Employee of the month?

Updated:   Published

Specializes in Pediatrics.

My unit has a committee that does things for the staff, like recognizes birthdays, organizes secret Santa, etc. 

Several months ago, they decided to implement an employee of the month .  The nominee would alternate each month between a day shift person and a night shift person.  I don’t think there’s any official criteria for selection; the staff is invited to make anonymous nominations and the winner gets recognition on our unit facebook page, a gift, and a “no float” shift.

It’s no big deal, really, but the more I think about it, the more I feel like this kind of thing doesn’t really belong in nursing. Staff nominations just make it about popularity, not really about who is working hard and contributing a lot. Plus, nursing is a team effort and something like this seems designed to create a competitive spirit vs. a cooperative one.

I wonder if there are better ways to recognize employees?  What do other units do??

3
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in New Critical care NP, Critical care, Med-surg, LTC.

We were trying to come up with a recognition program in our unit about a year and a half ago, it was eventually abandoned because we couldn't come up with something that didn't feel like a popularity contest, like you mentioned. 

Even the Nightingale Awards in our hospital have an undercurrent of the "popular kids". There are nurses that are very resentful of these nurses, either because they feel they are just as deserving and aren't picked, or because they feel the nurses selected don't represent what *they* think a Nightingale should be.

Unfortunately, individual recognition in almost every work atmosphere has the potential to cause as much strife as pride. Your intent is admirable, and I hope you will share if you find something that you think meets the goals, but I agree it's easily a step down the wrong path in a collaborative environment.

Then again, I'm also the scrooge that refuses to help plan Nurses Week because I think giving me a cupcake is more insulting than just sending my paycheck and leaving it as a business relationship. I chose to become a nurse, I don't need recognition beyond the ability to make a living. Good luck with your plans!

4
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

Specific incidents of a staff member going out of their way, or the extra mile, is good criteria.

Recognizing and rewarding exemplary behavior can be contagious and cause & spread acts of goodwill.

Add/Edit: "Love is like jam- you can't spread even a little without getting some on yourself."                                                                                          -Linus Van Pelt

7
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in New Critical care NP, Critical care, Med-surg, LTC.
14 minutes ago, Davey Do said:

Recognizing and rewarding exemplary behavior can be contagious and cause & spread acts of goodwill.

This is surely the intent of almost all employee recognition programs. To give others something to strive towards and an example of success.

Unfortunately, all too often the "everyone deserves a participation trophy" mindset takes over and jealousy and pettiness overshadow the positive aspects. 

3
Up Vote Up Vote ×
7 hours ago, BillieReuben said:

My unit has a committee that does things for the staff, like recognizes birthdays, organizes secret Santa, etc. 

Several months ago, they decided to implement an employee of the month .  The nominee would alternate each month between a day shift person and a night shift person.  I don’t think there’s any official criteria for selection; the staff is invited to make anonymous nominations and the winner gets recognition on our unit facebook page, a gift, and a “no float” shift.

 

it’s no big deal, really, but the more I think about it, the more I feel like this kind of thing doesn’t really belong in nursing. Staff nominations just make it about popularity, not really about who is working hard and contributing a lot. Plus, nursing is a team effort and something like this seems designed to create a competitive spirit vs. a cooperative one.

 

I wonder if there are better ways to recognize employees?  What do other units do??

I've never seen these types of things go well. Either they make people angry, they make people sad, or they make people laugh (that's me). I would stick with things that can be evenly applied. The birthday cards are a good idea since everybody has a birthday. Other than that, I would stick to things that could be passed out to everyone equally.

I've never worked in a place that had raffles other than at Christmas, but I think that might work for special gifts at other times since it's completely random.

2
Up Vote Up Vote ×

I think an employee spotlight, chosen randomly, might be a similar but better idea. It's just highlighting someone for the sake of highlighting them as a person first, who is (happens to be) a member of the team. Undoubtedly there are some who wouldn't love this, either, and may choose not to participate but I still think it's better than the awkwardness of employee of the month type things.

I don't say this because of any love for the participation trophy idea but because I am for something that in my mind seems like a more genuine interest in the people who are doing the work. Everything else is about performance, there is very little that is actually about the people.

4
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.
21 hours ago, BillieReuben said:

I wonder if there are better ways to recognize employees?  What do other units do??

I've seen some units have a communication board where nurses write a thank you note to another RN that maybe made their shift easier to bear.  They also use the board to post a picture and "about me" info on new hires, new travelers, just so others would not wonder too much when they see a new face working in the unit.  Some units have a newsletter where there is an employee spotlight (some of the NP's have been "spotlighted", I haven't been but I'm not mad).

8
Up Vote Up Vote ×
2 hours ago, juan de la cruz said:

I've seen some units have a communication board where nurses write a thank you note to another RN that maybe made their shift easier to bear. 

I've seen that too, and it was fun for some people. It also had some people crying and running away from their work stations.

When "Nurse A" writes out thank yous to nurses b, c, and d, but excludes nurse e ...nurse e notices. And if they write out comments to every nurse, but one comment is a little less enthusiastic, that is also noticed in a hurry.

It took mild conflicts and indirectly published them for the entire hospital to see and speculate about. And sometimes, nurse a and nurse b realized they disliked the same person. They then united against that person.

It created a surreal amount of drama.

 

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×

A previous manager of mine used to have the “Mr. Good Bar” award every month. Staff submitted incidents where somebody went the extra mile for a patient or co-worker. He reviewed them, removed the popularity contest ones, put the remainder in a box and drew a name. The winner got, you guessed it, a Mr. Good Bar. The incidents were published in our unit newsletter so everyone nominated got a little attaboy. Honestly, he rarely had to remove any because it was just a little prize and out staff wasn’t particularly cliquey. 

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in SCRN.
On 1/7/2021 at 6:04 PM, JBMmom said:

Then again, I'm also the scrooge that refuses to help plan Nurses Week because I think giving me a cupcake is more insulting than just sending my paycheck and leaving it as a business relationship. I chose to become a nurse, I don't need recognition beyond the ability to make a living. Good luck with your plans!

Exactly! I like to leave things professional and work-like environment, not buddy-buddy. I do not care about any pizzas, cupcakes, popcorn or sandwiches. Or Christmas decorations at work. 

Employee of the month is widespread on the units, the best bet is just to ignore it. My unit varies people, so rarely one person makes it on the board twice in 2 years. Way to make it fair! I just ignore it, though. 

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion