Work Besties Who Podcast
Building a bold community of work besties 💼👯♀️ to bond 🤝💞, banter 😂🎉, and bloom 🌸✨
🎙️ Listen to the Work Besties Who Podcast: where workplace friendships get real! From tea spills to relatable laughs, we’re unpacking everything about work life's ups, downs, and unforgettable moments.
✨ Join us for candid chats, relatable stories, and a sprinkle of chaos—because what’s work without a little drama and a lot of fun?
💼😄 Hit play, and let’s dive into the messy magic of workplace connections together!
Work Besties:-)
Work Besties Who Podcast
Celebrate the Small Stuff: Why Recognition Matters More Than You Think
In this solo episode, Jess and Claude explore why recognizing wins—big and small—matters more than most workplaces realize. From boosting team morale to strengthening social wellness, they reveal how celebrating achievements fuels productivity and helps create a thriving workplace culture.
Together, they share practical (and fun!) ways to recognize accomplishments, explain why authenticity is the secret to effective recognition, and show how celebrating even tiny wins can prevent burnout.
Because in the world of work besties, no one celebrates alone.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- Why celebrating small wins has a big impact on team morale
- How social wellness and recognition are connected
- Simple ways to boost employee engagement through support
- Why authenticity builds trust in recognition
- How to create a culture of celebration that improves productivity and retention
Chapters:
- 00:00 The Importance of Celebrating Wins
- 03:24 Understanding Social Wellness
- 07:20 The Impact of Small Wins
- 10:48 Authenticity in Recognition
- 14:07 Practical Ways to Celebrate Wins
- 18:26 Creating a Supportive Team Culture
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Work Besties! Theme Song Written by Ralph Lentini @therallyband
What if I told you that celebrating your co-worker's tiny wins, like sending a hard email or actually taking a lunch break, might be the thing that keeps them from burning out?
Claude:Or that cheering for yourself could be the boost your team didn't even know it needed.
Jess:Gallup actually found that if you have a best friend at work, you're seven times more likely to be engaged, and if that's not a reason to celebrate.
Claude:I don't know what it is.
Jess:Listen, or watch on YouTube. We're talking about why celebrating wins is more than just making you feel good.
Claude:Hi, I'm Claude and I'm Jess. We are corporate employees by day, entrepreneurs by night and work besties for life.
Jess:Join us as we explore how work besties lift each other up, laugh through the chaos and thrive together in every industry. Work Besties Welcome back to Work Besties your podcast.
Claude:The place where celebrating a win is a daily ritual, even if it's just remembering to unmute a team meeting.
Jess:Today we're talking social wellness and the power of celebrating each other's wins.
Claude:Not just big milestone right, but the tiny things that usually go unnoticed but totally matter.
Jess:Which I have a real life example. I don't even know if I told you this one Just this past week. I was in a team meeting where I was co-presenting with a couple of people, and you know my role is I usually fill in and help kind of kick off the landscape of what's going on. And we had done the deck so long ago that we got to a slide and I completely blanked you did, I just forgot that I even created the slide, let alone. That's surprising, I know, but without a beat the person that was hosting the meeting could see the like headlights, look on my face and instantly jumped in and he took over, presented the slide, did it beautifully and as he was saying it I was like, oh yeah, that's the stuff I commented on before. So I was able to jump back in again and it got me back into the thing. So while it wasn't like a huge colossal thing, he did, it was like so helpful and such an appreciated thing.
Jess:So you told him oh yeah, so you're celebrating, so I literally afterwards I thank you, and then, a couple days later, I went back to him and said I can't tell you how much I appreciate that. It really felt like a team effort from that.
Claude:That's cool, yeah, so beside that, maybe we should take a step back and discuss social wellness, right? Why does it really?
Jess:matter, right, yeah, because the title of this, as well as what we'll focus on a little bit, is really an element of social wellness, not necessarily the whole thing, yeah, right. So when you think about social wellness, it's really more about being connected, feeling seen, supported and really like a part of something. So in my example, I did really feel like because he jumped in, he felt I was a part of his team and he just helped instantly.
