During a recent spell of delivering client workshops, one of the prominent and energizing themes that emerged was finding a cause to celebrate small victories at work. The groups all came alive when we touched on this, each giving varied examples, big and small, where they had cause to celebrate—finishing a project early, helping someone out when they were stuck, and receiving thanks from a client or a colleague for a job well done. The examples came in all shapes and sizes, and what was striking was the transformative effect this had – not just on the energy in the room but on people’s experience of their work regardless of industry.
Celebrating significant milestones and big news may be obvious but doing this regularly and intentionally is less common. However, there are ways to incorporate this easily and naturally into everyday working life.
Here are three ways to regularly and intentionally celebrate big and small victories at work.
Spontaneous acts of celebration. While company meetings and structured events often include time for high-fives, adding spontaneous gatherings to celebrate the ‘small’ stuff can bring refreshing and invigorating energy. Whether it’s recognizing someone for passing a driving test or acing a professional exam, these impromptu moments of celebration can boost morale and create a positive ripple effect throughout the team. Watch the feel-good factor spread through the room and, over time, normalize celebrating small achievements.
Create a system. Some organizations hold regular get-togethers with no set agenda beyond connecting and sparking conversations among colleagues. Incorporating small celebrations into these casual gatherings—like the excitement of a beer trolley making rounds on a Friday afternoon—can make recognition feel natural and unforced. By embedding celebrations into these routine events, you create a system where everyone feels acknowledged and motivated without feeling forced. Everyone wins.
Make ‘What is there to celebrate?’ a springboard for learning. Large meetings and get-togethers can sometimes feel like wallpaper: you look at and experience them often enough, and the impact lessens. However, you can keep these forums alive and thriving. By asking, ‘What is there to celebrate?’ you encourage a growth mindset, helping colleagues see the positive out of news and events. This keeps these meetings engaging and makes other growth-led questions more natural. ‘What have we learned here?’, for example, is a great way to discuss and highlight learnings in a healthy, safe, supportive environment, turning celebrations into opportunities for continuous improvement.
As with many things, the more you practice something, the easier and more natural it becomes. Normalizing the celebration of news, events, or people is no different. By spreading small moments of joy throughout the days and weeks, you can create a subtle yet powerful uplift that has a disproportionately positive impact on people’s working lives.
