The many ways to celebrate National Recognition Month

March is National Recognition Month and a good reminder that thanking your colleagues should be a part of your everyday routine.

Recognizing the contributions and efforts of colleagues and peers is critical to creating an environment at Michigan Medicine that leads to innovation, increased productivity and increased engagement. Valuing and acknowledging employees’ everyday contributions and perspectives also makes the organization’s work more meaningful.

The more coworkers and colleagues feel recognized and engaged, the better quality of care patients receive and the higher their satisfaction.

“Every day, we come together to make new discoveries, care for our patients and train the next generation of health care providers,” said Marschall Runge, M.D., Ph.D., CEO of Michigan Medicine, executive vice president for medical affairs and dean of the U-M Medical School. “This collaborative effort is only possible due to the individual and unique skills that everyone in our Michigan Medicine community shares and demonstrates to achieve our mission: to advance health for Michigan and the world.”

Research shows that recognition helps to create a more positive workplace and culture, resulting in increased levels of organizational effectiveness, including financial performance, patient satisfaction, productivity and employee engagement.

Small ways to recognize

There are several ways to show recognition to your peers throughout the month of March — and every day. A simple “thank you” or “good job on that project” is a great starting point, but here are a few other ways to show appreciation:

• Establish a place to display memos, posters, photos and so on, recognizing progress toward goals and thanking individual employees for their help.
• Find a fun trophy, stuffed animal or figurine that you can pass around the office. Give it to an employee who has exemplified one of the Michigan Medicine values, and let them keep it on their desk for a week. Come the next week, let that employee hand it off to one of their peers who has done the same.
• If your team is under pressure, bring a puzzle or game work and take a break to have a contest — a sure stress reliever.
• When you hear a positive remark about someone, repeat it to that person as soon as possible (face-to-face is best, email or voicemail are good in a pinch).
• Recognize milestones and anniversaries at the institution.
• Nominate employees for a Michigan Medicine award program, i.e., Making A Difference

Employee Appreciation Breakfast and Dinner

Update: As of March 10, this event has been canceled. Stay tuned to Headlines for more information.

The Michigan Medicine leadership team will host the annual Employee Appreciation Breakfast and Dinner on Wednesday, March 18 in the University Hospital cafeteria in honor of all the faculty, staff and learners who inspire patients and colleagues every day.

This year’s event is hosted by:

• Marschall Runge, M.D., Ph.D., CEO of Michigan Medicine, executive vice president for medical affairs and dean of the U-M Medical School
• David Spahlinger, M.D., president, U-M Health System
• Tony Denton, chief operating officer, U-M Health System
• Members of the senior management teams of the hospitals, health centers and medical school

Bring your coworkers down for delicious food — and a great time, complete with a photo booth and other fun activities! View more information about the event, including what’s being served here. Please note, an ID badge must be presented for all attending and receiving a meal.

Offsite locations will be provided luncheons that will be scheduled over the next few weeks following the breakfast — these are great opportunities to network and celebrate with your teams!

Read Runge’s recent blog post to hear about his experience at previous breakfast events.