To celebrate 10/10 Day on October 10, we asked members to tell us about their 10/10 colleague and we received a record number of responses!
We received almost 800 submissions from staff across campus. Across hundreds of "10/10" comments, the strongest message is that staff cherish colleagues who care deeply, help freely, make work enjoyable, and bring out the best in others.
Throughout the submissions, we noticed that many of the 10/10s fell into one of the following categories:
Kindness, care, and making people feel valued
How someone makes others feel was the most common theme across all the submissions. People described colleagues as kind, compassionate, caring, supportive, welcoming, genuine, and authentic.
- "You make everyone feel seen and heard."
- "You create such a safe, caring and fun place to work."
- "You are a warm and engaging colleague who goes above and beyond."
- "You genuinely care."
Going above and beyond to help others
Many comments were centred around reliability and willingness to help their colleagues. Common phrases submissions included were that their colleagues were “always willing to help”, “go above and beyond”, and “step up when needed”. Some examples of these submissions are:
- "You are always willing to help regardless of how busy you are."
- "You always roll up your sleeves to support others."
- "You never back down from any task that comes our way."
Bringing joy, humour, and positivity
Many submissions were surprisingly funny and brought joy to the recipients. People not only celebrated their colleagues but also laughter, their work besties, coffee walks, shared hobbies and jokes. We received submissions such as :
- "You have a way of making even the most chaotic days more enjoyable."
- "You always make me smile."
- "You make work feel a little less like work."
- "You understand the exact level of sarcasm required to survive the daily grind."
Supportive leadership
Managers, leaders, and supervisors play a large role in our workplace, and they also deserve a 10/10. Staff highlighted leadership values like listening, mentoring, helping people grow, and supporting staff. Under this theme, some of our favourite submissions include:
- "You see potential in people before they see it in themselves."
- "You help people be their best at work and with each other."
- "You always have your staff's best interests at heart."
- "You champion your people."
Here are some additional favourite submissions:
- “You are amazing, but deserve a 12/10! Thank you for all you do and your support :)”
- “You bring a lot of creativity, expertise and laughter to our team. I love how you find humour and joy in the things happening in our community, and tell their stories. We're glad you chose us!”
- “You are the chocolate in my smore! You're the butterfly in my caterpillar! You're the oxygen in my air! You're the duct cleaner for my life ducts! And you deserve a 20/10 for being the terrific person that you are!”
- “You have been a rock all these years. Without your experience, knowledge, and input, so much would be lost. Thank you for being you!”
- “You are simply the best! Just the best all the time, in every situation.”
- “You fill out like a million grants a day and if someone made me do that I think I would cry. Or potentially vomit from stress. You da bomb.”
- “You have such an inspiring, no-nonsense attitude. Thank you for keeping things on track and holding people accountable by asking the tough questions that no one else dares to ask.”
- “You always put your heart and soul into relationships.”
- “You always help me see things in a new way!”
- “You always bring a positive energy to your work, and you make every situation and team you're part of better.”
Give a colleague a 10/10!
Thank you to everyone who took the time to participate in this year’s 10/10 celebration. Let’s keep the 10/10 spirit going all year round! We encourage you to recognize a colleague through Workday or nominate them for a Values Award. Visit UW's Employee Recognition page to explore more recognition opportunities!