Development and Implementation of a Staff Incentive Bonus Program

Recognition and incentives play a crucial role to reinforcing desired behaviors in the.  Recognition builds morale, professional relationships, and achieves consistent levels of growth in performance.  The healthcare industry is rapidly changing, compounded by staff shortages and the second highest turnover of any industry.  Employees need recognition and rewards for their role in the delivery of service and quality excellence.  Financial incentives, as recognition, help increase performance and motivation, improve patient quality and experience, and achieve greater financial sustainability.  Financial incentives implemented incorrectly leads to team disintegration, a magnified focus on monetary gain, and a danger of staff becoming dependent for continued performance outcomes.  Developing a successful program with aligned goals of the organization, grounded in reliable and objective data, financially sustainable, and allowing for individual impact while focusing on a collaborative team approach, minimizes adverse outcomes.  Strategically implemented with clear communication and clarity, appropriate measurement and tracking, along with action planning for future results, a staff incentive bonus program is paragon to employee recognition in driving the performance goals of the organization.  Ultimately, the purpose in patient care in sustaining improvement of both clinical quality preventative measures and service quality excellence with patient satisfaction.

The purpose of this focus paper is to help educate healthcare leaders on the importance of recognition and incentives in the healthcare setting, and ultimately the development and implementation of a staff incentive bonus program. To achieve the above purpose, a research combination of literary resources and real world healthcare examples will be used in order to showcase the impact of an incentive program on individual performance that directly impacts organizational outcomes.