Documentation Power Tools
25 years experience in long term care
Documentation Power Tools
25 years experience in long term care |
HomeRetentionHaving an active and ambitious Retention Committee can help the facility to retain staff and increase job satisfaction. The committee should consist of several department heads and a variety of staff members, and meet once per month. Staff turnover and complaints from the previous month can be reviewed, and discussion held on how to alleviate the existing problems. The other focus of the committee is to build employee morale. Ideas are shared toward this aim, and goals are set for the following month. The following are some of the more popular forms of retention activities: Career LadderThis is a path of advancement available in same general position. It motivates staff to take on more responsibility, and rewards effort and ambition. Examples are a program for a nursing assistant to become the charge assistant for her floor or unit, or a program for a floor nurse to become charge nurse or unit manager. Cross-training An employee who is restless in a certain position gains incentive to stay by learning new skills that may lead to a different position within the facility. Cross-training helps to ensure that if an employee leaves abruptly someone else can quickly fill the position. This is especially important for the position of MDS Coordinator - leaving that position unfilled can result in huge loss of revenue for the facility. Competitive Wages and Benefits Compare your facility's wages and benefits with those of other facilities in the area. Nurses and Nursing Assistants communicate with friends and former coworkers, and are well aware of these differences. Job evaluations and wage increases should be done in a timely manner, since employees become angry and frustrated if these are not done on schedule. Job Empowerment Involve staff in decisions as much as possible. Increasing job autonomy increases job satisfaction. Especially search for ways to give the nursing assistants a sense of importance and control. Miscellaneous: Child care assistance or child care in the facility Tuition reimbursement Uniform allowance Free meals Rotating on-call and weekends to minimize weekends worked Avoid pulling staff to other units - learn staff preference about units, and try to honor as much as possible Forms of recognition such as certificates, pins, ceremonies, publishing employee accomplishments in facility newsletter or putting them up on bulletin board Check up on new employees regularly during the first few months- mark this on your calendar if necessary Give bonuses and awards for attendance and anniversaries of employment Treat staff to pizza or dinner once a month, and make sure every shift is included Post resident and family thank you cards on the bulletin board Give generous gifts or bonuses on holidays Allow staff to choose uniforms More information on staffing can be found in the book: The DON's Handbook for Long Term Care
|
Long Term Care Solutions
Phone: 877-881-2404
www.LTCSBooks.com