Not many industries have the same positive impact as the healthcare industry—however, not many industry’s employees deal with the same amount of challenges as those in healthcare, too.

The pandemic revealed and exacerbated the stress and strain that healthcare employees deal with, and these struggles continue on even years later.

In this post, I want to share how employee recognition is the solution that healthcare organizations need, regardless of the challenges they face.

Where Healthcare Is at Now
To understand the need to improve things, let’s first look at how the healthcare industry stands now. One study by Mental Health America showed that:

• 93% of healthcare workers experience stress
• 86% experience anxiety
• 77% experience frustration
• 76% experience exhaustion and burnout
• 75% said they feel overwhelmed

Each time someone goes to see a doctor, there’s a 75% chance that the professional will be feeling stressed, frustrated, or exhausted—and stress and burnout lead to reduced patient satisfaction, lower quality of care, absenteeism, and lower productivity.

In addition to the above, a few other stats give more context into the state of healthcare:

• The national hospital turnover rate is 22.7% and nurse vacancy rate is 15.7%
• 80% of healthcare professionals have quit because they didn’t feel valued or appreciated
• Hospitals lost an average of $8.55 million in 2022 due to turnover-related expenses

How Recognition Can Help
Healthcare professionals are stressed and overwhelmed, which leads to disengagement and turnover. But employee rewards and recognition, when done correctly, can solve all of these challenges. This type of personalized, value-drive recognition can:

• Reduce turnover by up to 31%
• Increase productivity by 14%
• Increase engagement by 43%
• Raise happiness and lower stress by 25%

Employee recognition, or the act of showing appreciation and gratitude for an employee’s efforts, is key to making the workplace more rewarding, engaging, and fulfilling.

In healthcare, it can be hard for managers to sit down with their employees regularly to recognize their accomplishments, though—so I want to share some unique strategies for spreading recognition in healthcare.

4 Strategies for Recognizing in Healthcare

1. Focus on Spot Recognition
Spot recognition is a program that allows anyone, from receptionists to nurses to surgeons and everyone in between, to shout out good work they notice right on the spot. Many recognition platforms allow users to do so on a computer or on their phones. For a more personal touch, set up a card station for employees to write thank you cards to give to each other.

Not only does spot recognition build a culture of appreciation for all, it builds and strengthens workplace relationships and spreads feelings of trust.

2. Allow Department-Specific Recognition Programs
Every department at a healthcare organization has different workflows, challenges, and ways of measuring success. Allow each department leader to work with their teams to design a recognition program that fits their needs. 
For example, maybe Pediatrics wants a Wall of Fame that patients can see and decorate with stickers, while IT wants an incentive program for professional development. Talk to each department and learn what will make them feel valued.

3. Recognize Wellness Needs
Healthcare work is hard—provide the support and resources employees need to maintain their mental and physical health in whatever ways are most impactful for them. Examples include a stipend for therapy, a gym membership reimbursement program, an incentive that rewards healthy behaviors, or greater workplace flexibility.
Recognition isn’t always about complimenting employees for their work. Sometimes it’s simply recognizing that employees are humans and taking better care of them.

4. Host Social Events
Build culture by hosting fun social events throughout the year. Invite employees and their families to the local zoo, host a wellness fair, hold a chili cook-off, etc. Take advantage of local attractions and ask employees what they think sounds fun. These breaks can help employees recharge and reward them for their hard work.

Help Heal the Healers
Healthcare professionals have it tough—despite doing some of the most important work available, they’re often rewarded with long hours, stressful situations, and thankless efforts. By recognizing and rewarding them in various ways, leaders can take away some of that stress and make their work even more meaningful.