It all started ten years ago with a last-minute scramble to find a “smash cake” for my daughter’s first birthday. I waited too long, and the only options left were red, white, and blue – leftovers from Memorial Day. Determined to make it work, I grabbed one of the cakes and redecorated it with a pastel flower fit for the occasion. And just like that, a family tradition was born.
Now, every year, I bake (and I use that term loosely) birthday cakes for both of my daughters. The funny thing is, I’m not much of a baker – I’m more of a sprinkle artist. But importantly, these cakes are layered with love, laughter, and lots of icing. It’s become a sweet tradition we all look forward to.
This family tradition got me thinking: what are the rituals in our workplaces that build connection, embed values, and create shared meaning?
At JB Training, one of our enduring traditions started at a time of uncertainty. During the early days of the pandemic, like many teams, we were fully remote, emotionally drained, and craving connection. Out of that challenge came something simple but powerful: the Happy Friday email. These weekly messages became a place to reflect on the week, express gratitude, celebrate wins, and close things out on a high note. Five years later, I’m still writing those Friday emails – and they’re a consistent reminder of our team’s values.
Traditions don’t need to be grand gestures. In fact, the best ones often start small, grow organically, and feel deeply authentic. As HR leaders, we have a unique opportunity to shape and sustain the traditions that reflect the heart of what we do.
So how can you start or strengthen traditions in your workplace? Here are a few ideas to spark inspiration:
Rituals of Recognition
Celebrate milestones – birthdays, work anniversaries, promotions, project launches, or personal achievements – in a consistent and meaningful way. At JB, you’re going to receive a work anniversary speech from our CEO, Brad Karsh!
Learning Rituals
Make learning and development a tradition by carving out time for shared learning. These can be informal Lunch and Learns, book discussions, or short skill-swap sessions. At JB, we have “Stay Curious” moments led by different team members on the topic of their choice.
Welcome Rituals
First impressions matter. Design an onboarding tradition that’s unique to your company – maybe it’s a handwritten note, quirky welcome gift, or a team lunch. At JB, you’ll receive a call from one of your colleagues welcoming you to the team.
Storytelling Moments
Stories stick in ways data and mission statements don’t. Create a tradition of sharing real stories to bring your values to life in a memorable way. Do you know Brad Karsh’s Chalant Story? It’s a JB moment that inspires us every day.
Reflection Routines
Encourage teams to build in regular check-ins or gratitude practices. At JB, our Friday emails serve this purpose, but you could also have After Action Reviews, Colleague Kudos, or Weekly Wins.
Seasonal Celebrations
Anchor your year with a few signature moments – an annual retreat, a themed holiday gathering, or a quirky made-up celebration that’s uniquely yours. Now that we are a hybrid team, JB hosts “Collaboration Days” when we all come together in Chicago for team building and business planning.
Traditions don’t have to be big to make an impact. The right ones build connection, reflect your values, and bring people together in meaningful ways. Start simple. Be consistent. The rest will follow.
And if cake is part of it – you can never have too many sprinkles.
We only give handmade cards in our family. When a birthday comes up, it’s time to take out the colored pencils!
– Buddy
On Christmas Day, Josh (my husband) and I watch Home Alone and enjoy a take ‘n bake pizza. It started as a “COVID Christmas silver lining” and has become our favorite holiday tradition—something just for the two of us after the bigger family festivities wrap up.
– Lora
We are attempting to see all 50 states with our kids. Each state we visit, we get an ornament and then during the holidays, we reminisce about all the fun travel we have done as a family.
– Jennifer
Friday Happy Hour: My husband and I try to make this happen as regularly as we can, but the fact that it’s a tradition makes us more diligent about it. It gets us to travel to new lands in NYC that we haven’t explored yet, encourages us to have quality time together, and bonds us over one of our biggest shared loves… FOOD! It’s something that we look forward to all week, helps us to share our weekly highlights, and is a great celebration of a hard-working week!
– Stephanie
I start every day with a walk – often at sunrise and in any weather. It helps that I have a dog to accompany me! Even as an avid traveler, I love to walk and keep it up while I’m on the road (and without the dog). It’s a perfect way to start my day well, reflect on what’s ahead, and hopefully take in some nature too.
