Hopefully you are already aware that July is National Ice Cream Month! Now is the time to give the gift of ice cream for employee engagement! This is the month to celebrate our love of all things ice cream, including sorbet, Popsicles, sundaes, floats, shakes — we could go on and on.
Ice Cream Brings People Together
It’s a lot like a good employee engagement program: it brings people together, makes everyone feel happy, and is endlessly creative. That doesn’t mean you can drop off a tub of vanilla in the break room with a scoop and expect magic. But this tasty treat as a vehicle for employee engagement is powerful. Not only is it just plain fun and delicious, it reminds us of happy memories that we share with other people — our parents, kids, siblings, or maybe a special date night with our significant other. It’s special. It’s a treat. It speaks a language of happiness.
Let’s look at how ice cream (and its dairy-free alternatives) can be a great team-building activity, reward for hard work and overall boost to employee satisfaction.
Three Ways Ice Cream Rocks
It’s An Equal-Opportunity Palate Pleaser
There aren’t many foods we can share communally these days without running up against dietary preferences or restrictions. Ice cream comes in so many fantastic variations that it really is possible to include everyone, even those with dairy/egg allergies. Consider the options:
- Frozen yogurt
- Frozen custard
- Sorbet (bonus: good for those with allergies and easy to make at home!)
- Gelato (a milkier, Italian variation)
- Frozen scoopable treats made with alternative milks like coconut, almond, soy, and even goat.
If you’re organizing a social (easy to do as a hybrid event!), ask for input on everyone’s favorite flavor or variation. However people prefer their ‘scream, it’s hugely popular in the U.S. According to the International Dairy Foods Association, “The average American eats roughly 20 pounds of ice cream each year, or about 4 gallons.”
Encourage Camaraderie and Creativity with a Flavor “Bake-Off”
Summer can be slow at work, with large numbers out on vacation, watching the clock for the weekend, or distracted by The World Cup. Spark some excitement by organizing a contest for the best homemade ice cream flavor. It can be easily made with a few ingredients and a ball!
Talking about food is an excellent icebreaker or engagement activity for employees. Throwing in a competitive element will get people strategizing, working and laughing together.
Share your gratitude with ice cream. (Image via Jon Ashcroft, Flickr)
Ice Cream Says “Thank You”
Taking someone out for ice cream is the classic way to reward him or her for a job well done. It isn’t a one-way token of gratitude that you simply give. It’s a shared experience.
If you handle an employee rewards program for a large company in which taking each and every employee out together for ice cream is logistically impossible, you can still share the experience with a gThankYou Ice Cream Gift Certificate of Gratitude.
Our gift certificates — in small increments — are a perfect way to share gratitude and share in a communal love of ice cream. They can be tucked in an envelope, shared with a handshake, or used to accompany a small gift.
Ice cream gift certificates are also good to keep on hand for those times when you want to share a performance-based reward individually or with a specific team. On-the-spot rewards are an impactful way to show gratitude.
Learn More About gThankYou Certificates and Vouchers:
- Check out our Home Page
- See all our Gift Certificate Choices
- Learn more About gThankYou and FAQs
- See our FREE customizable Gratitude cards
- Reach us at 888-484-1658 or via info@gthankyou.com
Ice Cream Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash
