Ways to Acknowledge and Recognize Staff for Improving the Patient Experience
Positive feedback from patients and families is priceless. It validates the work and the care that was provided by the staff and it opens an opportunity to acknowledge and recognize those who contributed to a patient or family positive experience.
Here are some formal and informal ways to recognize your staff:
- Say thank you often and mean it. It is a quick way to let your staff or colleagues know that you appreciate their efforts and welcome their actions.
- Send a personal note or an email to the staff – a very meaningful way to convey confidence and gratitude for a job well done. It will boost morale and motivate staff to continue providing the best care possible.
- Praise the employee or team in front of their peers and senior staff to encourage and inspire everyone to strive for reaching the department or program’s goals.
- Dedicate a section of your organization newsletter to positive feedback from patients and highlight the staff who were involved in the care of those patients.
- Take your team out for lunch as a way to honor and recognize their contributions and accomplishments.
- Create an annual event to honor staff who embody the values and mission of the organization. The honorees should be nominated and selected by their peers.
- Allow staff to attend special events or conferences as a way to support their professional development and keep them involved and engaged.
- From time to time, make a big deal about how great your team is and give examples of specific feedback from patients to prove your point.
- When planning ways to celebrate or recognize your staff, ask the staff themselves. It is a nice gesture and it might generate some healthy competition for ideas and incentives.
At the end of the day, saying thank you is the easiest and most powerful way to show how grateful you are about your staff performance and the role they play in providing a meaningful and positive experience to patients and families. Say it often, and say it loudly.