Ideas That Work: Give Staff Their Own Week

Practical pearls from your colleagues

ASC Month may just have passed, but it’s never too early to start planning for next year because we all know how quickly these months fly by. And of course, you don’t need a specially sanctioned event to celebrate your team and bolster morale.

DAYS OF THEIR WEEK Apollo Surgery Center celebrated and recognized its staff in a variety of fun and thoughtful ways each day during its Employee Appreciation Week.

Although Apollo Surgery Center in Melbourne, Fla., did tie its initiatives to National ASC Month, the ideas themselves are timeless. Apollo Administrator Becki Allen, RN, CASC, CNOR, says that working at independent ASC, sometimes it feels like staff miss out on some of the events/benefits a hospital-based ASC might be able to offer. Determined to give her team something special, Ms. Allen chose the week of August 5th as its Employee Appreciation Week. “Every day there were gift giveaways, personalized gifts of new name tags (a really nice touch as the old ones were generated with a label maker), candy jars and a box filled with lotion, candy, lip balm, lottery tickets, chewing gum and a cute rubber ducky lapel pin,” she says. “We also had Apollo Surgery Center t-shirts made, which have been a big hit.” The week also included two days where lunch was provided as well as days with bagels, cookies and donuts. “I thoroughly enjoyed making it happen,” says Ms. Allen It was the perfect way to celebrate our love for ASC life and the fabulous people who care for our patients.” OSM