Awards as motivational tools

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.