2005 Salary Survey Report
Let employees know they're taken seriously
Being above board pays dividends
Sometimes you can't say yes to the solutions devised by employees, but you have to be ready to show that you listened and took the suggestions seriously, says Theresa Uhl, RN, BSN, interim director of Southern Home Care in Jeffersonville, IN.
Southern's nurses have undergone a difficult transition from hourly pay to salary over the past year, she says. Now, nurses want to work four 10-hour days for their workweek instead of five eight-hour days. "I have told them that I can make it work from a scheduling standpoint, but this is an issue that must be reviewed by our human resources department to see if the new pay structure and hospital policy will allow it," Uhl says.
Even if the agency is unable to change the schedules, nurses will know that their request was taken seriously and that it was evaluated carefully before a decision was made, she adds.
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While almost 54% of salary survey respondents report more than 15 years in home health and more than 92% report more than 19 years in health care, experience alone is not an indicator of how well a leader will communicate, says Greg Solecki, vice president of Henry Ford Home Health in Detroit. (See chart on home health experience above.)
"I know that we've fallen short of developing true leaders as we've dealt with the staffing shortage," he admits. Sometimes the rush to fill positions, even supervisory or management positions, resulted in leadership positions not having true leaders in them, he says. " While experience, age, and education can be good indicators of a person's qualifications for a leadership position, personality usually determines who will be best," he says. (See charts on education and age of survey respondents below.)
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A good leader knows how to listen without interrupting or appearing distracted or impatient, says Monica Locker, MPPA, director of the employee perspectives division of the Press Ganey satisfaction survey company.
"A good leader must also be sincere and credible," she adds. Credibility comes not only from experience in home health or in a particular position, but it also comes from doing what you say you will do, Locker adds. " This means that when a manager says that a problem will be evaluated, the manager comes back to the employee and shows how the problem was evaluated and addressed if possible," she explains. "A good leader also is able to talk and listen to everyone from physicians, to office staff, to nurses, and to housekeeping employees with the same level of attention."
When you have a leader who is comfortable talking with people of all backgrounds and experiences, you have someone who can ask for input in formal and informal settings, says Locker. This gives you a chance to gather feedback by "making rounds with a purpose," she adds.
"Rounding with a purpose is an excellent way to increase visibility of your senior leadership and get feedback from employees," suggests Locker.
"Rounding with a purpose" is more than just walking around the facility, she says. " You walk around with the intention of asking employees about specific issues or asking for general feedback," she explains.
While an administrator may not be the person to address concerns, it is important that the administrator to whom the employee expressed the concern be sure that the correct person addresses the problem and that the administrator communicates results, she says. " This is the best way to show that a leader not only listens but will also take action."
At Southern Home Care, all managers are required to turn in weekly "rounding logs," reports Uhl. "We keep a log of day-to-day interactions with employees that have uncovered issues we need to address."
Logs are passed along from supervisors to managers to directors and to administration, she says. Each issue is assigned to the appropriate people to address, and these issues and solutions are included on the agenda for the agency's staff meetings. For example, complaints about unfilled staff positions that increase the workload on other employees would be addressed with a verbal report on efforts to filled positions and the number of new employees in orientation, she says.
Whatever tactic your agency uses to communicate with employees, the key is to be honest, suggests Solecki. "Show that you have made a meaningful attempt to listen to the employees' concerns, evaluate the situation, and develop a solution," he says. "Make sure that you are honest and fair in your response, and your employees will know that you are listening."
Sources
For more information about communicating effectively with employees, contact:
- Monica Locker, MPPA, Director, Employee Perspectives Division, Press Ganey, 404 Columbia Place, South Bend, IN 45501. Telephone: (800) 449-9519 or (708) 799-9278. Fax: (574) 232-3485. E-mail: [email protected].
- Greg Solecki, Vice President, Henry Ford Home Health Care, One Ford Place, 4C, Detroit, MI 48202. Telephone: (313) 874-6500. E-mail: [email protected].
- Theresa Uhl, RN, BSN, Interim Director, Southern Home Care, Clark Memorial Hospital, 1806 E. 10th St., Jeffersonville, IN 47130. Telephone: (800) 582-7655 or (812) 283-9190. E-mail: [email protected].
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