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June 17, 2010 is Recess At Work Day

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More Pics!

Now these folks in CT know how to hold a Recess. Hats! Shirts! Woo-hoo!!!

Order yours not just for Recess, But any day. Visit http://richdigirolamo.com/products

And the pics are coming in from Recess At Work Day 2009

The "kids" in Mechanicsburg PA blowing up balloons. But where is the water?

Way to go Community Options. Costumes. Cake. Love it!

And it looks as if the folks at Reside LLC in Minneapolis took a recess as well. Check out their celebration at: http://www.reside.biz/blog/2009/06/22/reside-celebrates-recess-at-work-day/

How We Spent Our Recess At Work Day,,,,,

Where else can you visit with the paparazzi, a prom queen, a pretty princess, pippi longstocking, eat with someone who almost drowned in the ocean, someone who rode a horse across the Golden Gate Bridge, someone who was on TV with Richard Simmons, or someone who saved a duck from an alligator?

Or see a walking poster, someone in a poodle skirt, a perplexed poet? Not to mention the picnic type, incredible food..from pudding, pie, pizza, pasta, pink cake, and many more plates of fruit and salads.

And what about the fun 2 lies and a truth. All this at our 3rd annual Recess At Work Day. We all had great fun!! It certainly does boost morale. Thank you! Pictures will follow soon.

Submitted by Wendy W. at Community Options in Colorado

And let's not forget Recess with Teresa!

It's Recess At Work Day!!!

HAPPY

Well Recess At Work Day plans here in the Northeast have been postponed by Mother Nature. We are in day 40 of rain. So here I am sitting in my office deciding what to do for Recess now that my visits to clients have been derailed.

And then I came up with an idea.........................

I organized a last minute Recess with a couple of other entrepreneurs and decided to include you. So here's the deal.....................

Join Michelle, Theresa and Rich for Recess today. And there's a Free "Is It Recess Yet?" beanie cap & T-shirt to 1st person to find me Starbucks Watertown CT 2:15PM

Happy Recess!!

Tomorrow is Recess At Work Day!

But if you happen to be in CT today..................... this could be your lucky afternoon.

I've got a Free "Is It Recess Yet?" beanie cap & T-shirt to 1st person to find me at Barnes & Noble Waterbury CT 3:00PM. http://tinyurl.com/mllpc5

In the meantime don't forget to check out the Recess At Work Day website.

Whether it be employee morale, employee engagement, or health and wellness, Recess At Work Day is a great addition to all your other ideas.

And of course visit our Facebook page

Add Humana to the list

Yep, just heard that Management at one of Humana's facilities in WI has invited all to come down for a Recess At Work Day celebration. They're holding it on Friday instead.

Who cares! Any day is good for a recess that increases morale, engagement, and wellness.

I tip my beanie cap to the management team at Humana!

Hmmm.............Maybe this is the beginning of Recess At Work Week?

For Immediate Release
Wolcott, CT June 10, 2009
Contact: Rich DiGirolamo 203.879.5970 rich@RichDiGirolamo.com


Want to Increase Employee Morale and Engage Employees? Think About Taking a Recess on June 18th
Healthier employees perform better, innovate better, and work better as a team. June 18th is an opportunity for employees and employers to take a break from the stress of today’s economic worries and celebrate their successes. June 18th is Recess At Work Day.

It has been proven that breaks are essential for satisfaction. But what does this mean to an employer? Well according to Rich DiGirolamo, Founder of Recess At Work Day, it’s simple……..Breaks lead to satisfaction; and satisfaction easily transfers to increase morale, reduced employee stress, more engaged and healthier employees; ultimately having a positive impact on productivity, absenteeism and profits. Now in its 6th year; Recess At Work Day is the perfect complement to any Health and Wellness or Employee Engagement Initiative..

Tiffany Metzler of the Mechanicsburg, PA School District had the following to say. “The district wellness committee decided to implement Recess at Work Day this year. It is important for our district staff to continue to strengthen relationships and have some fun at the end of the school year. This picnic will allow the staff to come together for some teambuilding, using a proven fun and games approach. What’s better than fun and games to celebrate team success!"

Years ago DiGirolamo was part of a team in need of reducing stress and chaos during a data center conversion. Long hours, project setbacks, and negative reactions to change were just some of the challenges. To alleviate some the chaos, lunch got replaced with a short walk to Rye Playland (Rye, NY) and a couple of trips on the Dragon Coaster. Remembering the benefit of those breaks from the norm, DiGirolamo, now a professional speaker, presenting Employee Morale and Engagement Programs, founded Recess At Work Day as a complement to already existing employee wellness, morale and engagement initiatives. Past and present participants include GE Capital, Covidien, Iroquois Pipeline, WorksafeBC and Community Options. A visit to the Recess At Work Day website reveals it has been a big hit with big and small companies alike.

