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10 INDUSTRY EDUCATION A DAY OF RECOGNITION ABy Colm Maguire, Group Executive, Member Services and Innovation Group, Pharmacy Guild of Australia. ustralia Day next year has been designated by the Prime Minister as a day of recognition – of all the everyday Australian heroes who have worked tirelessly to help get Australia through the COVID-19 crisis. This includes everyone in your pharmacy. This is a great idea to pay tribute not only to the essential workers on the public health frontline, but also to the everyday heroes who have given so much to help their communities. It also raises the importance of recognition, not only on the national scale, but also in our workplaces and throughout our profession. Australians, historically, have been a bit hesitant to praise their workmates, but the PM’s Australia Day initiative is an opportunity for us to break this mould and start recognising and celebrating our fellow pharmacy workers for the great work they do. Recognition is a great incentive. I know most of you at some stage will have done something that you’re immensely proud of, but which seems to have gone unnoticed. Or perhaps not unnoticed, but not commented on or recognised, and this can leave you a bit flat and, perhaps, disincentivised. We’re all used to such factors as our pay packet, extra perks or bonuses and other incentives being rewards for good work. But a strong and inspirational leadership team will also promote and encourage peer-to-peer recognition, appreciation and gratitude. Apart from being a boost to the person being thanked or praised, recognition, appreciation and gratitude help to build stronger and more lasting relationships within the pharmacy, and indeed the profession. As a workplace motivator, they’re very strong drivers. In fact, one of my team rules is: take the time to make someone’s day. That opportunity to provide positive feedback or appreciation in a way that people may not be expecting is truly valued. You really don’t know the type of impact it can have on someone’s day, but if we consider how we feel when we receive this type of praise, we know it’s incredibly special. We all know that we’re far more likely in future to help a person who has praised us. A bond is established, and our innate reaction is to respond in some way. Put simply, people are more likely to feel positive and emphatic towards those who appreciate them. That’s human nature. It’s a reality that while we work as a necessity of life, we put in the extra effort when we feel we’re appropriately recognised. It may seem obvious, but a simple thank you can be a very powerful form of recognition. At the Pharmacy Guild, we have a variety of ways in which we recognise performance, both on a professional and personal level. In my team, we’ve built a weekly meeting around this, to find ways to recognise the work we do ourselves and acknowledge teammates. Another great recognition system is RICER. This involves cards we fill out and give to people in recognition and thanks for their work, or for that something extra they’ve put in. RICER stands for respect, integrity, compassion and community, equity and fairness, and reliability. With a different card for each category, they are handed out by our Executive Director at staff meetings or in a personal exchange between team members. Finding simple yet effective ways to build praise into your routine is highly recommended. But you don’t have to wait for staff meetings to recognise your colleagues. When they do something outstanding, let the world know! Shout it out. Let your colleague know you’ve seen what they’ve done and you think it’s awesome. Email the boss and tell them. Let the rest of the staff know. Make the person who has done something special feel special. Remember that recognition isn’t only about appreciating people for what they do, it’s also about celebrating what they may have achieved. In our profession, we need to extend this recognition to our colleagues in other pharmacies, and also get to know the people in these other outlets as well. Just popping in and introducing yourself can be the evolution of a great network of your colleagues. These networks can be rewarding and help to grow your career as well as your professional and business circles. We often hear about great things being done in other pharmacies. We shouldn’t be hesitant in giving them credit and praise for their achievements, which we should let others know about. Our profession is about helping the communities we serve. Recognising the efforts of others can lead to collaboration and eventual improvement in the way we operate ourselves. So, here’s the challenge: take the time over the next month to pop into another pharmacy, find one of your ‘extended family’ and thank them for everything they’ve done for the community. I assure you, they’ll value the time you’ve taken, while the reward of giving that praise will be equally satisfying for you. RETAIL PHARMACY ASSISTANTS • AUG 2020