Holiday season is a great time to reward employees for their hard work and make everyone who enters your office feel special. But to avoid the potential for your good intentions to go awry, consider the following tips.
Do
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If planning a party or other year-event, include small touches that make it feel special without breaking your budget. For example, Nicole Salerno, an event planner and partner with Rockit Ranch Productions in Chicago, recently told the Chicago Tribune that many clients have been asking for non-extravagant add-ons, such as flowers, special lighting and logo branding on cocktail napkins.
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Start a new tradition. You don't need a big budget or even a party to celebrate the season of giving. Activities that involve the whole practice, such as using an Elf on the Shelf, can help engage and entertain employees, as well as patients.
- Identify what holidays your staff and patients will be celebrating before decorating the office, Physicians Practice noted.
Don't
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Don't let your holiday decorations create clutter. Instead, "pick a few select elegant pieces that represent several holidays and place them throughout your office," consultant P.J. Cloud-Moulds advised Physicians Practice.
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Don't underestimate the value of celebrations. Even during hard times, companies such as kCura, based in Chicago, continued to have year-round employees as a tool to help boost retention of hard-working staff. These rewards are so important to the culture at kCura that Diane Mendez, the company's office manager and executive assistant, said that it even cuts spending in other areas to avoid cutting holiday-party funds.
- Don't forget to include "plus-ones." Higher headcount means higher cost, but one of the keys to physician retention is keeping the doctor's entire family happy and engaged. Family members accept your practice as a part of their daily life year round. Acknowledge that sacrifice by treating them as part of your medical practice family.
To learn more:
- read the article from the Chicago Tribune
- see the post from Physicians Practice