A Holiday “Thank You” from all of us at Medical Employment Directory.

As we wind down on another year, we count you among the many blessings we shared at MED. Your support over the years has meant everything to us. We enjoy being your healthcare recruiters.

We wish you and yours a beautiful Holiday Season and even more prosperous and Healthy New Year!

Finding Motivation after the Holidays
Overeating, Overindulging, Overspending…
Must be the Holidays
By Mary Beth Nibberich

We’ve done it over and over again. Each year when December rolls around we adopt this M.O. of overdoing just about everything. We overeat, over decorate, overspend, and yes, some of us are guilty of over-imbibing. Not sure if all of this overindulgence brings us any closer to the true meaning of Christmas, but it is easy to lose ourselves in this season wrought with munificent behavior.

Spirits run high, the calendar is jam-packed with events and the motivation level is surging. We motivate from one party to another, then to the mall, then there is the baking, the wrapping, the cooking and it goes on and on. It is no wonder that when the calendar flips to January we are entirely zapped of energy and find it difficult to motivate.

Like most managers, we are continually looking for ways to motivate our staff. The cold, dreary days of winter don’t do much in the way of promoting increased levels of motivation. So maybe January is an optimal time to impact your employees’ motivation by implementing a rewards/recognition program. ( NOTE: If you are doing this already, read the last paragraph for a FREE gift.)

I will reveal something very personal that many of you are not aware of…once upon a time I earned the esteemed honor of winning the “Checker of the Year” at one of our local supermarkets. To this day (20 plus years ago) I can tell you exactly what the rewards and awards were for that title. In the grocery business, it was a distinguished position to be considered the best checker among your peers and supervisors. Colored television, $100 gift certificate and the awards luncheon aside, the recognition for a job well done far outweighed the material gifts.

It doesn’t take a huge budget to pull this off.

Offering cash and non-cash incentives will make a program like this meaningful to all participants. Here are some simple steps to get your Employee Recognition Program started:

Decide who the program is intended to motivate – Maybe it’s your patient accounts department, or customer service reps, whoever it is link the “why” motivate to the “who” to motivate.

Establish a budget. The rewards do not have to be expensive. Remember, cash and non-cash; don’t make the assumption that all employees want the same rewards. Sometimes recognition at a staff meeting and a round of applause has a greater impact than any dollar amount.

Clearly define the performance measures. As always, make sure the goals are measurable. It is easier for employees to track and follow. A simple, measurable goal is attendance and punctuality. How many staffers do you have that earned perfect attendance and timeliness this year? Kudos to those exemplary employees and they should be recognized for this accomplishment.

Communicate the program. Not every manager, physician, supervisor will be involved but they need to know. Have a meeting, put it in the company newsletter, post it in the lunchroom, but make sure that your leaders understand and support the program.

Present the awards. This is the easy part. Present the rewards/awards at staff meetings or luncheons. Remember to tie in the performance and the overall importance it has to the company mission.

Keep on improving it. No program will be perfect the first go around. Get feedback and input from your managers and staffers. Make it meaningful and make it fun!

If we could bottle motivation and share it with our staff, it would sell millions. But until science comes up with a remedy, try an employee recognition program. A motivated staff makes for a happy and productive team.

Oh yeah, for those of you who have a similar program in place, call us. MED has a FREE “Motivation” gift for you. We like to recognize managers for a job well done!

Visit our web site at www.medstl.com

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M.E.D.'s qualified staff is available 24/7 to ensure you have the staffing resources to run your business. Call us today!

West Port office: (314) 991-8806