Tune in now to the latest Moments Move Us episode with Rhonda Brandon, SVP and Chief Human Resources Officer at Duke University Health System 🎧
Wambi has been named one of “Best Fit” Mental Health Services & Solutions by ANA\California.
Real-time recognition is the driving force of the Wambi platform. Our holistic solution impacts patients, frontline staff, and every member of your organization.
Our innovative employee recognition solution leverages gamification to positively transform the employee experience. Calculate your ROI, explore data insights, and read more about our success stories.
New Podcast Episode:
Rise & Lead with Rhonda Brandon
It’s no secret that “The Great Attrition” is hitting the healthcare sector hard.
Turnover rates are skyrocketing nationwide and are projected to only get worse, with 40% of nurses and 20% of physicians planning to resign from their current employer in the next two years. A shortage of 3.2 million healthcare workers expected by 2026 only exacerbates the problem. The “Great Attrition” and “Great Retirement” have made one thing clear — a culture of appreciation and belonging is an absolute requirement for organizational success. A recent report noted that the primary reason employees resigned during the pandemic was that they did not feel valued by their organization. Senior leaders have clear marching orders from their team: build a culture where employees feel valued or risk losing them.
This makes building and keeping your team together more important now than ever. Making sure your team members feel heard, recognized, and appreciated is crucial to fostering engagement and the desire to stay with your organization. In fact, creating a workplace where team members feel connected to their team and company culture has shown to reduce turnover rates by as much as 50%.
How do you create a workplace with an enriching culture that makes team members want to stay? Â
Strengthen your company culture by using proven practices through the lens of Wambi’s five values: compassion, fearlessness, imagination, gratitude, and joy. One of the biggest mistakes leaders make when thinking about culture is that they believe and say the right things, but miss the critical step of operationalizing stated values. Since culture is “the way we do things here,” organizations run into trouble when the actions of leaders run counter to stated values. If we list gratitude as a core value, but leaders rarely demonstrate it, then it is not part of the culture.  Â
Try the following gratitude exercise at your next team huddle:Â
Ask each team member to take a moment to think of a time when a coworker did something that they feel thankful for and encourage them to write a message of gratitude to that coworker sharing how grateful they are. Turn this into a regular practice by facilitating this exercise four times per month. Â
Taking the time to reflect on these meaningful moments reminds team members of the many positive interactions that happen between them every day, but are often too easily forgotten in their fast-paced, high-intensity work environment. Â
Creating a workplace where team members feel invested and want to stay, as Dr. Swati Mehta, Director of Quality and Performance and Patient Experience at Vituity, said on Wambi’s Moments Move Us podcast, “begins from the top.” When leaders walk the walk and lead with compassion, fearlessness, imagination, gratitude, and joy, it creates a trickle-down effect throughout an organization.Â
A culture-building program that elevates meaningful recognition and encourages a culture of belonging is a great place to start. For healthcare leaders, this means finding a system that includes the voices of ALL key stakeholders – leaders, team members, and patients.Â
If you’re in the market for an employee recognition tool that’s right for your organization, A Recognition Buyer’s Guide will help you make an educated decision to inspire lasting change for your healthcare workforce.
For those looking for a more hands-on approach to strengthen one’s leadership, download Wambi’s Best of 2021 Retention Tools for the Busy Leader workbook. This workbook shares recommendations and insights to empower your organization to increase employee satisfaction and reduce turnover using the power of meaningful reflection.
We are thrilled to announce that in 2021 over 520,000 Wambis were shared across all Wambi platforms. What an inspiring year of celebrations, appreciation, and gratitude shared between team members, leaders, and patients. We are humbled to partner with so many great organizations to shine a light on these meaningful moments! Thank you to our clients, partners, and supporters for being a part of the Wambi family!
Wambi is built on creating a culture of gratitude where team members feel valued. As we look towards 2022 with excitement and anticipation, we want to share the importance of integrating gratitude into your New Year’s resolutions.
Research shows that regularly reflecting on and expressing gratitude leads to a stronger immune system, reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety, better sleep, and even faster recovery from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Living a life of gratitude gives you hope, strength, energy, wisdom, and the serenity to meet life’s many challenges of grief, anxiety, depression, loneliness, and fear.
Gratitude is considered one of the key strengths for human flourishing. By drawing on this strength and creating an awareness of what is going well in your life, your positive emotions, your positive relationships, and your well-being combine to enable you to truly thrive.
Want to learn more about the importance of gratitude? Download the toolkit today!
