Is the Awards Process Just about a Fun Night?

At Care & Support West we really want to make a noise about how fabulous is the work and dedication of thousands of care workers, and what a difference that work makes to the lives of countless people; so for us The Care Awards is how we do that the Gala Dinner is the centrepiece of it all.

Attending the Gala Dinner is a joy; it’s a glitzy night at a prestigious venue where the room is decked out as for a ball; there are magicians; there’s dancing; there’s music. Everyone looks fabulous, ladies in lovely frocks, coiffed, painted and perfumed; gents in their suits; it’s a far cry from the workaday world that is care. People tell us every year:  “It’s a great night, we had so much fun!”

But, is it just about fun? Is it just for the finalists, simply a night of mutual congratulations?

Is there more to it? Are there more subtle benefits of attending the Awards Dinner? We’re taking a brief look at some of the motivational messages that come from being there and being part of the celebrations.

The key underlying message is about motivating staff. There is no doubt whatsoever that motivated employees perform better and deliver significant benefits to the bottom line; the trick is to find the way to keep staff motivated and to find ways to stop them becoming disaffected and demotivated.  In this blog we are looking at Reward and Recognition

The original ‘pay as a motivator’ theory doesn’t really work in the care sector where, squeezed with chronic underfunding, monetary rewards are not a major enticement. (Equally, the traditional ‘stick’ side of the equation doesn’t work because labour is so scarce you can’t afford that negative message.) Essentially the care sector has to focus on the social and psychological motivators, the need for social rewards, being part of a team; the need for self- fulfilment.

Freddie Silver (https://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/three-major-theories-motivation-1260.html) talks about the need to reward good behaviours and to reinforce positive attitudes. Connecting the reward to the behaviour in a consistent way and where it is really valued by the employee can have significant short term and long term benefits. Research has shown that recognition and prestige can have great motivating potential so that praise and public acknowledgement of a job well done can work wonders.

The Awards process is ideally placed as a mechanism for this type of reward framework. Embracing the Awards process within the business, identifying great work, and outstanding contributions; nominating employees for awards constitutes motivational behaviour in itself because employees feel recognised, acknowledged and valued.

Further, your employee may not be a finalist, but when you take employees to the dinner you are saying that you value them sufficiently to put your money where your mouth is and take them to the event.  You are also giving that sense of social inclusion within your business team, the employee has the opportunity to see the manager at play, to see a different dimension, contributing further to the ‘social’ reward structure.

In illustration of this Emily Bladen-Wing of Community Therapeutic Services told us:

“The first time we attended the awards ceremony we had one or two nominations but did not win. Regardless of this, the evening had a positive impact on the staff who attended. The buzz of the event became hugely motivational. This led to staff going back to their respective teams and motivating other team members to celebrate their outstanding care practice by nominating colleagues for more awards the following year. We have now been fortunate enough to win on some of these nominations and the awards ceremony has become a fantastic way to celebrate the hard work and innovation of our staff members”.

In another theory about motivation, Scott Thompson (https://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/ethics-philosophy-motivation-21091.html) builds on the premise that people want to do ‘worthwhile’ things at work and will work better with ‘inner motivation’.  The Awards help to foster this sense of inner motivation, attending the event  develops a feeling of being part of something bigger, part of a worthwhile mission to improve the lives of those we care for, part of a bigger group of people all working towards the same end.

Of course, we’re sold on the Awards and think you should all join in and help us to celebrate, but we’re realistic and know that in cash strapped times, it is easy to see only the cost involved. It’s important to look past that and calculate impact on the bottom line of motivated, committed staff.

To make a nomination, go to our Awards Page