2020 Year-end Video Boosts Staff's Morale

Holiday Party Cancelled Due to COVID-19 Safety Precautions Doesn't Mean Staff Can't Still Be Celebrated

A tradition at Shriners Hospitals for Children — Salt Lake City, staff members gather to celebrate the holidays and remember the events and accomplishments of the past year. During a typical year-end party, dinner is served, a year in review video is shown, and the Blake A. Carroll scholarship recipient as well as the Employee of the Year are announced. However, this party – like every other event this year – had to be changed due to COVID-19.

A break in tradition, the year in review video was shown over four sessions of the hospital’s quarterly “stat chat” meeting in order to allow for social distancing in the auditorium.

Typically a tongue-in-cheek look at the year, the video features staff members who were recognized as Employees of the Month throughout 2020. This year – told through the lens of the hospital’s newly formed COVID-19 Task Force made up of hospital staff members from several departments – the video reviewed the hectic and challenging year of the pandemic. Friendly, stress-relieving nerf gun wars, parodies of the COVID huddles and inspiring ways teamwork got them through the year were some of the highlights. Watching their colleagues on screen tell the story had staff laughing and nodding in recognition. The Employees of the Month reminisced about how they made it through events like quarantine and the 5.7 magnitude earthquake that hit Utah in March. Most importantly, they expressed their love for the hospital, its staff, and the patients and families it serves.

Kristen L. Carroll, M.D., chief of staff at Shriners Hospitals for Children — Salt Lake City, enjoyed the presentation along with the staff. She believes the video is for more than just entertainment. “The year-end video is really important for morale,” said Dr. Carroll. “It makes us all realize what a wonderful place we work in and how much we appreciate each other and our mission.”

In year where the staff needed a boost possibly more than any previous year, it was important to continue the tradition even if the whole staff could not gather for a party.

See a few highlights from the end of year video.