Have you noticed how many New Year’s resolutions fizzle out after January? Change can sometimes be difficult, and new practices are often forgotten. Here are a few helpful tips on how you can turn practicing gratitude into a habit. Â
Setting goals and working towards them is a great way to reinforce purpose in your day. Consider how many notes of appreciation and gratitude (Wambis) you want to share each week and set a goal. As you continue to reach your goal throughout the year, consider increasing the number you send. Â
Set a calendar appointment for 15 minutes each week to share appreciation with a colleague or coworker. Consider starting your mid-week morning with a Wambi Wednesday to focus on the kind words from patients and team members. It’s important to find a time that works best for you where you can fully absorb and reflect on the positive notes. Â
Your gratitude practice may need to start with a very small step of reflection. Use a “trigger,” such as washing your hands, as your mental cue to think about something that you are grateful for. Next time you are washing your hands (or whatever your new gratitude trigger is), reflect on something that you are grateful for and name the positive emotions you feel. Â
Writing a letter of gratitude to someone who has made a difference in your life is one of the most recommended and meaningful activities in practicing gratitude. At Wambi, we understand that it can sometimes feel overwhelming to think of how to put into words how much you appreciate someone. Â
Try following these steps to write a thoughtful letter:Â Â Â Â
Remember practice makes perfect! There’s no better time to start making gratitude a habit than today! Â
During disruptive and difficult times, like the pandemic, it may feel like practicing gratitude is unachievable. However, having a grateful perspective on life can help you cope and build greater personal resilience.
Whether you are sending or receiving gratitude, it is important to understand what practices work best for you. As you are focusing on gratitude as part of your New Year’s resolution, here are a few helpful tips:
One simple reflective practice is called “My Three Good Things.” Capture three good things over the past 24 hours: they can be positive interactions, positive emotions, or positive thoughts. Write them down and explain why you chose them. Do this every day for two weeks to build a routine, perhaps in the morning or at bedtime. If you miss a day, it is okay, try again the next day. You may want to find a friend, colleague, or family member to join you in taking on this new practice.
During a stressful time, it may be difficult to absorb and feel the emotions you experience from positive feedback. We’ve heard from physicians and healthcare workers that they like to keep a running journal of these moments so that they can be reflected on later, when they are in a mindset to receive gratitude. Consider adding a new folder to your email, adding a note on your phone, or writing in a gratitude journal. Make sure to set aside a dedicated time each week when you can read and focus on your Wambis.
Is there someone who has helped you through a difficult time? Let them know what they did that impacted you and how you benefitted from their support.
Wambi’s recognition platform helps healthcare organizations improve team member and patient experience through real-time individual feedback, driving retention, and creating a culture of gratitude. Take the first step in making gratitude a New Year’s resolution by requesting a demo today!
Recognize moments all year long with the Wambi free 2022 calendar desktop wallpaper, highlighting national holidays and healthcare-related holidays. In theme with new years, we challenge you to add fearlessness and gratitude to your list of yearly resolutions. Want to spread the joy? Feel free to share this post with colleagues, friends, and family members.
“There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.” — Kahlil Gibran
There’s a desktop wallpaper for every screen size. Don’t see your size? Feel free to contact us.
Here is a list of 2022 healthcare holidays and fresh ideas to celebrate each holiday more intentionally:
Employee Appreciation Day (March 5) World Imagination Day (March 14)
Download An Evolved Leader’s Guide to learn how to use incorporate the value of imagination in your retention strategy.
National Doctors Day (March 30) World Health Day (April 7)
Observe World Health Day with tips to support you and your team members through a healing mindfulness journey.
Patient Experience Week (April 26-30) National Nurses Week (May 6-12)
The National Nurses Week content hub is a one-stop shop for ideas and inspiration on how to celebrating your nursing staff.
Hospital Week (May 9-15)
A caring Hospital Week testimony from one of Wambi’s flock recounting a seven month inpatient experience at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
World Meditation Day (May 31)
In need of meditation? Enjoy our trio of 10-minute guided meditations featuring Jonathan Metter on the Wambi Youtube channel.
World Day of Joy (August 1)
One of the best ways to seek joy is within the pages of a book. Choose your next delightful read from the 10 Books To Spark Joy blog.
Health Unit Coordinator Week (August 23-29) World Gratitude Day (September 16)
Download The Gratitude Toolkit, a free workbook with prompts to guide you through your gratitude practice.
World Mental Health Day (October 10)
Looking for healthy ways to manage stress? Read It’s Okay To Not Be Okay for healthy reminders.
Make a Difference Day (October 24) World Kindness Day (November 13) Giving Tuesday (December 1)
After you’ve found your correct screen size, save the image file to your personal drive.
FOR PC USERS
Locate the image file on your personal drive. Once you have found the file, right-click the file and choose either Set as > Set as background or, in older versions of Windows, Set as desktop background.
FOR MAC USERS
Locate the image file on your personal drive. Once you have found the file, right-click the file and choose Set Desktop Picture.
It’s hard to believe 2022 is just around the corner. I’m thankful for another inspiring year at Wambi, helping hospitals leverage the power of gratitude and connection to appreciate staff, elevate patient voices, and ultimately transform culture.