So how does one celebrate Recess At Work Day? It’s simple says DiGirolamo. “There are no rules. Just take a break from the daily work routine and engage in something fun. The possibilities are endless. Spend some time learning a foreign language with your peers. Engage in a fun communications or creativity exercise as an exercise in innovation. Rewrite the Employee Handbook – humorously. These are some of the examples offered by DiGirolamo. Keep it cheap or spend lots he says. But he does warn that this has to be a piece of a bigger Employee Wellness program

So only one question remains…….Is it Recess yet? Almost; June 18th is fast approaching.

For more information about Recess At Work Day, or to schedule an interview with Rich DiGirolamo, call 203.879.5970 or visit www.recessatworkday.com

Take a Recess from That Old Way of Meeting

Last week Wendy from Community Options in Montrose, CO called me. They were planning their 3rd Recess At Work Day and decided to add some fun to their team meeting next Thursday. And what better way..... using The Meeting Playce Mat (TM).

I'm sure they'll have a lot of fun. It will probably be one of the most productive meetings ever held. Happy Recess Wendy!

A couple of quick Recess At Work Day Ideas

Still not sure how to spend Recess At Work Day? How about doing a good deed?

1. Perhaps take your team and do something for your community. Contact a local Parks & Recreation Department and see if you can help with a clean up; plant a garden or tree.
2. Or perhaps visit a local youth services group and see if you can offer advice, counseling or guidance to the future business leaders of........perhaps your company?

There are so many ways to take a Recess; on June 18th and every day. Make it part of your employee morale, employee engagement or corporate wellness program.

Recess Shirts For Everyone!

Woo Hoo!

Hats off to the folks at Covidien. They're going all out with Recess this year. A corporate health and wellness break with Recess At Work Day T-shirts for everyone!

Nice job folks. Can't wait to see the pictures!

But more importantly, can't wait to hear the results on employee morale, employee engagement and so much more.

Mechanicsburg PA is celebrating Recess

Way to go Tiffany M.; convincing the School Superintendent that a Recess is needed and deserved. The Health and Wellness Committee of this municipality "gets it." They understand that healthy minds require an opportunity to laugh, learn, play and be creative. Let us know how your plans are shaping up Tiffany. And of course, send us pics.

June 18, 2009 is Recess At Work Day

Just heard from Covidien, Iroquois Pipeline and W.B. Mason. All three are participating. Are you?? Check it out at RECESS AT WORK DAY

Still More Pics! More Fun! More Recess!!

In between the picnic, here is what the kids at Iroquois Pipeline did for Recess! Way to go Karin and crew.

More Pics. More Fun. Recess At Work Day!!

Recess At Work Day went international - Canada this year!!! Here is the gang at WorkSafeBC taking time out to pose for their Recess picture. Can you guess who Kymm is?

Check out June 20th post below to see what all the costumes are all about. Click on the picture to make it bigger. I love you wild Canadians!

More Pics. More Fun. Recess At Work Day!!

Here's what Linnea from Training Resources of America had to say:

"I held recess at work and am attaching the pictures. We had to have indoor recess because of the rain but everyone got time away from their desks and computers to just relax and enjoy each other. I did give out funky pens and pencils to do the indoor activity.We have decided to have recess once per quarter and will be going on a field trip to Ben and Jerry's in Salem for recess in August!"

Was Your Recess a Success?

Here's what the kids at Community Options did; 2nd year for them. And read below what they had to say. Canoe key pace he grit? Community Options had our 2nd annual recess at work day. We had a fantastic time. We began by walking down the hall a la Monty Python and the Ministry of Silly Walks. We all brought a bit of the 60's to the room. We played Mad Gabs and shared stories from the 60's. thanks for reminding us that laughter is the best medicine. Last year we had 25 job openings and were crazy!~!!! This year we have only 6!!! We have a lot to be thankful for!!!!! Enjoy our photos... And here's what WorkSafeBC had to say:

Rich,

That was by far the most fun we have ever had in this office!!!!! Thank you for a brillant idea!! I am off tomorrow - thank goodness - I'll try and send you some pics on Monday - we had a team of superhero's - a team of cowgirls/cowboys - a team off hospital staff - and a team called See Ya Later - because 1/2 of that team is retiring within the next year - the teams went out on a 30 min Scavenger Hunt - IN costume - people all over town were laughing - one team told a lady what they were doing and she wanted to know if she could come along and help!!

Kymm

Happy Recess At Work Day!

Today's the day; to take a Recess in the name of Employe Wellness. Make it fun. Make it simple. Make it productive. And if you're still trying to convince the boss..................find out what CNN, 1800Mattress and Recess At Work Day all have in common? Read this article right now. It's not too late to celebrate.

Have a Happy Recess.

OMG, Tomorrow is Recess!

Adding to the list of people who are going to take a recess tomorrow..................

Ashley and Lisa at the world's only Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD. I spent some time chatting with them yesterday on my visit and they loved the idea of Recess At Work. As a matter of fact, so many people stopped us on the street to ask what and why. (I guess having 5 of your friends wearing the T-shirts helps!)

So we're off to continue to spread the word about Recess.

And thanks to Mike, Mud and Mihalik for sharing Recess with your WNCX listeners. You guys are the bomb!