– Ariadne
My son was born on April Fool’s Day. My mother-in-law, Shirley, ordered his birthday cake when he was a little boy. The cake came back with “Happy Birthday, Shirley” on it. We laughed so hard. We then adopted a tradition to put a different name on his birthday cake each year to both honor his birthday and April Fool’s Day.
– Gina
I’ll call this ritual “Analog Rewind.” At once or twice per year, I’ll go back and look at, listen to, or read “old” stuff. All original media-nothing digital or electronic. I mean actual printed pictures, cassette tapes of me & friends, letters from friends, my writings and journals going all the way back to the fifth grade! It’s just a trip down memory lane. And doing it no more than once or twice per year makes it feel fresh every time.
– Greg
Like many, it started during Covid. Friday at 5:00pm every week, I would blast Loverboy’s “Working for the Weekend.” To me it meant the end of a tough week and time to celebrate as a family – especially since we were all at home together. And while that tradition has continued (with a little less frequency since we’re not all home every Friday at 5:00), there is one little problem with it. EVERYONE in my family hates it! You know, except for me :). Don’t think that stops me though. I have to suffer through the eye rolls, and “please stop, Dad.” I always say, I worked very hard this week and the least you can do is give me 3 minutes and 41 seconds!
– Brad
We used to have a tradition most mornings during covid where we would go for a short walk, sometimes stopping at the dog park and sipping coffee. Deemed the “Family W,” it was my happy place to start the day with sunshine, get to the dog park for a little activity, and connect/chit chat with my partner. After a few years of not prioritizing it, we resumed the ritual on days we both work from home!
– Sarah
Our family tradition began during the pandemic, when – for the first time in nearly a decade – all of my siblings and our parents were back under one roof for the summer. We’d make dinner together, linger around the table talking until 10pm, then peel off for a bit to read, paint, or watch TV. But the best part came later: our Midnight Meehan Walk. Just before bed, we’d all head out for a peaceful stroll around the neighborhood. The cool, quiet night air gave us a chance to reconnect, laugh, and shake off the final bits of the day. It quickly became the most cherished part of our routine.Years later, even though we’re now spread across the country, the tradition lives on. Anytime we’re all together – holidays, weddings, or just weekends at home – we still take our Midnight Meehan Walk. It’s our favorite way to end the day: together.
– Anna
I love gardening with my family at my mom’s grave at the beginning of summertime. Growing up, my siblings and I used to dread yard days growing up, but now it is fun to have a little dose of the old days and something my mom loved so much.
– Nikki
About a year ago, a new tradition started in our household which we’ve deemed “Sibling Sleepovers”. I was a crazy person about my kids’ sleep schedules when they were little. Sleep was very regimented and after the newborn stage, all the kids always slept in separate rooms pretty much no matter what. It became a bit of a curse because when we would need them to sleep in the same room on a vacation or something, it just wouldn’t happen because it was so novel to them. Now, as they’ve gotten older, every Friday and Saturday the kids take turns sleeping in each others’ rooms. It’s so sweet and I find myself snapping a picture of them asleep together just about every night. It seems this weekend tradition might end up happening every night of summer now too.
– Nicole
During our premarital counseling we were challenged to think about family traditions we wanted to create. The topic of saying Grace before each meal came up and neither of us came from families that did this regularly as it was rare we sat down as a whole family to eat at the same time. Manny suggest the prayer from his Cardinal Hayes history teacher of “God, help us.” Which made me laugh the first time I heard it but I liked it so we kept it. Now we say it frequently throughout our days, not just at meals. It’s no secret we’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, and we will say this phrase in a plethora of situations – from hospital rooms, to dinner tables, to when we’re about to jump into a sketchy taxi in the middle of nowhere Italy or when we’re in an awkward situation. It has become so meaningful. It can bring levity and a laugh when we’re in tears, it can lean us into our faith, it can bring us together and it always reminds us of the intention we set for ourselves as a family- our way of life and a reminder that we all can always use some help.
– Bailey
My family tradition is pretty cheesy…but inspired by the kids. Before school in the morning when we all run off in our separate directions, we do a “hands in on 3” and say Gooooooooooo PESCHELS! The kids take turns “breaking it down” and it’s such a positive way to go out into the day, even if the morning was hectic. A little reminder that we are all in it together and cheering each other on.