Americans have long marked the first Monday of September as the transition from summer to fall. The date marks a much more significant transition.
The creation of a Federal holiday in 1894 confirmed the evolution of America from an agriculture economy to an industrial one. As the grandson of both farmers and coal miners, I saw the impact of hard work on both groups in the workforce. When New Yorkers gathered 140 years ago for the first Labor Day parade, they formalized a celebration that would quickly become a state holiday in 22 states. Twelve years after the New York parade, when Congress finally acted, the average American still worked 12-hour days seven days a week. Children as young as 5 or 6 work in factories and mines. Violent labor incidents frequently grabbed national headlines like the Pullman sleeping car strike in Chicago that eventually halted rail traffic in 27 states.
Labor Day kicked off College Football and the return to school. Automation, urban worker dispersal, inclusion initiatives, side hustles, and other trends continued to transform America’s workforce. As you’re packing away your beach towels and cleaning up the tailgating supplies, when your mind floats to your own employees and how to thank them for their contributions think about the lesson of BlueBoard.
After a long period of working nights and weekends on a project, the manager of one of the founders stopped by his office, said “Thank you for your hard work.” And, in an effort to thank the employee, he gave him a credit card gift card. The future start-up founder? He was completely underwhelmed. He quit his job and co-founded BlueBoard, which provides experiences for employee rewards like cooking classes and trips to the mountains.
Every small business relies on an incredible group of team members. Perhaps this year, as we transition into the final part of 2022 and plan year-end celebrations, think about that perfect experience for your star performers. Thank you, these days requires more than a gift card. We also know that no one works harder everyday than the business owners we call clients.
Enjoy Labor Day 2022! I will be watching a lot of college football this weekend – but I refuse to put the beach gear in storage! Go Hokies! Go Dawgs!
Think about this today…
“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration. The rest of us just get up and go to work.”
-Stephen King
Celebrate..
This weekend over 100 new Hokie entrepreneurs are gathering at the Virginia Tech Apex Center for Entrepreneurs. We’re proud to sponsor Apex and work with these Hokie entrepreneurs! Watch for news of their new ventures!
That’s it for today, see you next time!