Claude:Yeah, and what I love about that also like those you know social wellness about that also, like those you know social wellness, like celebrating big, uh, small, you know small things it really has a real business impact on it as well, because, for example even though that's usually your thing, you know about insights that gallup found teams with high engagement for example, the, the teams that share each other up and wow everything is great are up to 23% more profitable and 70% better in terms of well-being.
Jess:I think that's fantastic, don't you think?
Claude:Yeah, because at the end of the day, you're being seen, right. You're not like just a number, right? So you want to do more. That's human.
Jess:So I think the way I would describe it is the celebrating wins isn't meant as fluff. It's really meant as food for your soul or for your morale to help with the performance.
Claude:And what I like. Also, celebrating wins is the only way to showcase social wellness. Right, exactly so. For example, everyone remembers to shut out promotions, big deals, big wins, everything you know in the break room, like the big drinks or whatever, or even after work I hope the drinks are after work. Depends, okay, depends which, which industry you work in Industry, because I did work in spirit, you're right, and we had a bar at work. Anyway, besides this, which was not so much social wellness between you and I, what about the email you know you were scared to send and finally did it. So you're like, happy You're making yourself, you can also hype yourself, hype yourself up.
Jess:Yeah, yeah. I think another one that we talk about or at least I talk about, at least amongst my team is when somebody finally recognizes they need help with a project.
Claude:Yeah.
Jess:So they come and ask for it or they find a way to solve it without suffering, and that's technically a huge win in disguise, is it? Yeah, because if you think about it, why make them take longer and feel the pain and suffer versus just recognizing I need help?
Claude:Yeah, that's a win and people shouldn't suffer at work. Yeah, that's actually being resourceful.
Jess:Resourceful, but also it's not always something people think is readily available to them, and it is yeah.
Claude:Yeah, but going back again with the stats, I'm putting my Jess hat right now.
Jess:I feel so cool. I should get you a Jess hat. Where is my pretty lipstick? Just the facts.
Claude:I know.
Claude:Anyway because, according to Harvard, celebrating small wins actually builds momentum and it puts confidence, motivation, like I said before, which at the end helps you know people to keep going so like our episode title is, the little stuff adds up it's not just the big wins, it's the small wins and it really helps team morale.
Jess:It helps build self-belief and the best part about it is when your work bestie notices. It somehow feels more comfortable and lands harder when you say something or when one of my people that are closest to me say something.
Claude:Right.
Jess:So I'll have to be honest. I know over the couple past couple of weeks there's been times when I feel I'm not at my best and you've come to me and said things like you've got this, you'll figure it out, it's OK, like you've got this you'll figure it out.
Claude:It's okay. Likewise, it's the same, it's the the same way and you see that it's being authentic, right, you know?
Jess:and it's not about like you said before, it's not fluff, no it's being authentic and say you, yeah, you got it, and so it's kind of more of the behind the scenes appreciation, celebrating who we are as individuals. It might not be the, it's like the pre-win yeah, you're celebrating before the win, but it really it does. It really means something, yeah. And now I'm going to throw a stat at you because I can't have you steal all the stats.
Jess:I'm just today You're just so I'm going to take my hat back for a little bit and that same Gallup survey that you were quoting, that you've actually done some amazing posts on our Instagram with, found that employees with a best friend network are seven times more likely to be engaged. So there's facts to back up what we're trying to help encourage and support throughout our WorkFesty community and throughout all the companies out there. It's not just about being cute. It's not just about the camaraderie although that does help a lot.
Claude:It's about changing a culture and ensuring that all companies are supportive of this, because it benefits us all yeah, and it doesn't have to be big, it has to be genuine, right, like I know, for example, for some people in the team or whatever. If they do something, even if it's like small, I do it because we appreciate it. So if we appreciate, we have to let them know hey, great job, thank you, you, that was awesome. Or even if you're in a meeting, for example, don't take the wins to yourself. Make sure, oh, yes, so and so did that. And I think that makes you know a big difference. So, again, doesn't have to be like more dramatic, it can be a little tim's emoji, you know. Or a post-it, percy, do you know what a post-it is? Does everyone know what a?
