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We thank Abi Rimmer and contributors for their important piece on boosting team morale.[1]
We particularly appreciated Divpreet Sacha’s suggestions, and have two additional recommendations for teams to spread positivity and recognise achievements.
First, Moments of Joy. Team members share recent moments of joy (from wherever - home and family life, work, social life, their leave) with their team. Examples might include a compliment from a friend or praise from a patient, a relaxing day off, or a pet’s latest antics. Even when times are tough, moments of joy can be found. Sharing these moments with the team helps build stronger connections as people learn more about each other and what is meaningful to them. Moments of joy could be added to a whiteboard as a way to share joy with others and brighten a challenging shift. Moments of joy can also be used as a way to positively start meetings - particularly suited to one-to-one meetings. For example between supervisor and resident doctor, with both sharing their moments of joy, helping establish a flat hierarchy.
Second, Win of the Week. Team members share their win of the week at work with the wider team. Alternatively (or if someone is struggling to think of their own ‘win’), colleagues can suggest a win of the week for each other. Depending on the work environment, win of the shift/rota/month or another system may work better. Reflecting on ‘wins’ helps resident doctors or new consultants or General Practitioners recognise and celebrate the progress they are making. Often, the most satisfying wins for patient care stem from effective teamwork and communication and so sharing wins helps strengthen bonds and boost team morale. The latest NHS Staff Survey reveals that only around half (54%) of NHS staff in England were satisfied with the recognition they get for good work [2] - initiatives like Win of the Week could redress this.
Moments of Joy and Win of the Week can complement positive reporting systems (known as “Learning from Excellence”,[3] such as ‘greatix’). By normalising reflection and sharing of positivity and achievements in the workplace, simple tools like Win of the Week and Moments of Joy may lead to improvements for both staff and patients. For example, when achievements and best practice are recognised, techniques like Appreciative Inquiry can focus on and build upon ‘excellence’ and inspire Quality Improvement (QI) efforts.[4]
Moments of Joy and Win of the Week both align with recommendations from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) on ensuring a joyful, engaged workforce.[5] This IHI white paper makes for interesting reading for those motivated to boost team morale.
Implementing and encouraging Moments of Joy and Win of the Week demonstrates compassionate leadership through fostering supportive relationships where team members are listened to, understood, and valued.[6] Our suggestions thus promote inclusion and can support wider efforts to foster psychological safety, where everyone feels comfortable asking questions, admitting to, sharing, and learning from mistakes, and challenging problematic behaviours.[7]
Healthcare delivery relies on teams, and team morale is vital to effective teamwork. Let’s recognise wins and spread joy, and boost team morale.
Footnote: Views expressed are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect those of their employers. Authors are joint first authors.
Boosting team morale - Recognise wins and spread joy
Dear Editor
We thank Abi Rimmer and contributors for their important piece on boosting team morale.[1]
We particularly appreciated Divpreet Sacha’s suggestions, and have two additional recommendations for teams to spread positivity and recognise achievements.
First, Moments of Joy. Team members share recent moments of joy (from wherever - home and family life, work, social life, their leave) with their team. Examples might include a compliment from a friend or praise from a patient, a relaxing day off, or a pet’s latest antics. Even when times are tough, moments of joy can be found. Sharing these moments with the team helps build stronger connections as people learn more about each other and what is meaningful to them. Moments of joy could be added to a whiteboard as a way to share joy with others and brighten a challenging shift. Moments of joy can also be used as a way to positively start meetings - particularly suited to one-to-one meetings. For example between supervisor and resident doctor, with both sharing their moments of joy, helping establish a flat hierarchy.
Second, Win of the Week. Team members share their win of the week at work with the wider team. Alternatively (or if someone is struggling to think of their own ‘win’), colleagues can suggest a win of the week for each other. Depending on the work environment, win of the shift/rota/month or another system may work better. Reflecting on ‘wins’ helps resident doctors or new consultants or General Practitioners recognise and celebrate the progress they are making. Often, the most satisfying wins for patient care stem from effective teamwork and communication and so sharing wins helps strengthen bonds and boost team morale. The latest NHS Staff Survey reveals that only around half (54%) of NHS staff in England were satisfied with the recognition they get for good work [2] - initiatives like Win of the Week could redress this.
Moments of Joy and Win of the Week can complement positive reporting systems (known as “Learning from Excellence”,[3] such as ‘greatix’). By normalising reflection and sharing of positivity and achievements in the workplace, simple tools like Win of the Week and Moments of Joy may lead to improvements for both staff and patients. For example, when achievements and best practice are recognised, techniques like Appreciative Inquiry can focus on and build upon ‘excellence’ and inspire Quality Improvement (QI) efforts.[4]
Moments of Joy and Win of the Week both align with recommendations from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) on ensuring a joyful, engaged workforce.[5] This IHI white paper makes for interesting reading for those motivated to boost team morale.
Implementing and encouraging Moments of Joy and Win of the Week demonstrates compassionate leadership through fostering supportive relationships where team members are listened to, understood, and valued.[6] Our suggestions thus promote inclusion and can support wider efforts to foster psychological safety, where everyone feels comfortable asking questions, admitting to, sharing, and learning from mistakes, and challenging problematic behaviours.[7]
Healthcare delivery relies on teams, and team morale is vital to effective teamwork. Let’s recognise wins and spread joy, and boost team morale.
Footnote: Views expressed are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect those of their employers. Authors are joint first authors.
References
1. Rimmer A. How can I boost team morale? BMJ 2025; 388 :r444 https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.r444
2. NHS Staff Survey. National results. www.nhsstaffsurveys.com/results/national-results
3. Kelly N, Blake S, Plunkett A. Learning from excellence in healthcare: a new approach to incident reporting. Arch Dis Child 2016;101:788-791. https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2015-310021
4. Plunkett A. Embracing excellence in healthcare: the role of positive feedback. Arch
Dis Child Educ Pract Ed 2022;107:351-354. https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2020-320882
5. Perlo J, Balik B, Swensen S, Kabcenell A, Landsman J, Feeley D. IHI Framework for Improving Joy in Work. IHI White Paper. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Institute for Healthcare Improvement; 2017.
https://www.ihi.org/resources/white-papers/ihi-framework-improving-joy-work
6. Bailey S, West M. What is compassionate leadership? The King's Fund; 2022. https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/long-reads/what-is-com...
7. NHS Employers. Top tips for supporting the psychological safety of staff. NHS Employers; 2024. https://www.nhsemployers.org/articles/top-tips-supporting-psychological-...
Competing interests: Both authors use Win of the Week and Moment of Joy in their workplaces.