Employee recognition programs can be healthy internal brand builders—or just band-aids. St. Mary's Medical Center in Grand Junction, Colorado has a program that makes everyone feel fantastic.
peer recognition for the world to see
Walk down just about any hall in the hospital and you'll see a bulletin board with the names and smiling faces of all the health care professionals working on that floor. You'll also see friendly "Spotcha" notes covering the board—praising and thanking employees for their efforts helping patients or each other. What's even better is that the notes are written by their peers.
reinforcing brand values
The notes are on a preprinted form that lists the medical center's core values and standards... plus plenty of room to write a positive, uplifiting message.
Everyone gets to see these notes—the boss, colleagues, patients and families—so the brand promise is repeated over and over again. And it's 
St. Mary's employees offer each other a healthy dose of "WHOO HOO!" and "THANK YOU!"obvious that the promise is delivered not just in words, but also actions.
This is genuine.
it's not just a campaign
St. Mary's employees are living the brand.
It's evident in the service-oriented culture and the generous hugs. It's demonstrated by the cards employees send to patients after arriving home.
St. Mary's is a place where employees literally wear their hearts on their sleeves.
a healthy culture
A strong employee recognition program is only one element of brand building, but its effects are powerful.
At the center of every brand is a healthy culture. It creates a place where the best workforce wants to be and where they want to stay. Once a customer is exposed, the positive feelings grow into an addiction to be envied.
Is your culture addictive? Share your tips here. We'd love to hear them!
tags: culture, internal brand, employee recognition programs, customer loyalty, values, purpose
