When one loses morale, his or her professional life is negatively impacted. The excitement and zeal we once had for our job just isn’t there any more, rendering our need to stay fresh, null. This diminishes our effectiveness at our job and may even spill over into our personal lives. Good morale is a perfect insulation against the daily stressors that seek to upset your sense of work/life balance, but it must be maintained.

The aim of this blog is to help you, the reader, hopefully pinpoint some areas of opportunity to make your work life run more smoothly, and to continue to form strong relationships in the process.

Decide How Happy You Will Be. Ultimately, we set the tone for how our day will begin. There are some days that I just don’t want to drag myself out of bed, but if I maintain that mindset by the time I get into my car – if I focus on how bad of a day I think it may be, I end up being right. On the other hand, if I decide that today is going to be better than yesterday, that I will excel in my position regardless of circumstances beyond my control, this will positively influence my workflow. That is why it is important to take a few minutes in the morning to clear your mind (even if it IS two cups of coffee that get you there) and make that daily affirmation of being at your best each morning.

Form Good Alliances. Be sure to surround yourself with others who share your enthusiasm for what we do. Align yourself with those people who you feel may be a bit more seasoned or experienced than yourself. To do this only augments your skill and drive to be a better clinician, as throughout the course of the day, you will invariably pick up new insight from these individuals.

Inspect What You Expect. Employee morale is strongly influenced by a positive, tangible reinforcement of one’s efforts. That is why Functional Pathways seeks to meet this need by the formation of the Employee Recognition Committee. The ERC was created as a means to recognize employee tenure and service; to empower you and give you a voice in the direction of your career. The sitting members of the ERC are full-time treating therapists. We are in tune with the challenges you face, as well as what it takes to further enhance the lives of our patients. Inspect what you expect. That means that to see change, we must become the catalyst. Not everyone’s experience will be the same; that is why we need your input. You don’t have to be a treating therapist, as all FP employees are welcome to share their ideas and concerns. So come on! Become that catalyst. Be the pebble in the pond that builds momentum into a mighty wave of change!

All questions, comments, ideas or concerns can be directed to: [email protected]. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Thanks for listening!

James K. Conner, PTA

West Hills Health & Rehab, Knoxville, TN