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Quick tip to promote positive attitudes

Contemporary Long-Term Care Weekly, March 9, 2002

You can lose a lot of good nursing home employees if your work environment is too negative. If you're having problems promoting positive attitudes in your facility, try this simple idea-a "brag board."

A brag board is a white laminated board you can hang in the staff lounge or another prominent place. Staff members mark up the erasable surface with encouraging and thankful notes to other staff. "It's meant to remind people to say nice things about each other," explains Lisa Saslaw, RN, corporate manager of RH Positive Computer Systems in Columbus, OH, who has noticed brag boards in a number of facilities.

Saslaw recommends a board that is half laminate, half cork, so that staff can write notes on one side and hang things such as thank-you notes, newspaper articles, and pictures of activities on the other. Even administrators can use it, she advises, just to jot down a quick, "Great job, team!" or to recognize a good deed. And staff members will probably look for positive things to write about each other, putting a serious dent in workplace negativity.

Saslaw adds that it's a good morale-booster to recognize each employee as a whole person who succeeds outside of work as well as at your facility. And you can even hang your board where residents and family members can contribute as well.

Plus, the benefits far outweigh the cost-you'll probably spend about $50 at the most for a brag board and some erasable markers. "It's just an easy and constant reminder to say 'thank you' to each other."

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