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For employees to work at their best potential, they must be nurtured and feel engaged, supported and appreciated in the workplace.
David Glenn, frequent ADVANCE contributor; and manager, consultant and pilot for Pathology Services, PC, North Platte, NE, offers the following advice:
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Everyone wants to be appreciated. According to a study by the Council of Communications Management, "recognition for a job well done is the top motivator of employee performance."1
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Labor often represents 50 percent of a laboratory's direct costs.2 If your laboratory is short-staffed, then you can't afford to lose more employees. The cost of recruiting and training technologists and technicians far exceeds the cost of retaining staff. Reducing staff turnover cuts lab costs and lowers employee stress.
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Good employees deserve promotions and raises. Unfortunately, promotion in the laboratory is often a problem because the laboratory career ladder more closely resembles a step stool than a ladder. Raises seemingly never keep up with employee expectations. Fortunately, many employers currently give more raises because of the staffing shortage.
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Money isn't everything. Adequate pay is a basic requirement to attract an employee to a job. When your employees receive pay equivalent in the upper range paid in your geographic area, you shouldn't think that you have motivated anyone. Just look at the nursing shortage and all of the money spent on nurses-facilities continue to be understaffed and many nurses still leave the profession.
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Motivation is provided when the employee feels appreciation for a job well done. The following low-cost ideas are a small sampling of the many ways you can show employees that they are valued.
| Table: 10 Ways to Reward Employees |
| 1. |
Recognize employees who have gone above and beyond at each staff meeting. |
| 2. |
Give employees discounts on health services or secure discounts at local merchants. |
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Form a committee to organize gatherings outside of the workplace (e.g., pool party, baseball games, movies). |
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Find ways to cut costs in your lab in order to offer pay raises to your employees. |
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If your budget is too tight to offer paid perks, reward over achievers with a couple of hours of comp time. |
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Create a Wall of Fame area for employees' certifications, awards, honors and thank you letters. |
| 7. |
Acknowledge staff members' anniversaries with the facility and other milestones. |
| 8. |
Accommodate aging employees by offering flexible or part-time work schedules. |
| 9. |
Provide a mentoring program for new employees. |
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A simple "thank you" goes a long way in making your employees feel appreciated. |
| Table/courtesy Kerri Hatt |
"If it's not documented, it's not done," Glenn stressed. "If you really want to show your appreciation for the tech who volunteered to work an extra shift or a weekend shift to cover for someone else on short notice, then document your appreciation."
A simple thank you note, or even better, one of the following certificates of appreciation lets your employees or coworkers know you appreciate their efforts.
To instantly show your appreciation for a coworker or employee, click below to download a certificate of appreciation and show how much you value their contributions.
Kerri Hatt (khatt@merion.com) is managing editor of ADVANCE.
References
1. Nelson, B. 1001 Ways To Reward Employees. 1994, Workman Publishing Co., New York.
2. Snyder, JR and Wilkinson, DS. Management in Laboratory Medicine. 3rd Edition, 1998:495, Lippincott, Philadelphia.
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