Jess:post-it is. I'm laughing because obviously, if you are in the know, you know, you know the movie Romy and Michelle. They make the comment that they created the post-its and we, as a joke, because we used to work on the same team, we used to co-present every month and I believe our we did. Our most infamous lead-in for that deck was when we had the romeo and michelle and I think it said above it like we created the post I know so, yeah.
Claude:So we had to make it more context, right. Yeah, we were doing a monthly meeting, right, and in the agenda we always put some famous duo.
Claude:So yes, we have them.
Claude:We have also.
Jess:Thelma and.
Claude:Louise, we had also the. Ab Fab girls. Those were the best.
Jess:I mean anything to make us laugh and to bring brevity to sometimes serious and social wellness, social wellness.
Jess:All right, sorry we're kind of deviating from the point of this episode, but I know To bring us back. The real point about this was how what you described really does create safety amongst teams and it does make people show up more fully. I think the one thing we just want to caution, because you you've talked about this when we were designing the context of this um podcast was not to over compliment oh, yeah, right, yeah, there is a balance.
Claude:Oh, totally. For example, who did not get someone that you know for the smallest, the, the smallest little thing? Oh, thank you for your leadership, even if it was, I don't know, pushing a chair somewhere, I think the way this got genuine.
Jess:genuine and you want to ensure that there's meaning behind it, even if it's a small thing, because otherwise at the end people won't believe it.
Claude:Yeah, they won't.
Claude:And they will agree or whatever, yeah.
Claude:So there's, that balance.
Jess:So we do want to recognize that, but we also do want to recognize that celebrating wins is wellness, as we said, and it does help. And some managers are better at that than others. Yeah, totally. So. If someone is noticing you, that's when self-recognition becomes more essential. So I think you want to really institute, as a manager, or even as a peer right I think you can do it amongst peers too to ensure you're showcasing the wins.
Claude:But again, the balance of truly being authentic about it, and even for yourself, right, you can do those little celebrations like Harvard Studies days. She stole my hat. You're back with my hat.
Jess:I have to say I read Harvard Now. You're third in Harvard. She stole my hat. You're back with my hat.
Claude:I have to say, I read Harvard.
Jess:Now you're third in Harvard. I read Harvard Journal. I just did Gallup.
Claude:You know, yeah, sorry, sorry, but that's okay, small wins Small wins.
Jess:You did Thanks.
Claude:See what you did there, but you know even about yourself. It goes back to those affirmations in a way right, oh, you're good. For example, sometimes I go crazy about a project and I did it and I don't know why. Sometimes I'm like oh my God, I'm so good. Meanwhile, you all know I have this imposter complex, but I will say that because I'm proud of myself and I think that it's important for everybody also to say, comfort themselves that what they did was good, without being like, yeah, conceited.
Jess:So you exuding that in front of your team is giving them confidence to feel good about themselves too, which I think is amazing. That's awesome. I don't do that, I should.
Claude:Well, I don't go around and say, oh, I'm so good all the time.
Jess:No, I didn't say that, I'm saying just you saying it at all.
Claude:Yeah, yeah yeah. In front of them. Yeah, and they laugh.
Jess:So go ahead and say I did that, I did a great job, because if you did, it helps others see that they should be able to say it themselves.
Claude:I almost do it as a joke, right. I'm like I'm finished and I'm like, oh my God, I'm so good. Right, but I still think it's funny, yeah, yeah, all right, so should we discuss some, you know, idea of what the work-based community can use?
Jess:Sure. So why don't we come up with some like quick one? Yeah, I don't know about people who are still in the office, but this is something you could do physically in an office, or you could create like a digital page on this. Back in the day I remember we had a had a wall like where people could pin a ball, where people could do like when the weekly wins.
Jess:That's awesome and you could do it for anyone, yeah you could do it for anyone, but you could still create um, we get those all the time too, when like somebody's leaving about the digital boards. You could create one for your team on that and people just post as you go yeah, um, the win the week, and it can come from anyone, it could be anonymous, it could be from someone specific. You can put one out for yourself, it's like sure, if nobody does it for you. Well, I mean, and again the point of it is, sometimes people do amazing stuff that gets behind the scenes, so it's good to do that another one, one of the things that I do actually I think I said it to do a little win.