As the year comes to an end, I find myself contemplating my New Year’s resolutions and feeling inspired by the positivity shared from those closest to me as well as the many I’ve connected with virtually. Popular New Year’s resolutions are generally about eating better, getting more exercise, and saving money. While those are on the top of my list too, I hope that as you reflect on the events that happened in 2021, and look ahead to a better and brighter New Year, you consider adding growing through fearlessness to your list!
At Wambi, fearlessness is one of our five core values. The values of gratitude, compassion, imagination, joy, and fearlessness are the essence of who we are, from the foundation of our Wambi platform, to our connected company culture.
As you integrate these values into your growth journey, I want to share a few of my personal recommendations for approaching 2022 with fearlessness:
For me, being fearless means stepping out of my personal comfort zone and stepping into the world of unknown and uncertainty. Although I may feel nervous or apprehensive about trying something new, I know that pushing myself past my typical boundaries helps me to grow. How do we push ourselves to step out of our preconceived circle of comfort? It starts with your mindset. Trust yourself and know that outside of your comfort circle lies your fortune.
When I first began my sales career I was so uncomfortable with the array of tasks that I needed to complete in order to be successful. Then, my mentor shared with me a critical learning that shifted my mindset and shaped my life moving forward. My life was explained as a pendulum, where a weight is suspended from a fixed point so that it can swing back and forth under the influence of gravity. On one side of the pendulum swing was everything I was willing to do, and on the opposite side was everything I had in my life. My mentor shared that in order to get the things I wanted out of life the pendulum would have to swing a little further outside of its existing realm. This meant that I had to do the things I was uncomfortable doing in order to get the things I so strongly desired but could not yet obtain. This powerful concept made me fearless, knowing that by stepping into the discomfort and outside of my current realm, I could grasp my dreams.
I admit that this mindset can be challenging and will take time! It’s important to practice self-compassion when you step out of your comfort zone. Give yourself permission to say, “this is scary, but I can do it anyway” and give yourself grace if the outcome isn’t as expected. This is a key practice for building resilience.
You’ve heard the phrase, “I am who I think I am.” Keeping this sentiment in mind, choose who you want to be. A new year means a fresh start, and that can invigorate an intentional transformation. We all have the power to grow and change, and it can begin with establishing an affirmation practice. Tell yourself who you are: “I am healthy,” “I am fearless,” “I am happy,” as opposed to speaking down to yourself through limiting beliefs. You truly are who you think you are, and others will believe it too.
One way to grow and change is through professional and personal development, and I am grateful to work for a company that prioritizes opportunities for growth. With limited in-person interactions over the past two years, it has also allowed me more time to read, listen to podcasts, and learn from others whom I admire. One podcast I really enjoyed listening to recently is “Dare to Lead by Brene Brown.” It has also been inspiring to listen to the first few episodes of Wambi’s new podcast “Moments Move Us”.
While thinking about who you are, it is important to also remember to love who you are. Practicing self-love is a paramount way to create positive self-image. Think about where you were five years ago versus now and relish the progress you’ve made.
Looking for a helpful reminder to focus on self-love in 2022? Download these encouraging badges to share with your team members.
Thinking back to life as a pendulum, as it swings back and forth, you are reminded that you get out what you put in. The hard work that I put in is reflected in the successes that I experience. The same can be said for positivity: if I put in positive energy, I will receive that in return. By focusing on good things, your mind will naturally start to attract more of that into your life. Â
As a certified yoga instructor, I focus on flowing in the present moment, with positive energy. At the beginning of each practice, I encourage the class to set an intention. This intention drives the practice and creates a focal point to reengage with as positions get challenging, and our minds and bodies get fatigued. This intention setting is a good habit to bring into your daily life because it allows you to be present in the moment and re-focus your energy when a challenge arises. Â
I believe strongly in positive psychology and positive reinforcement and this science is reflected in Wambi’s functionalities. Wambi is the vehicle that illuminates and celebrates the moments that happen between people in healthcare every day. Through Wambi, team members can be recognized in real-time, and this meaningful recognition can be visible to an individual, their team, and their leaders. Wambi also empowers patients and families to share their gratitude, recognizing those who cared for them. By creating a virtuous cycle of gratitude and focusing on positivity, positivity is returned in improved team member engagement and increased patient satisfaction. Â
In my role as Vice President of Enterprise Development, I am privileged to work in an environment that mirrors my own values, allowing me to bring a solution that inspires behaviors and fuels positive interactions between people.
Over the past year, I’ve had the opportunity to speak to and learn from hundreds of healthcare leaders, build meaningful relationships, and understand the retention and engagement challenges being faced. If we have not had a chance to connect, I hope we can do so in the new year. I would love to set up a strategy session and learn more about your recognition environment, staff engagement efforts, and hospital culture.
Now is the time to lead with fearlessness. Try my tactics for achieving personal growth, and make getting a recognition solution part of your New Year’s resolution. Let’s Connect!