Audience: employees and their families at a sports event
Message: Please accept these tickets as a token of appreciation for you.
Tone: informal, light
Timing: 2-3 minutes

What would work be without friendships with our coworkers? And what better way to build friendships than getting to know each other away from the phones and the paperwork? In a relaxing and enjoyable atmosphere where there’s time to chat informally about outside interests? Please take advantage of tonight’s opportunity to do just that.

Before the game gets under way, I also want to thank you for bringing your families and for letting us get to know them a little better.

Families, a few words to you: Your husband or wife,… or parent,… or whichever family member works here,… represents the most important reason our company exists. Certainly, we operate to make a profit. But in earning a profit, we never want to lose sight of the specific individuals that make that profit meaningful. People who make work “play” in a sense. People who help us grow as a company and as individuals.

And, families, we want you to know that we see you as an important part of our extended employee family. You see, you make it easy for your loved ones to contribute on the job. By your interest in their careers—your listening, your advice, your questions. By your patience with the sometimes long hours and schedule juggling. By your understanding about short deadlines or crises. By your concern and help as they learn and practice new skills.

In all these ways, you offer support. These attitudes say to them and to us as an organization that you care.
Your emotional support—the kind you’ve demonstrated by coming to events like this tonight—make them happier, more productive people on the job. That makes you a special person to us, too. I’m sure they, as we do, appreciate your active participation in their work lives.

So thank you.

That said, let’s play ball.