"The system of recognition that I like—and have seen still in full operation and working beautifully after 10 and even 15 years—goes like this: **Boxes (like suggestion boxes) with compliment cards are placed conspicuously in key locations, such as by the elevators and in waiting rooms**. Anyone can use them, patients or employees. Someone is assigned to collect them at least once a week (more often if possible), and deliver them to the president in a small hospital or to the appropriate vice presidents in a large hospital. **Top management reads all compliment cards and adds a note of thanks or just a signature indicating it was noticed. The cards are then routed through the chain of command to the employee**. Presidents or vice presidents might select a couple of cards once in a while to deliver personally by hand. **No prizes are given. The integrity of the employee’s intrinsic motivation is preserved**. Management has to stay involved because the cards keep coming. They can’t opt just to quit reading them. And when the card is received, the employee feels the rush of appreciation, made more powerful because the appreciation arrives through management, not as direct mail from the giver of the compliment." --- **Tags** -- [[quotes]], [[performance-management]], [[employee-recognition]], [[retention]], [[organisational-culture]], **Source** -- [[20250112015442 - B - If Disney Ran Your Hospital]]