Regional Support Manager Donna Hall brings you six ways to show your team how much you appreciate them…
The team you have around you are the life and soul of the practice, but it can be easy to take them for granted. When the work is never ending and you’re busy from the minute you walk through the door until the moment you leave, it can be tough to find the time to show your staff how much they mean to you.
However, finding that time, or putting in place things such as little treats and messages, can go a long way in creating a strong working environment that can breed positivity and make people want to come to work every day.
They don’t have to be overly onerous tasks, just small gestures that can make a big difference. So, here are six ways you can show your staff how much you appreciate them.
Show off your staff
You are proud of your practice and proud of the staff that make your practice what it is, so shout about it! If you have a website, be loud and proud and display information about your staff online alongside their picture.
It will not only help your client base find out more about the staff in practice, but it will also show your employees they are valued and that you are proud of the work they do.
On this one, make sure you ask the permission of the employee first; there may be a reason they don’t want their information being available online.
Lunch on you!
This is one of the simplest things you can do, and it can be done over the phone from your chair. Set a day in the diary when you will treat all your staff members to a nice lunch. There might be some staff members who don’t take up your offer, however, it is the thought that counts, and a lot of people love a free lunch!
Whiteboard messages
A lot of practices will have a staff area, and most will have a board of some sort, probably a white board. Usually, the board will be full of staff notices, things to remember and schedules.
Once or twice a week, you could stick up a thank you or write a little message to show how much you value your staff. This task could take literally ten seconds, but it will stick in the minds of your staff for the rest of the week.
A team social
Everyone loves a night out, and it’s a good way of building a bit of team morale, and that might be just what’s needed after the year that we’ve all had.
It could be a day at the races, or just going for a few drinks. Getting the whole team together can boost camaraderie among your staff whilst also, again, showing how much you value the work they do.
Handmade notes
When some people think of rewarding or praising staff, they might think they have to produce a grand gesture to get the full effect, but that isn’t the case.
Another idea could be to produce some small handwritten notes that can be placed in the staff members’ folders, trays, or pigeonholes that praise the work they have done that week or month.
It just needs to be a quick ‘well done’, and it can also include some of their achievements outside of work in their chosen hobby or activity they like to take part in.
Revamp the staff room
The reception area and the practice itself are the two places your staff will spend most of their working day, but after that it’s the staff area, where they catch up, eat lunch and have a natter.
So why not revamp that space and then go one better by asking your team to chip in with ideas on how to decorate? After all, it is their room as much as yours, and letting them put their own stamp on it will go down really well.