What do marshmallows, pennies, cup towers and a U.S. map have in common? They all were elements of competitions challenging Community Electric Cooperative’s employees during the Team Appreciation Day that CEC hosted in late October. A scavenger hunt and a White Elephant game were some of the other activities to which CEC’s employees were treated over the course of the day.
Gift table for White Elephant game
CEC annually sets aside a day for its entire workforce to gather together, socialize and renew ties while employees’ hard work and dedication is recognized and celebrated. The October gathering was held in the cooperative’s offices with catering provided by Windsor’s El Rodeo restaurant.
“We don’t have a large workforce, but we sure have a special one,” CEC President and CEO Steven A. Harmon says. “I couldn’t be prouder of our team members for the work they do day in and day out to serve our member-owners. It is no easy task to safely and reliably provide electricity to the communities we serve, and our employees show time and time again that no sacrifice is too great to keep electricity flowing, to quickly restore power supplies when disruptions occur, and to efficiently provide related services that technology advances are making available.”
CEC’s RECORE energy solutions subsidiary sponsored the Appreciation Day and its festivities. Employees were grouped in five teams. Among the competitions they faced were:
- Knocking over cup towers with a balloon they inflated
- Stacking pennies with one hand
- Naming as many U.S. states as they could within a minute
- Building the tallest structure they could using marshmallows and spaghetti
The activities advanced team-building and were just plain fun.
“I got such a thrill seeing my colleagues compete in these games and having such a wonderful time,” says Manager of Communications Jessica Parr, who organized the Appreciation Day activities. “We made some memories, we reconnected, and we took a timeout to celebrate the people who give so much for a larger mission — improving our members’ quality of life.”
Harmon notes that the latest customer satisfaction survey conducted for CEC shows high levels of performance on the part of CEC’s workforce. CEC received a score just shy of 90, which has a maximum score of 100. Community Electric’s latest score is two points higher than it was in 2022 and well above the 2023 national average for cooperative energy utilities (74).
“The member satisfaction findings are one measure, and an important one, but I also know what I see with my eyes and hear with my ears in the way of feedback from our members, suppliers and other key stakeholders. Our employees strive daily to provide quality service and to do so with a high level of professionalism. There is room for continued improvement, absolutely, but it is a great privilege for me to be able to celebrate who they are and what they do during our Team Appreciation Day,” Harmon says.