The EA guide to work anniversary breakfasts
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by Rick Joi Rick Joi is the founder of The Workiversary Group and author of the award‑winning book, Inspiring Work Anniversaries. |
While we recommend work anniversary one-on-ones in another blog post, the number of employees your executive can speak to that way is limited. One way to expand your executive’s work anniversary reach is through work anniversary breakfasts.
The basic mechanics
The idea is to pick a recurring time period, like maybe every quarter or every year, and invite everyone who has celebrated the chosen milestone in that time period to a breakfast with the executive. That is, maybe everyone who celebrated a work anniversary divisible by five (5, 10, 15, 20, etc.) in the past three months is invited.
The group can go out to breakfast, but having it in the office with food brought in can be a lot simpler and often add more value, as it better affords conversation and/or the executive giving a presentation.
The format of the meeting
One format that includes an executive giving a presentation is a review of the company culture. For companies who are serious about their purpose, mission, and values, it’s common for the organization to talk a lot about the culture as a part of onboarding, but then it not be talked about that much with longer tenured employees. These meetings can be used for the executive to go through the core values or purpose or mission or vision, or even the current strategic plan. They can then lead a discussion where understanding is deepened and any obstacles are surfaced.
Another format is for the executive to share a topic that’s front-of-mind for them and really candidly ask the gathered employees for their perspectives on it. If the company has a strategic plan that lists specific objectives for the year, it might be one of those. Or, if a new challenge has come to light that the organization needs to respond to, then that can be the topic.
Whatever the core of the meeting is about, it’s important to make sure the meeting starts and ends with the executive expressing genuine appreciation for the gathered employees’ contributions to the organization.
Come up with a fun name!
One hint is that these events are more fun to talk about, if they have a catchy alliterative name. This also sets the tone that it’s not going to be stuffy and boring:
Donuts with Denise
Bagels with Ben
Muffins with Makayla
Scones with Scott
Coffee with Carlos
Apple fritters with Apelia
Chicken minis with Chuck
Pop-tarts with Patty
Teacakes with Terri
Grits with Greg
Wikipedia has a helpful list of breakfast foods if the right food isn’t immediately obvious to you. How easy it is to get the food in bulk at the time of day needed may also play a role in your naming decision.