Where Do We Go From Here

Many in healthcare management are wondering how they will ever be able to facilitate their healthcare workers’ recovery from the debilitating trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic. How can we possibly help our employees regain their resilience and spirit after undergoing such unrelenting stresses and shattering ordeals? Can we give them any hope that this coming year will bring any solace and relief going forward?

This blog post is part two in a 2 part series about employee recognition. If you missed the first post last week, click here to read it first.

Weathering the Storm

Somehow we’ve managed to stay afloat while confronting the perilous seas of last year’s pandemic. Now here we are in 2021, and we still haven’t reached a safe harbor. But we can see some clearing skies on the horizon as we try to right our ship and get back on course.

Climbing Out of the Rescue Phase

In any disaster or calamity, there are usually two phases: first the rescue stage and then the recovery period. It appears to me that we are crawling out of the rescue phase of this COVID related economic upheaval. Sales leaders have had to learn resilience in order to pivot to a new normal of virtual selling. Now it seems we are about to head into the recovery phase. So how do learn the lessons from COVID and begin to restore some sense of normalcy to our sales incentive programs? Or will normal ever be possible again?

Role of Nurses in COVID 19

We’ve all seen the news clips of nurses fighting back tears as they speak of being the only one in the room with dying COVID patients. How many of them held up their phones so that families could say goodbye to their loved ones remotely.

We’re Not There Yet

Yes, here we are and it’s a new year and a majority of our employees are still working remotely. The good news is that now we have a vaccine. The bad news is we’re just not sure when things will get back to normal. Or will things ever be normal again? One thing we know for certain. We have discovered new ways to communicate and interact with our employees and that can definitely be a good thing.

Virtual Selling is with Us for Awhile

As we head into the fall, it’s becoming clearer that virtual sales, selling remotely via video or phone, won’t be going away anytime soon. It appears that sales leaders and salespeople will have to consider the implications of virtual selling on performance measurement and sales incentives, not just for 2020, but for 2021 as well. So what will this mean for our sales incentive planning for the upcoming year?

First Do No Harm

The primary oath taken by healthcare workers encapsulates how healthcare leaders need to adapt their recognition programs to the current Coronavirus outbreak. Before we can recognize health care workers for their heroic actions, we must first keep their health and well-being as the utmost priority. Amid the COVID-19 global outbreak, it's likely to be an extremely stressful time for those who work on the front lines of healthcare.

We Need a New Recognition Playbook

So here we are still in the midst of the pandemic and still trying to figure out how to recognize our employees in these new unchartered waters. Showing employees appreciation for their work seems harder during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Creating a New Sales Playbook

Even though you’ve made some drastic changes to your sales strategies over the past few months, it looks like COVID-19 is going to be with us for the unforeseen future. This means we’re in a whole new ballgame and the old playbooks are just not going to work. You’re going to need an entirely new approach if you can ever hope to maintain a successful sales function and beat your competitors. So where do we start to succeed in this new environment?