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How recognition and reward can help you retain staff

We talk about how to recognise and reward your staff to support you in #KeepingTheRightPoeple.

Retaining your staff is a crucial consideration if you want to deliver the highest quality of care possible. Providers with better retention rates tend to have more positive CQC ratings, save money on recruitment and have more stable and less stressed working environments.

There are numerous factors that can cause a care worker to consider leaving their role, from career prospects to pay or working conditions. One of the most notable factors is how recognised and rewarded staff feel for the hard work that they put into their jobs.

Care workers have chosen emotionally and physically challenging jobs that are deserving of recognition. Having a culture that celebrates the efforts of staff is crucial for managing staff turnover, especially in social care.

We’ve put together a handy list of recognition and reward approaches which you could implement within your organisation.

Regular awards

One of the most popular and simplest ways of recognising your team is by having regular awards. Implementing a regular awards programme, such as 'Carer of the month', can provide formal recognition of outstanding performance, offering employees a simple acknowledgment of their hard work and dedication. Some care organisations host larger annual events where they recognise their staff, which can become a big event in the corporate calendar.

By celebrating exceptional care and commitment, these awards encourage healthy competition and set a standard of excellence for all employees to aspire to. They also provide opportunities for staff to be publicly acknowledged amongst their colleagues.

This sense of community and shared purpose can help reduce turnover rates, as employees are more likely to stay with an organisation where they feel recognised and supported.

Create a public display of appreciation

Creating a public display of appreciation can be a powerful yet easy way to recognise staff. Such displays, whether in the form of a recognition board, a 'gratitude tree' or a wall of fame, serve as a visible reminder of the value of your team members and their work. These displays can be used to recognise any achievement, such as a work ‘birthday’ marking 5 years of service, or perhaps the achievement of a new qualification.

Ultimately, this can be a simple yet constant reminder of achievements of staff that can ensure their contributions and moments of pride are noticed and valued. This increased motivation and sense of community can lead to higher job satisfaction, which can help you retain staff.

Celebrating feedback

Engaging with feedback and celebrating positive feedback can really help with staff retention. When team members receive positive feedback from people they care for or their families, it validates their hard work and dedication and reinforces the value of their contributions.

If you don’t have a feedback process already, consider sending out regular surveys to those your organisation supports, or their family or friends, to get insight into how you’re performing. By highlighting the positive experiences of supported people, providers can build a sense of pride and purpose among their staff, ultimately supporting a more committed workforce.

Prompt recognition

Timely recognition is powerful. In many cases, we find ourselves intending to praise someone for their hard work but become distracted by our busy schedule. This praise may never reach the person or reach them when their work is several weeks in the past.

Try to remember to offer praise in a timely manner. If you’re unable to see that person face to face, you can send them a quick email or message thanking them for their support. This can be a much more effective approach to ensuring staff feel recognised than delaying thanks.

For further information and support about #KeepingTheRightPeople, visit our campaign spotlight page.

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