We felt that staff deserved to be thanked for their work, their commitment and the times when they go above and beyond what is asked of them and we thought that it is important for any member of staff to be able to do this.
In November 2016 we launched Above and Beyond: a thank you scheme for staff which enables any member of staff to thank another.
Staff send through their message to the staff engagement team, which is then copied into a card and then posted out to the member of staff with a pin badge.
In the first year we sent 5,168 ‘thank you’s to staff and since its launch in November 2016, UHL colleagues have sent 10,733 Above and Beyond nominations an average of 565 per month and 18 thank yous a day!
We designed a card and pin badge and developed a form that can be emailed or posted back to the staff engagement team so that it is accessible for all staff including those that don't have an email address or have limited access to a computer.
We launched the initiative at our annual leadership conference with approximately 300 leaders from around the Trust.
We promoted the scheme at local meetings and give a report on the number of thank you’s that have been sent in the chief executive briefing every month.
We have given examples of positive feedback from staff that have both sent and received a thank you, and also some top tips about sending them.
The positive effect that the scheme has on staff has helped with its popularity and spread; in the first three months we saw monthly submission of 98 - 186; the last three months ranged from 549 - 746.
We are currently gathering staff stories to share some of the fabulous examples of positive behaviour in the Trust that can often go unnoticed by many.