle of next month for about two weeks. My brother-in-law and his family live in Houston. I am traveling with my daughter Charmi (19 yrs) for a vacation, and I would like to meet you and show you the employee morale ideas I have implemented at my company."
As luck would have it, Smita was planning to visit Austin to see the University of Texas where her husband had graduated from, (and Austin was quite coincidently where my son, daughter-in-law and baby granddaughter live) so we arranged to meet in Austin.
Smita's brother-in-law, his wife, and their two young sons drove with Smita and her daughter to Austin. My husband, Larry, and I met them at the University of Texas, and then we all went to a Mexican restaurant for lunch.
Smita surprised me with a beautiful Indian scarf, necklace and earrings that I will treasure.
She also brought with her the materials and information about the employee morale program that she had implemented at her company - so that she could give them to me in person.
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We found unexpected common ground
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Larry and Harriet Meyerson, Kamini and Shailesh Muzumdar spell out OHIO - the Ohio State University cheer. |
My husband, who was wondering what he was going to talk about at lunch, soon learned that that Smita's brother-in-law, Shailesh, and his wife, Kamini, had both graduated from Ohio State University, where my husband and I were also graduates - and that we were all avid Ohio State football fans.
There was such excitement in the restaurant as my husband and I, and Shailesh and Kamini stood up and spelled out the word OHIO with our hands.
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Charmi and Smita on the left with Smita's Houston family. |
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You can congratulate Smita...
Write a comment for Smita on our blog. She will love reading them.
Go to www.BecomeABetterLeader.com Leave your comments at the end of the article announcing her award.
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Congratulations again ... |
Congratulations again to Smita Muzumdar, winner of the - 2008 Employee Morale Success Story of the Year Award.
P. S. Remember - the good news is that this is an example of what YOU can do with some time and effort and lots of low-cost and no-cost creative ideas.
The Fire Up Your Staff on a Shoestring Budget manual, can be purchased alone, or as part of the Employee Morale Secrets - Power Pack. Click Here for Details
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