You're doing a great job, thank you.
“Good morning, you are doing a great job, thank you...” In many cases that’s all it takes to help improve Long Term Care (LTC) employee satisfaction. Is it really that simple? Maybe, depending on how much time there is to care.
It’s more than a job A couple years ago a study* was conducted to examine job satisfaction among nurses in LTC facilities in relation to tasks. The review discovered that Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) have significantly higher levels of satisfaction when compared to nurses. The study also discovered nurses have considerably higher levels of motivation than CNAs. Upon further examination of the causes of employee fulfillment it was revealed that CNA contentment was influenced by several factors (task identity, autonomy, intrinsic feedback, and job tenure). However, satisfaction among nurses was influenced by the amount of positive feedback they perceive is genuine in the course of the job. Among employees in LTC operations this type of feedback is most likely the result from interactions with residents. A key factor reported in the study was most nurses indicated dissatisfaction with available time to interact with patients and most CNAs reported such interactions as the most satisfying aspect of their jobs.
The heartbeat of the business It’s not just the pay – but the quality of life that LTC professionals experience in their care giving tasks that matter. Deep inside all LTC professionals is the need to make a difference through competency and the touch of humanity. Everyone, especially residents, respond to kindness and this gratitude creates a cyclical interaction of mutual care giving that replenishes the well of compassion from which LTC employee performance springs. To give, to be appreciated – ah there’s the rub, for in that relationship the heart of a profitable LTC business beats with the rhythm of positive resident outcomes and referrals.
The Point: Care giving is a way of life as much as it is a job for Long Term Care professionals. To improve business performance and employee retention staffing schedules in LTC facilities should be flexible to allow more time for caregiver to resident contact on a personal level in addition to treatment. Oh yeah, and a sincere thank you for a job well done by managers is helpful too.
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