Let's face it, everyone likes to hear that they're doing a good job or at least they want a hear a thank you. The bottom line is, you just want to make it sincere. I've also found out that though the general talk is that the Vibe cards are "lame," there's a lot of team members who check those boards every week and many get upset if months go by without any recognition. You don't have to do it every day you work, but I would try to get into the routine of having at least some form of recognition for a huddle at least once a week. Whether it will be just saying thank you aloud to the group or actually having a Vibe card at hand. We tend to rely on good workers and when they do a good job every day for a long time, we sometimes just take it for granted and not say anything. It's an accepted fact that team member "Sue" is a hard worker and every time she's on she gets a great zone and completes all her re-shop. Though I say thank you to everyone on a daily basis, it's good to once in a while put it on a card and/or say thank you out loud to everyone at a huddle. And to answer your original question, the huddle is supposed to be a place where your store shares information. Some stores do this better than others. You don't get to see everyone everyday, so the huddle is a chance to let your fellow team members know what's going on. It doesn't always have to be about the numbers, sales, etc. Where do you work? Softlines? Is there a new designer coming out soon? Any good deals on clearance? Hardlines? What new areas have been reset? Is your work center having certain issues that come up all the time? Use the huddle to explain them to your fellow team members and how they can help fix the situation. What popular items are we out of? Let everyone know at the huddle so that you don't have people constantly calling you to an area to "help a guest," when you can give everyone the correct information for them to share with each other all at once. Periodically you should also use the huddles as teaching exercises. For example, if you work in Softlines and a team member in another work center calls you up front to Jewelry for guest assistance. You go up and find out that the guest is asking if we sell watch batteries and do we replace them? Mention at huddles that watch batteries can be found on the Electronics boat, but we don't replace them. The more you pass on these bits of information, the less you'll be called away for menial things. And don't forget about telling your team members about any fun events coming up. Not many people pay attention to the Fast Fun and Friendly events calendar, so when something fun is coming up, keep letting the team know. Are you guys asking everyone to bake (or buy baked goods) to bring in for a pot luck treat in the breakroom? Make sure you keep reminding them. You don't know how many times people will say, "oh I forgot that was today!" Are you holding a volunteer event, such as a walk for breast cancer? Don't forget to keep mentioning it at all your huddles. Sometimes the huddles can seem trivial or unimportant, and yes when they rattle off numbers and scores it can get tedious. But the huddles are simply another way to communicate information with each other and also to keep a positive atmosphere by giving recognition as well.
