The holiday season is a time for merriment, good food and drink, decorating home and workplace, holiday parties, gift-giving, and cheer. It’s also a time for giving. When I visit home medical equipment companies in November and December--whether for consulting purposes or accreditation surveys—I sometimes ask about the holidays and what an organization does to celebrate the holiday season. The replies offer insight into the corporate culture and speak to the character of the companies.
I notice with great interest and growing optimism about the future of our industry that the trend seems to be increasingly about giving, sharing, and community service and moving away from the stereotypical office party of days past (think Mad Men).
I’ve heard a wide variety of customs and practices including gift exchanges, taking turns working at Salvation Army kettle drive locations, pot lucks that include inviting the patient/customers, volunteering at a soup kitchen, or simply getting together outside of work for a nice dinner together. These parties and other shared experiences serve several useful purposes. They promote a culture of togetherness and “family”—a sense that the organization you work for is more than a job, it’s a group of people working together for a common goal. They also give team members an opportunity to get to know their co-workers better by sharing a meal or a conversation at a deeper level than possible during work hours. The holiday service projects give employees a chance to work on shared projects which promotes team building. Hopefully, they are also a fun way to spend time together with co-workers to build deeper and friendlier relationships.
One of my consulting customers specializes in mobility: basic wheelchairs all the way up to custom rehabilitation equipment. They also do home modifications such as chair glide systems and building accessible ramps. They are a quality company that was accredited long before it was a requirement because they wanted the community to know their commitment to doing things right. They told me a story about their Christmas “project” last year. The Christmas project was something they elected to do in lieu of a party. The company gave them time off to do it and supported the project financially. Every employee from top to bottom, including the owners, had skin in the game and participated.
It seems that a family in their small town needed medical equipment. The driver delivered the equipment and supplies and identified several hazards around the house as he assessed their environment. He documented his findings and discussed them with the family, who said they could not afford to make many of the changes that were suggested. On a return visit, he noted that they had made some of the changes that were not particularly costly including removing area rugs and moving furniture around so that the family members with mobility problems could navigate the household.
Three generations were living in the house: a couple along with several children, and also a grandchild. The couple both had serious medical problems that made mobility challenging. They needed a ramp to get in and out of the house, and would also benefit from scooters. The husband had COPD and heart problems, which limited his ability to get out and walk; and his wife was a diabetic and an amputee, who got around in the house okay, but could not go out without a wheelchair (or scooter).
The driver mentioned the family again at an organization-wide meeting and discussion ensued. Eventually, the company decided to help the family by building an accessible ramp on their front porch/entrance to the house. They discussed plans with their home modification department and of course, the family. They got consent from the family and an estimate of material costs. The owner donated the material with the stipulation that staff would pitch in and “donate” their labor. The team effort kicked in and the ramp was built in a few days in October 2017.
In the course of working at their house, the owner was talking to the family about accessibility and decided to also make a few minor modifications in their bathroom for enhanced safety. These included grab bars in several places. The owner recounted how “making these small, seemingly insignificant improvements was easy for us—it’s what we do”. He also noted that these improvements were no big deal for his staff, but meant the world to the family.
When the project was finished, the team was so inspired by the good feeling they got and the appreciation the family exhibited that they decided to work together to get the couple scooters. The warehouse manager reminded the team that they had a “trade in” scooter in the obsolete area that could be fixed up easily. The owner bought parts, authorized repair/refurbishing, and considered getting another scooter for the couple. When he called his vendor/sales rep to ask for pricing and explained what they were wanting to do, the rep actually donated a scooter from his demo inventory!
The day before Thanksgiving, 2017, DME staff stopped back at the home to deliver two shiny scooters to a family in need. Along with the scooters, they brought a 20 lb. turkey and several pumpkin pies from a local bakery.
In the DME storefront, hanging on a wall above their license, a copy of the Supplier Standards, and a picture of the store on the day it opened hangs a Christmas card with a beautiful note from the family and a picture of the couple with their children and grandchild visiting a huge outdoor Christmas light display. The card reads, “Made possible by the generosity of a company made up of some of the most caring people we are blessed to have in our lives."
Incorporate and emphasize giving in your holiday traditions, and you’ll be richly rewarded with a great feeling of satisfaction that is better than any gift exchange or party. And keep your eye on the ball: despite the tough reimbursement climate and the many challenges that face our industry today, most of us got into this line of business and work because it was a caring profession. Keep caring no matter what!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS everybody.