Gary Nelson shares how showing appreciation for your team during tough times helps create a positive work environment…
A new term that’s becoming commonplace during the pandemic is ‘COVID fatigue’.
Your team members are becoming tired, just as you may be. Tired of all the extra protocols, tired of all the extra donning and doffing, tired of all the extra phone calls. Actually, many are just tired of the situation we find ourselves in – even outside of work.
Now’s the time to look at a possible positive solution for you, the business leader, and your support team.
Show your gratitude by saying ‘thank you’
This is a two-way benefit for the person giving the thank you and the person receiving it.
Mind, the mental health organisation, has conducted extensive research into actions for promoting happiness amongst individuals and teams. The research concludes that committing an act of kindness once a week over a six-week period is associated with an increase in wellbeing.
Mind also details how showing gratitude can increase a person’s wellness, increase better sleep habits, increase metabolism and lessen stress. Clearly this directly impacts work results and your team interactions, but it is a two-way process as giving also has a positive effect on the giver.
We are living in a world where we face a wave of media negativity, rightly or wrongly, and it is difficult to avoid it. You have an opportunity to break the cycle by focusing on positivity in an environment you can control – the workplace.
By showing your team appreciation, you’re not only boosting performance and engagement, but the well-being and health of those in your team.
NOW may be the time to say those two little words.
NOW may be the time to show your appreciation for all the extra effort.
My challenge for you this month is to show your gratitude to help promote a positive culture within your business. I know some are already, and I know they are seeing the positive results.
Finally, just two little words from myself and the wider team at Practice Plan – THANK YOU for all your efforts and for helping so many patients in such trying circumstances.
You as the dental profession have irreplaceable skills – you can heal people of pain and change an individual’s confidence via your everyday dental work.
You and your team have a set of skills to be proud of and grateful for.