Claude:I send an email and CC the boss.
Jess:That's a good one. There's also the peer shout outs at team meetings, so you could do that in your meeting or your meetings with my boss. We could do it in front of them. You could do a work bestie of the week that's right when the two people that work on something together that got it done. It doesn't even have to be within your department. It could be cross departments to help bring collaboration and exposure to some of the other things that other teams are doing. You could, as you said, do kind of more of a private hype, which it could be a text, it could be a team's Slack message or it could be an email and that usually does mean it's with you and that individual who did it right, or even their, your boss or their boss or whatever. You also could do kind of like a silly Dunder Mifflin approach where you create an award ceremony. That's funny. You could do it quarterly.
Claude:I could calendar we said semi semi-annual. Yeah, ann, you could do it quarterly, I could calendar wizard, semi-annually yeah, annually.
Jess:And email, ninja, I think those were some things that you had as words of the week.
Claude:Oh, yeah, yeah, I did Email, ninja, I did. You had the email, ninja, I didn't do calendar wizard, it's going to be next week.
Claude:There you go, there we go.
Claude:Don't need to, you know, think too much on that one.
Jess:And then much on that one um, and then you also could do. I know in my team when meetings I always try and either kick off or end with is there anything you guys want to share, any successes, any things that you did? Um, you can make it a little bit more formal and talk about what went well and create a habit of kicking off with that.
Claude:So it sets the tone of more of a positive and collaborative environment too one thing I do, but it's not really like the win, but a little bit because it's time someone does, because a lot of time, right people, there's a lot of wins and we don't realize. Each time when one of my teams say, does a win, I'm like don't forget to put on your one, not for your end of year review, sure yeah, although I think you want to put the bigger ones on but I get what you mean
Claude:by the sentiment of it. You know there's small, yeah, but I mean too small.
Jess:I'm not going to right, but you know the point of this and to bring it all back is the social wellness element of it isn't shouldn't be just the big, big wins, because everybody should be. It could be those little, tiny things Like we talked about, like an email that was you were dreading to send, or a presentation that you were struggling on, and we as managers see it. You don't want to intervene, you want them to figure it out on their own and they quickly recognize I need help and come to you. Those aren't huge, huge wins, they're small wins, but there are definitely things that when you recognize and you comment to them like you did a great job with that, it sends that signal that says I see you, I see what you're doing, you matter, which is so important.
Claude:It is important and especially, we don't wait for permission to celebrate right. It's all about creating a team culture that lifts everybody up because we are with each other like more than with your significant others.
Claude:So you know, it has to be fun, it has to be. Yes, you have to work, but you have to to. I mean, you're going to it's kind of silly what I'm going to say but love each other, like or tolerate. Who do you love? Who do you love or tolerate? Who do you love who do you love or tolerate? By being positive and lifting each other? Love is hard enough that you don't want to add to it.
Jess:Right, right, it boosts morale and it does help, as you commented about, with productivity I don't think you commented on this one, but it also helps with retention, so keeping people at your company. And that is something you did not quote from gallop, but I will. Gallop did comment that um that it does lift sales productivity by that 18 percent, which makes everybody happy. Yeah right.
Claude:So bonus people, hey. Um, so go celebrate someone or yourself or any you know really appreciate people and because they've earned it and you earned it yeah, for sure.
Jess:So if this episode gave you something to smile about, share it with your work, bestie, then text them the win that you're proud of them for or, better yet, share with us their win and tag them.
Claude:I like that, yes.
Jess:Do that, and if you haven't yet followed us on Instagram and on YouTube, please subscribe on YouTube.
Claude:Subscribe on.
Jess:YouTube. Please come over. We're cheering for your wins too.
Claude:Around here, we believe no one celebrates alone. Right With that we see, you, hear you and support you and support you.
Jess:Bye, see you next week. Remember, whether you're swapping snacks in the break room, rescuing each other from endless meetings, or just sending that perfectly timed meme. Having a work bestie is like having your own personal hype squad.
Claude:So keep lifting each other, laughing through the chaos and, of course, thriving. Until next time, stay positive, stay productive and don't forget to keep supporting each other. Work besties.
