President's Column

Read archives from AAN Past President Orly Avitzur, MD, MBA, FAAN, who served from May 2021 to April 2023.

August 2022

Expressions of Appreciation to a Besieged Workforce

A slew of surveys from employment consultants has looked at determinants of workforce engagement, retention, productivity, and performance to try to crack the code of what will drive employees to remain at their jobs—with strikingly similar results. Glassdoor’s employee appreciation survey revealed that more than half (53 percent) of employees admitted they would stay longer at their company if they felt more appreciation from their boss. Moreover, those results were released in 2013, well prior to the Great Resignation which amplified that sentiment. Conversely, a survey of 2,000 workers conducted by OnePoll and published in 2022 showed that nearly half of American workers (46 percent) have left a job because they have felt unappreciated.

Sadly, I have heard numerous reports of neurologists feeling underappreciated over the past three years, more than I ever recall in over 20 years of reporting for Neurology Today^®. When I wrote the recent story, "Is the Pendulum Swinging Back? Why Neurologists Have Left Academia for Private Practice Settings,” this complaint appeared as a recurring theme from colleagues who left academic medicine despite their love for education and research. In myriad interviews from AAN members in other practice settings and multiple anecdotal reports throughout the pandemic, ruminations of being undervalued resonated equally strongly.

The good news, according to a recent article in the Economist, is that small gestures of appreciation can have an outsized effect on employee satisfaction and loyalty. The May 27, 2022, story, "The Power of Small Gestures,” cites a recent study at King’s College London and Harvard Business School that divided two groups of social workers: one group got a letter of thanks for their work from their manager and the other did not. A month later, recipients of the letter reported feeling much more valued than their counterparts.

More importantly, in a post-pandemic world in which expressions of gratitude have become commoditized and gratitude consulting has become a thriving industry, a positive impact, according to experts, requires an authentic and personal approach, and, as the column points out, must take effort and be unexpected. In my Neurology Today^® interviews over the course of the pandemic, in which the preponderance of the discontent shared was focused on administrators, I was struck by how well some institutions and health care systems seemed to understand this and how others did not. According to anecdotal reports, some hospital-based practices—the fastest growing segment of the neurology practice setting—appear to be exercising great effort to lure physicians and make sure that they find workplace satisfaction, feel supported, and know that they are appreciated. This shift in practice setting will continue to be monitored by the AAN, and if it continues, should be closely examined for root causes.

There is a distinction between appreciation and recognition, as was described in a 2019 Harvard Business Review article. Recognition is about giving positive feedback based on results or performance, whereas appreciation, on the other hand, is about acknowledging a person’s inherent value. It ends by suggesting that we tell people what we value about them and do it proactively—not because they did something great or because we want something from them. It can positively affect how your colleagues feel about themselves and your relationship with them, and even trickle down to your whole team. Some colleagues I know do this well—like Lyell Jones, who sent me the Economist article, and demonstrates this trait regularly on @Twitter—among many others whom I have gotten to know through my work at the AAN. But some of us, including me, feel that we don’t do this enough, and fueled by the pandemic and too much death around us, are trying to do better.

In early June, the AAN Board of Directors met for its quarterly meeting and heard a presentation by this year’s Diversity Leadership Program participants. Last October, I asked them to propose ways to prepare and support our members to meet a variety of workforce losses. Their thoughtful presentation was multi-pronged and comprehensive. One suggestion was to appreciate each other more and deliver those unexpected messages of gratitude on social media.

And as it turns out, there is a bonus not only to receivers but also to givers of appreciation. Studies show they, too, have higher levels of work satisfaction and suggest that people who witness individuals expressing gratitude are more helpful to them as well.

I asked the DLP Leadership Class of 2022 for real-life examples of their idea and include some here. If you have others, please Tweet your #NeurologyProud moment to us @AANmember and @OrlyA.

To the AAN for supporting leadership development programs and to all the leadership participants.
―Ava Ferdinand, MD

Big shout out to Laura Campbell, program coordinator and supervisor of education programs at UTSW. We are so thankful for your passion and dedication. Without your hard work, the success of our programs wouldn't be possible. #NeurologyProud
―Marisara Dieppa, MD

Thankful for all of the hard-working AAN staff who supported and encouraged the 2021–22 Diversity Leadership Program cohort, including during evenings and weekends. Special shout out to Wendy Vokaty and Nate Kosher. #NeurologyProud
―Elizabeth A. Felton, MD, PhD

Earlier this year, I had a family loss and had to travel out of the country. My medical assistant, Leslie Martinez, and registered nurse, Lori Healy, were just a text away from accommodating a whole week of clinical work. I am grateful for their support!
―Gerson Suarez-Cedeno, MD

My #NeurologyProud message goes to my co-presenter Dr. Nicole Gonzales who was the absolute best partner a girl could ask for. She worked around my schedule, sent me articles on the side, delivered Zoom calendar invites, fixed my slides, took things seriously but also in stride, encouraged me to meet outside of our group times, and repeatedly kept me calm when I started freaking out. She is an absolute gem, a true role model for women in medicine, and I am so lucky that she was my partner in crime. I am forever grateful to her. She deserves a standing ovation, a retweet, a high five, and a champagne toast all in one. 
―Wendy S. Vargas, MD

Orly Avitzur, MD, MBA, FAAN
President, AAN
oavitzur@aan.com
@OrlyA on Twitter