Higher staff satisfaction in a nursing home means improved staff retention and staff work practices and attitudes that support service excellence and a quality culture. This also translates into to better relations with residents and their families, which in turn improves the reputation of the facility and helps to reduce and minimize risks.
To work towards improving satisfaction among employees, nursing home leadership should address what matters most to their staff. This includes:
- Management cares about employees
- Management listens to employees
- Management helps to reduce job stress
- Fair evaluations
- Staff respect for residents
- Safe workplace
In this article, we’ll address some of the ways the management of a nursing home can show that they care about their staff:
- Regularly share evidence-based clinical “best practices” and assist staff with the implementation of changes in order to incorporate those practices into daily care.
- Make transparency a hallmark of how the facility is run; share all data with staff—clinical outcomes, satisfaction survey results, occupancy trends, and financial results.
- When a measurable outcome is not up to par, allow and encourage staff to participate in the process of finding a solution—identifying the root-cause, analyzing all the possible causes, and coming up with solutions that have the best potential to improve the outcome.
- Ensure individual employee’s schedules are honored.
- Conduct employee evaluations on, or before, their anniversary date
- Invest in employee safety. For example, ensure that there are enough patient lifts available, that they are in proper working condition, and that staff are trained in their use. Remember to do this for new staff.
- Discuss employee safety at every opportunity and consistently let staff know that you care about their wellbeing and do not want them to get hurt. This will not only show that employee safety is an integral part of the organization’s culture, it will also help to reduce accidents and injuries and Workers’ Compensation claims.
- When residents pass away, inform the staff closest to the person if they were off work. This will provide them the chance to come to the facility if they choose. Don’t let them come to work after being off to a new resident in the room without preparing them. Allow them time to grieve and attend the funeral or memorial service.
- Pilot test all changes and work out any hic-cups before spreading the change facility-wide. Don’t burden the staff with a new policy or procedure that has not been thoroughly pilot-tested.
- Praise and recognize staff in public. Counsel and coach the staff in private.
- Recognize and reward both individuals and teams for achieving and sustaining quality goals.
The work being performed in nursing homes is difficult and challenging. Taking measures to help enhance staff perceptions and build a committed and motivated workforce goes along way in attracting and retaining employees and improving the overall operation of the nursing home.
About Caitlin Morgan
Caitlin Morgan specializes in providing insurance solutions for nursing homes throughout the country. We are committed to helping this industry sector address their unique exposures, minimize their risk and protect against losses. For more information about our nursing home insurance solutions, contact us at 877.226.1027.