Ducks Unlimited Launches Illinois River Valley Program

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A Connecticut-based professional, John Flavin applies over 25 years of management and consulting experience in his role as the global account director at WorkHuman. An active member of business communities in Connecticut and Massachusetts, John Flavin also supports various nonprofit organizations including Ducks Unlimited (DU).

Dedicated to nature conservation, Ducks Unlimited partners with agencies, landowners, private citizens, and other entities to protect, manage, and restore wetlands and other waterfowl habitats. In June 2019, DU announced a $5 million conservation program to benefit the Illinois River Valley wetlands.

Covering an area spanning 13,000 acres across 19 counties, the Illinois River Valley comprises hardwood forests, lakes, and marshes that provide a safe home and source of food for migratory birds such as waterfowl. Beginning in the late 1800s and going into the early 1900s, the Illinois River Valley suffered from excessive farming, grazing, draining, and logging which resulted in losing nearly 90 percent of its wetlands. The Illinois River Valley program, made possible in collaboration with over a half-dozen partners, aims to enhance over 11,000 acres of degraded wetlands and restore water to 19 acres of drained wetlands.

Importance of Employee Recognition

Collaboration
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Based in Connecticut, John Flavin leverages more than 25 years of business consulting experience toward his role as Workhuman’s global account director. Serving clients in the Connecticut area and the Northeastern US, John Flavin concentrates on all aspects of the work environment, including workplace culture and employee recognition.

Employee recognition is an acknowledgement of a person or a team’s exemplary behavior, effort, and performance in achieving an organization’s goals and values. A workplace that respects, values, and recognizes its employees cultivates increased productivity and improved employee retention and creates an environment for self-improvement and motivation.

A workplace atmosphere that promotes positive reinforcement, embraces constructive feedback, and acknowledges people for a job well done encourages and makes employees happier. As a result, they become more productive and are more willing to collaborate on projects. When a company provides incentive programs and rewards employees for their accomplishments through raises and bonuses, they tend to stay longer, as they are more motivated to perform.

A workplace that promotes employee recognition fosters self-improvement. It opens opportunities for employees to learn, improve, master their work, and to go beyond their basic tasks. Employees are motivated to do better when they receive small gestures of recognition such as a sincere thank you. These simple gestures, which are often overlooked, are effective morale boosters for employees.