On the same day, Prof. Freedom Y.K. Leung of the Department of Psychology gave a noontime talk on "Stay Thankful! Why?", which received an enthusiastic response with close to 200 colleagues in attendance. Before the talk, Professor Michael Hui, the Chairperson of the "Committee on Positive Workplace and Staff Development" presented prizes to three winners of the "Thank You Card Design Competition". The awardees were: Dr. Cheung Ho-Yan Yannie, Global Studies Programme (1st prize); Ms. Carmen K.M. Chan, the Asia-Pacific Institute of Business (2nd prize); and Ms. Wilma W.M. Leung, School of Architecture (3rd prize). The designs of the three winners were printed as thank-you cards and folders for departments to order and distribute as free gifts to staff members.
A series of Staff Thankful Day activities filled up the entire CUHK campus with an atmosphere of gratitude and appreciation, echoing Professor Sung's words at the end of his e-mail: "A kind word and a thank you from you and me will make this town of gently rolling hills an even prettier place to be!"
Staff Thankful Day and Me
(1) Carmen, the programme manager of the Asia-Pacific Institute of Business, was the first runner-up for the "Thank You Card Design Competition". She told the reporter that morning she had received a thank you card from a colleague who was working in another department, thanking her for giving her support in the past; she was indeed pleasantly surprised. She also intended to take this opportunity to express gratitude to colleagues working alongside with her. In the afternoon of the same day her boss, Wendy, was going to hold a thanksgiving tea gathering in the office for colleagues to share delicious food.
(2) Sophia is the Student Development Officer of the Student Affairs Office. She felt that the Staff Thankful Day was very similar in concept to the I-Care programme she was responsible for. She therefore attended the ceremony to show her support. She would also write greeting cards to colleagues to express concern and gratitude, hoping to create a pleasant and harmonious working environment.
(3) Serena, who is a Personnel Manager at the Personnel Office, believed that a word of thanks in the workplace is enough to turn the working environment into a more positive and harmonious one. She hoped that today would not see the end for this culture of gratitude and appreciation among colleagues but rather the beginning.
(4) Wilma, the second runner-up of the "Thank You Card Design Competition", wished that every office would be like the natural environment in CUHK: beautiful and charismatic, colourful and diversifying. Just like her award-winning "You color my CU working life", colleagues' greetings and care could often transform a monotonous and uninteresting landscape into a gorgeously colourful picture. She also thanked colleagues for chipping in different suggestions during the design process. She was thrilled to bits when her design won the competition.
Offices: Expressing appreciation in their own way and nice manner
UC: To show appreciation for the efforts and contributions of colleagues, the United College arranged an afternoon tea gathering as a boost to their morale!
OAL: Staff members in the Office of Academic Links not only shared home-made cakes, they were invited to eat out together during lunch time, as an act of appreciation for being dedicated to their work.
