Engage Healthcare Staff Further with Advanced Public Recognition

April 1, 2021
April 1, 2021

The following are some advanced recognition programs that we have found to be effective for further engaging healthcare staff members:

Advanced Recognition Programs for Existing Employees

SSTARR (Superior Service Through Activities of Reward andRecognition) Awards: SSTARR awards are a recognition system designed to reward employees whose behaviors exceeded their scope of service in support of one or more of the organization’s key focus areas (also known as pillars). You can also reward staff members for behaviors that vividly illustrate your standards of performance, your values, or that inspire and raise morale to a higher degree.

Champions: When an employee does something so exceptional that a SSTARR award seems inadequate, honor the individual with a Champion award. That employee may be introduced at  the monthly department head meeting where a framed plaque or other memento is presented, honoring the person as a Champion. Honorees could also be introduced and recognized at your organization’s Board of Directors meeting as well. You may want to mount a special panel in a high traffic corridor where pictures and brief stories of each Champion can be posted.

Legends: Legends, chosen annually, are employees who have performed an extraordinary act of kindness worthy of praise and recognition. For example, an employee of a customer health provider was honored because she rallied other staff members to provide clothes, food, and money for a family who lost its home in a house fire. You will want to make this annual award an event so that other employees will aspire to become a Legend. Consider transporting your Legends by limousine to the annual Board of Directors meeting. After dining with board members, tell their stories in a video featuring the employees in their actual work environments. The Legends would then be presented with a  special pin and a plaque. Printed booklets with photos and stories of the Legends are  distributed to each Awardee. And, you can also post their stories on your organization’s Intranet and display a placard with their story and photo in a prominent location in your facility.

You Made It Happen” Leader Award: This recognition is given to leaders responsible for organizing and staging significant community events, initiatives, and other endeavors on behalf of the organization. To encourage other leaders to “make it happen,” present this award during monthly department head meetings.

New Employee On-Boarding Recognition

Lend A Hand: Give new employees a small “hand print” sticker to place on the upper left  corner of their identification badges during their first 90 days with the organization. When other staff members see the sticker, they can take special care in welcoming the newcomer, as well as offering assistance.

Voyages: After new employees have been on-board for six weeks, invite them to attend a fun-filled, six-hour Voyages class. Designed as a post-orientation refresher course, Voyages reviews your organization’s strategic areas of focus or Pillars, your Standards of Performance, various reward and recognition programs, and other material. Skits and contests help engage participants. Afterward, a formal graduation can be held. You may also post photos of the graduates on a bulletin board.

90-Day Cards for New Employees: Continue to make employees who’ve completed their first 90 days on the job feel welcome by presenting them with a card signed by their coworkers and leader, along with a photograph of departmental teammates.

Reward and Recognition Training

BLG teaches key skills, approaches, techniques, and best practices to help leaders effectively reward and recognize high performers. Elements of this training include how to harvest reward and recognition opportunities, thank you notes as a key engagement tool, formal recognition programs that support a patient focused culture, and informal methods that create a custom, individualized approach to thanking team members in your employee family.