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Easy ways to show appreciation

Nurse Leader Weekly, March 20, 2006

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Try these easy and inexpensive ways to show your employees you appreciate them.

• Say it with stickers. We all know it's difficult to get motivated at work after a long and restful vacation. So inspire your returning travelers by sticking Post-it © notes with encouraging words at their workspaces, suggests Donna Cutting, CEO, president, and employee morale consultant at ShowStopping Solutions in St. Petersburg, FL. Leave messages such as, "We missed you," "Glad you are back," "We really couldn't do this without you," etc.

  These also work well as congratulatory acknowledgments. After a particularly difficult case, notes such as, "Nice job," "Way to go," and "You really made a difference" will fill the employee with pride.

• Spread thank-you notes around. Instead of sending employees a thank-you directly, write a note to their families with the specifics about their achievements.

  "Imagine how much more special it would be to have your boss send your husband or wife a note about your successes," says Cutting.

• Give out come-in-late passes. For a job particularly well done, hand out late passes that allow employees to come in a half hour late. Late passes could also work for parents on their children's first day of school. If you do this, don't forget to treat your nonparent employees with a late pass another day, Cutting says.

• Pamper your employees. Rally your supervisors and department heads to host a car wash for the employees. Charge each of them $1 and use the money for a pizza party later, suggests Cutting.

• Host a Morale Day. The DuBois Nursing Home in Dubois, PA, sets aside $1-$5 per person per month for morale day, says Gary Peters, administrator at the nursing home. Last month, employees were treated to peanut butter and chocolate pretzels from a favorite local sweet spot. This month there will be chair massages for everyone. Consider hosting a similar event on your nursing unit.

Source: Briefings on Long-Term Care Regulations, March 2006, HCPro, Inc.

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