8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 9
Ideas Work
P r a c t i c a l p e a r l s f r o m y o u r c o l l e a g u e s
That
I
never need an
excuse to have fun
with my incredible
surgical team. We cele-
brate birthdays, babies
and big-time staff
achievements. We even
turned our employee
engagement survey into a
celebration. To encourage
participation, we
crowned the first male
and female staffer who turned in a survey King and Queen of the OR.
They received superhero-themed capes, masks, crowns and scepters.
We then toasted their reign during a barbeque feast in the staff lounge.
It was fun and kind of silly, but it worked — for the first time, we had
100% participation on the employee engagement survey, which gath-
ered the team's feedback about our daily workplace culture.
You can hand out gift cards to staff who overachieve, but that's bor-
ing and, let's be honest, a played-out way to show your appreciation.
I've found that staff are more likely to respond to creative celebra-
tions with their teammates than to having an extra $25 to spend at the
local Applebee's.
Ebony Mitchell, MSN, RN
Memorial Hermann Hospital
& Houston Methodist Hospital
STAFF SATISFACTION
King and Queen for the Day
Ebony
Mitchell,
MSN,
RN
Houston, Texas
ebony_mitchell78@hotmail.com
• CROWNING ACHIEVEMENTS The kings and queens of the weekend day
and night shifts at Memorial Hermann Hospital & Houston Methodist Hospital.