Thinking of an incentive program for longevity....help

money? ok i know that they will shoot you down for that. how about a small celebration for someone acheiving a certain amout of time, like a cake, coffee, and a plaque or a framed certificate? or letting that person have an exta day off or giving them a certificate for a pedicure, manicure, massage, something that takes care of them for taking care of others?

i still love the money idea, but i have never worked anywhere that the money idea gets anything but an eyeroll by administration.

At my current place of employment there is a Nursing Gala where you are invited if you have been an employee for 5 or more years. They provide all the food, fun and drinks (for those that drink) for you and your family (over 21 only). Each year is a theme, everyone dresses up according to theme. They claim to have a great time and if you have been an employee for over 5 years, you get the time off automatically to attend. They also give away prizes that night too - good prizes like BBQ grills, vacation packages, etc.......

Also, insurance. At year 5 your insurance rates go down for you and your family (it's not a great deal, but it does drop about $15 a pay period) and at year 7 they pay for your dental for you and your family and at year 10 they pay for vision and dental for everyone in your family.

Another place I interviewed for but declined the job pays you a cash sum every year based on a % for each each you have worked for the facility. It's paid out every Dec. in time for Christmas. They call it a retention bonus and they do this rather than a sign on bonus. It's paid out as long as you work there - increases each year with no max. cap and starts that very first year.

My VERY rural facility that doesn't have a lot of money for parties and cash payouts gives people, starting at year 3, things like a paid day off, vacation packages, GC to a nice rest. in town, spa packages, tickets to baseball games, free tickets to local theme park attractions, etc.....most of which are donated to the facility - but hey...who cares??? It's free for us!!!!

Scheduling preferences are usually popular (e.g. fewer weekends, fewer nights, preference on the hoiday schedule, etc.) I know units that give people "requests" on the schedule according to their seniority -- and it really provides a morale booster and an incentive for those nurses not to leave.

I love that. I forgot how much scheduling preferences mean to everyone.

Money, money, money. If a hospital wants to retain high qulity staff then they have to pay for them. I recently got a job as a new grad. I will get paid $55 an hour. My friend who has been working a similar job in another ED for the past 10 years is getting $1 more an hour than I am.

I don't think she's going to be staying there much longer. She'll probably get close to $70 for her experience where I work.

Money, money, money. If a hospital wants to retain high qulity staff then they have to pay for them. I recently got a job as a new grad. I will get paid $55 an hour. My friend who has been working a similar job in another ED for the past 10 years is getting $1 more an hour than I am.

I don't think she's going to be staying there much longer. She'll probably get close to $70 for her experience where I work.

Where do you work? Oh my goodness!

Oh wow... $55 an HOUR??? That's amazing!!! Yes... WHERE do you work???

San Francisco. The cost of living here is pretty high, but I actually live outside of the city and catch the train in. I think the Bay Area (as in San Francisco Bay) has the highest paid nurses in the country....and I'm working at the best paying hospital in the Bay. My impression is that nurses are really valued, hence the pay....with a raise coming in June.

Oh, and garaunteed ratios. 5 pts to one nurse on the floor. 4:1 in the ER. Only 2:1 max in ICU or if critical care in ER. I WON'T work as a nurse in another state. To go from caring for 4 pts, which at times seems crazy, to caring for 8, or 13! Yikes.

Money would be most important to me.

Money.

Gift cards (over $25 please).

Money.

Mani/pedi gift cert.

Money.

GC for massage.

Money.

Paid day off for not missing a day in x amt of time.

Money.

I know mgmt will roll their eyes at money, but really! We aren't all working just for the fun of it. And anywhere that the staff was all men, these kinds of ideas would be laughed out of the place!!!!

(Not to criticise the OP, I understand where you're coming from, but....), I would vote for more money day in day out all the time. More money per hour, more money for shift diff, more money for coming in , more money for holiday pay, quicker accumulations of vacation/sick time, etc.

More and more health care facilities are owned by big corporations, and at some point, they have to realize that money talks and bull dung walks, and they are going to have to give out the money at some point, might as well be sooner as later in my POV.