Employee award program based on specific actions
April 1, 2002 2 minutes read
Employee award program based on specific actions
Letting employees know that their efforts are appreciated is an important part of inspiring motivation, says Diana Procuniar, RN, CNOR, nurse administrator of the Winter Haven (FL) Ambulatory Surgical Center. It is important to make sure your appreciation programs reward employees for specific, identifiable contributions, or the rewards seem insincere, she adds. "Our employee-of-the-month and employee-of-the-year nominees are determined by points accumulated from kudos forms’ we use," Procuniar says.
The simple forms are completed by any staff member who witnesses another staff member who goes out of the way to help finish paperwork, clean a room, or help with a patient, she says. The witnessing employee completes the form with the employee name and the activity for which he or she is being praised. The forms are then posted on Procuniar’s door for her to collect, she adds. The public posting is one way that word spreads about the praise; another is the personal thank-you note from Procuniar. "We also use the kudos to award employee-of-the-month points," she explains.
Employees who fill out the form earn one point, and the employee receiving the praise accumulates two points. Employees also accumulate points from praise included in patient satisfaction surveys, Procuniar explains. At the end of the month, the employee with the most points is employee of the month. At the end of the year, all employees vote on employee of the year from the 12 employees of the month, she explains.
The employee of the month and the employee of the year receive awards such as restaurant certificates or coupons for free car washes, Procuniar says. "These awards were suggested by staff members, but I’m considering giving up the car wash and offering a free massage or other type of gift certificate," she adds.
While the awards are not extravagant, they are effective, says Procuniar. "The program does create a sense of pride in doing the job well, because everyone wants to hear us say thank you, you did a good job,’" she says.
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