Nominations for midwifery awards are upon us, and I frequently meet previous winners and nominees who remember with pride how their achievements were recognised. Will you consider nominating a colleague or team? In previous years, I have certainly nominated those whom I felt made a significant contribution to the profession.
Of course, not everyone will be nominated for awards, so what can mangers and leaders do to motivate their team on an everyday basis? We have probably all experienced the effects of praise—or a lack of it—after a particularly busy day's work.
This made me wonder: should awards be encouraged and used more by employers at a local level? Receiving recognition of this kind certainly has an effect, especially when morale is low. With midwifery-related stories in the news almost daily, many of which focus particularly on shortages and sub-standard care, morale can be further reduced, causing more and more people to leave.
In these times of austerity, there are few ways of rewarding staff: the NHS certainly does not have a ‘bonus’ culture, unlike other employers who might give financial rewards to employees for a job well done. A few schemes have been trialled, such as an extra day's leave for outstanding attendance, but they are rare. Should we therefore consider other ways of acknowledging success?
Awards are usually a highly publicised recognition of achievement, but although they may be annual ceremonies, they can also be confirmatory honours, such as ‘employee of the month’, which offer more frequent incentives for staff, usually via a poster in the workplace visible to the public. Nominations from service users are often viewed as the highest accolade, and could be supported by initiatives such as the NHS Friends and Family Test (NHS England, 2014). These incentives aim to get people to work to their full potential or support the core philosophies of the workplace.
Awards and prizes can, however, become competitive or even have a detrimental effect on the team. The decision-making process could lead to problems, such as managers assessing the quality of the employees' work, or issues of favouritism. According to Neckermann and Frey (2013), awards may also have a negative effect on those overlooked for recognition, instead of making them work harder.
‘My advice to you? Make someone's day and nominate a colleague, mentor or team’
It is also important to consider the type of award carefully, such whether it will be a gift or cash, and if the ceremony will be public. While some delight in publicity, others may prefer a more private show of gratitude. It is therefore important to think about the right award for your team or workplace.
According to Elsdon (2002), a lack of appreciation or recognition is one of the main reasons people leave organisations—something that needs addressing in health care. Studies suggest that awards can reduce absenteeism by up to 52% (Markham et al 2002), increase productivity by 10% (Kosfeld and Neckermann, 2011) and improve motivation (Neckermann and Frey, 2013).
It therefore appears that recognition could have a beneficial effect on individuals, for very little cost. However, ensuring that individuals are appropriately rewarded, without affecting those not receiving recognition, can be a challenge.
Some ceremonies, such as the annual British Journal of Midwifery Practice Awards, recognise exceptional efforts of both individuals and teams, with nominations not only from managers, but also from colleagues, service users and students. These awards recognise outstanding contributions to the profession and I believe they are much appreciated. The philosophy is that there are no ‘losers’ and that everyone is a winner because of their contributions and the high number of nominations.
On a day-to-day basis, a simple ‘thank you’ can be enough to work wonders for morale and confirm that others have noticed your contribution. However, for special achievements, awards are a useful, low-cost motivational tool—especially important in these challenging times. My advice to you? Make someone's day and nominate a colleague, mentor or team.