At Augeo, we view employee appreciation as a way of life. To the approximately 157 million Americans who are part of the U.S. workforce, this day of acknowledgment, and everyday employee contributions are recognized, is profoundly meaningful. When employees and their work are valued, satisfaction rises, productivity increases, and team members are motivated to expand their good work.

As a college athlete, I've experienced the power of a simple high five. High team morale was the foundation for the success of my college Ultimate Frisbee team, at the University of Arizona. We encouraged one another to practice like you play and motivated each other with what HR leaders might call peer-to-peer motivation and recognition.

For decades, the adage "The customer is always right" ruled the day for many companies. Customers "voted" with their dollars and companies responded with desired goods and services. For enlightened companies: If there was a problem, "just fix it". If customers wanted something new, "just make it". When customers demonstrated loyalty, smart companies found a way to say "thanks".

Understanding the critical nature of managers is key in optimizing employee engagement. Earlier this year, we posted an infographic about employee engagement and the importance of managers in fostering a motivated, inspired, team-oriented workforce. It was so well received that I thought we should follow up on the topic.

Learn how the timing of employee rewards or recognition can influence effectiveness. Most of us are concerned with what we need get done each day, but rarely do we consider what time of the day we should do our work to optimize our productivity.

Every business requires various forms of capital. First, there is financial capital to fund the launch of the organization securing workspace, talent, machinery and technology. Next, there is human capital to foster invention, fuel innovation and fundamentally run the business. And while those two are essential, social capital, may be the most important to building sustainable success. I'm not talking about the external "social capital" that is created from corporate philanthropy, pro-social projects or outward facing media activities. My focus here is on harnessing and leveraging the valuable social interactions that happen between employees–your "internal" social capital.