Appreciation and kindness are contagious.
Share this GIF and tell someone they rock! Make their day!
Do you know that there’s a psychobiology of caring? It’s powerful enough to uplift the caregivers throughout the workplace — including you. Here’s what the NIH says, “...simply seeing acts of kindness and caring can evoke elevation, promote altruism, as well as promote a sense of being connected to others.”
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Care for the Caregivers
Valentine’s Day seems like the perfect time to take that in, especially if you’re a communications specialist. Telling your organization’s story to the outside world is key but creating enthusiasm inside the building can be a bigger challenge.
In healthcare, we often focus on patient care and forget to feed and water the caregivers. Not just medical staff, but everyone in the organization can benefit from being appreciated.
Heart on the football field
Who’d imagine that a tough NFL sport like football uses kindness to build camaraderie. Yet the simple act of counting the number of times a Cleveland Browns player helps another Browns player up on the field proves that fostering kindness works!
Players who give teammates the most “hands up” receive a toy pickup truck.
David Njoku, who has won at least 5 pick-up trucks summed it up,
“I wouldn't say that the pride comes from getting the truck. I'd say it comes from just making sure that nobody, none of us get up by ourselves. I think we take great pride in that.”
The Kindness of Appreciation. A Mini-Case Study.
The Ask
Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States wanted to take it one step farther than listening. So, they asked us how they could thank those providers receiving positive online reviews. What would resonate? How could gratitude for excellent patient care be communicated?
The Approach
We took digital to paper by creating a simple thank you card. Excellent online physician reviews were posted on the card with enhanced variable printing. It’s amazing what unexpected appreciation in the mail can do for an overworked doctor.
The Hand Off
We created a simple workflow that the in-house team could take over:
Step 1: Design a Kaiser Permanente branded thank you card.
For variety, we designed three card fronts to rotate throughout the year.
When the card is opened, the online review posted by the patient appears on the top panel — right where the doctor can see it (often for the first time!). The salutation is also personalized with the physician’s name.
On the bottom panel, the doctor sees a message of gratitude from Richard McCarthy, MD Executive Medical Director, Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, Kaiser Permanente.
Step 2: Determine the specifications for variable printing by consulting their printer/fulfillment house.
Measure twice; cut once. Right?
Step 3: Help the in-house team by curating the reviews. Then, build the data file and send it to the printer.
The Permanente Medicine Professional Development & Wellness Department selects the most relevant online reviews. Then twice a month, the actual review as well as the doctor’s name and address get entered on the spreadsheet for the printer.
Cards are printed, stuffed, and mailed to doctors by their print vendor.
The Surprise
Soon after the first mailing, physicians started bringing the card they received at home to the office and posting it on their door — an unexpected first. It proved that a targeted act of kindness works.
A card in the mail is a small thing. Yet, it carries a personal message from a patient who took the time to review the doctor, to tell them, “You made a difference. Thank you.”
Operation Appreciation
Ready to multiply kindness? Think about creating messaging that promotes all the good things being said and done. It’s never too late to help others feel some professional love in a stressed workplace. And it can start this Valentine’s Day.