Improving Staff Satisfaction through Meaningful Recognition

Signs of appreciation and recognition for significant contributions play a large role in the overall makeup of a healthy work environment. Gladys M. Campbell, executive director of the Northwest Organization of Nurse Executives, explored the function that recognition plays among nurses and managers at yesterday’s session, “Meaningful Recognition: Creating a Healthy Work Environment.”

“My personal belief is that people really want a fully focused environment where they can make an optimal contribution,” Campbell said.

Goals of Gratitude

The goal of positive reinforcement or recognition is to “recognize the best and brightest of what nursing has to offer,” Campbell said.

Managing a satisfied staff ensures increased recruitment and retention and allows for staff advancement. Recognition, however, must be a thoughtful process to honor those who act from the heart versus those who are going through the motions to meet the explicit requirements of their position, she said.

Additionally, an unhealthy work environment can affect various aspects of positive clinical distinction including patient outcomes, staff retention and the safety and quality of the atmosphere. Encouraging people to think outside the box is not only a satisfactory feeling to the nurses but also may lead to discoveries that make a nurse’s profession more fulfilling.

“It is not that the bar on the work is too high,” Campbell said. “It is that the bar is too low.”

Effective Recognition

Managers are typically off the mark in terms of how they express appreciation often using the historical basics such as salary, benefits and scheduling to drive their efforts.

Effective recognition goes beyond these basics, explained Campbell.

Opportunities to be creative, to make optimal contributions, to embody a sense of freedom and to have the resources to succeed are some of the ways in which Campbell suggested that managers could foster a creative atmosphere.

Creating the Right Climate

“Creativity and curiosity are the foundation of excellence,” Campbell said. “Excellence is the discovery and application of new knowledge.”

These foundations are crucial to supporting a fruitful environment that is successful in treating patients and in delivering satisfaction to the nurses who care for them.

“Develop vehicles to support staff with learning… and assist staff in experiencing the full realm of the profession,” Campbell said.