Employee Awards: New Paradigm Unlocked

My friend Light and I joined our company back in 2021 and we were buzzed to be part of the same company and the same team. Unlike the other companies I previously worked for, here we had a peer-recognition system, which allowed us to give feedback and highlight our co-workers' efforts. I think this was a smooth move as most companies only recognise manager-level outputs and neglect what other workers contribute to the organisation.

How everything shaped up

The last, and perhaps the most competitive award of the year, The Ripple Effect award was right around the corner. It was the highest recognition given to an employee who has had the most effect on his/her colleagues; usually given during the holiday season. The manager already let me in on who’s gonna win it this year and it was Light! He asked me to tee up something huge for him and gave me the opportunity to ‘crunch the numbers’ and decide his reward.

How I chose the perfect reward

Light was very much into cruising so choosing the corporate Christmas party cruises in Sydney was a no-brainer. An upscale wine and dine experience on one of the most famous vessels with the glorious Sydney skyline as backdrop? Yes, please! It was going to be extravagant but the award was no low-hanging fruit, so rewarding him with something he fancies was the best we could do.

A core-memory moment

I chose the multi-million dollar catamaran as the vessel to mark the occasion as it boasted three expansive outer decks, panoramic windows and climate-controlled interiors. The winner wasn’t revealed till everyone was on board and I could feel it in my soul when I saw my friend light up with his confused smile when it was unveiled! This called for some toast! We started out the celebrations with a multi-cuisine buffet, which was nothing short of scrumptious, and topped it off with the finest of Aussie beverages and drinks. Then, we strolled the outer decks and enjoyed the tranquil air as we cruised past some of the city’s most famous icons including the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, and much more! We seized this opportunity to capture some epic team photos against this brilliant backdrop, which was later framed in the meeting room by the boss itself!

The aftermath

The bleeding-edge catamaran blessed us with the best Christmas party harbour cruises on Sydney; though the experience came to an end soon, we did have our fair share of jokes and laughs and made the most of our time together as a team. Safe to say everyone liked that! For the team, it was a much-needed relaxation from the busy ending-of-the-year. Oh, I almost forgot! When the cruise director and owner came to know about the party, they surprised us all, graced the event with their presence and made it even more special by awarding the memento together with the boss! Light won’t be forgetting that anytime soon!

The afterparty

Half the team had split up after the cruise and some of us were itching to keep the vibes rolling. It was a win-win situation as Light proclaimed the bar tab was on him! We ventured to Surly's and started off by devouring their big-shot BBQ platters and burgers before restarting the drinking antics. And to our benefit it was the weekend, which translates to a night of live music!

An absolute climax

After a few rounds, we dilly-dallied with a couple of high-fives and hugs and returned home. Light and I shared an apartment so we chatted a bit before going to bed. The bloke was elated; too stunned to speak. His happiness was way beyond the basic linking up of letters and words! He kept on insisting the award belonged to me as much as it did to him. At one point he even tried to break the memento into two and wanted me to take a piece! I figured it’s because winning the award was immensely surprising, even though he deserved it 110%; we plugged away for hours without even the slightest motive of an award and in the end winning one made us realise the legendary quote " no hard work goes unnoticed", is ultimate.

Travel as far as you can, we can take the knowledge from all of the things we see.