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Manual team process
Plan team recognition process

Agree with the team which work to recognise. Routine contributions count alongside visible projects. Check with the person involved whether to mark it publicly or privately.

Assign a process owner. That person collects suggested occasions, checks details with relevant colleagues and reviews the process when the team changes.

For a group card, set an opening day and time in the card maker, then copy the writers' link and share it. Each person writes their own note.

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Marker lettering with a highlighter stroke. Thanks for covering for us. We owe you a lunch. A proper one.

Organising the occasion

  1. 01

    Choose the work to recognise

    Agree which work the team wants to notice. Include routine contributions as well as visible projects without inventing a league table.

  2. 02

    Ask the people involved

    Check whether the people receiving thanks want it shared in a meeting or privately. Keep the format open to their preference.

  3. 03

    Give the process an owner

    Name somebody to collect suggested occasions and check details with the relevant colleagues. Review the process when the team changes.

  4. 04

    Keep contributions voluntary

    For a group card, choose a cover and opening time and share the writers' link. Leave the note to each person and do not chase somebody who declines.

  5. 05

    Review what happened

    Ask the people involved whether the timing and format worked. Change the next occasion using their feedback, without attaching a score to their notes.

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Planning checklist

ResponsibilityAgree withCheck
OccasionThe teamWhich work is being recognised
PrivacyThe person receiving thanksWhether to mark it publicly or privately
OrganisationThe process ownerThe people to contact and the opening time
ParticipationEach contributorWhether to write in the card
ReviewThe people involvedWhat timing or format to change next time

Card maker: https://tbfcards.com/quick/

Writers' link: https://tbfcards.com/manage/

Planning the occasion

Name a process owner. That person collects suggested occasions, checks details with the relevant colleagues and reviews the arrangement whenever the team composition changes.

Ask first. Check whether the person receiving thanks wants the occasion marked at a team meeting or kept entirely private, then keep the format open to their answer.

Routine work counts. Include contributions that are not attached to a named project, so the process notices effort that might otherwise go unremarked by the wider team.

Keep participation voluntary. Do not chase a colleague who declines to write in the card.

Pick a design

  • Marker lettering with a highlighter stroke. Thanks for organising everything. This card was organised by somebody else, for once.
  • Marker lettering with a highlighter stroke. Thank you for answering the same question four times.
  • A trophy. Thank you. We'd give you a trophy but the budget went on biscuits.
  • A cake. Thank you. There's cake in the kitchen. It's for you. We've had some.
  • Lino-cut lettering in a printed band. Thank you, from all of us.
  • A pot plant. Thanks for keeping the plant alive while we were away.
  • The words thank you, thank you, thank you. We ran out of room.
  • Pop thanks card. Thank you.
  • A wheelie bin. Thanks for taking our bins in. Every single week.
  • Stilllife thanks card. Thank you.

Questions

Who decides what work gets recognised?

The team agrees together. Routine contributions count as much as visible projects. Avoid creating a league table or ranking colleagues against each other.

How do we set up a group card?

Choose a card cover in the card maker and set the opening day and time. Share the writers' link yourself. Each person writes their own note at a time that suits them.

What if someone does not want to write in the card?

Participation stays voluntary. Do not chase a colleague who declines. The process works well when people write freely rather than under any obligation.

Drafted with a model and checked against the recorded public assets.

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