What makes staff happy in the hospital setting?
Data Management & Research, a Franklin, TN-based research firm specializing in health care quality and satisfaction surveys, surveyed 17,000 employees, including hospital-based outpatient surgery employees, at 58 hospitals. Here are the top five item predictors of employee satisfaction:
• Morale/others. It isn’t clear why the morale of others showed up in the hospital survey results, while the morale of the individual scores highest in the surgery center pilot study, says Mel Thompson, president and chief executive officer of Data Management & Research. "The assumption is that in a large setting, your morale may not have as much effect on you as what you see happening to everyone," he says. "Size may be the difference."
• Overall service. This item concerns the quality of care offered by the hospital, Thompson says. The intent is for there to be a general perception by the staff of quality overall service, he explains. "This item is influenced by morale, communication, customer service perceptions, and technical ability of the staff," Thompson says.
• Sense of belonging. "In a hospital, you could get lost in the mix," Thompson says. Communication is a key part of this factor, he says. "I need to know that what I do is truly contributing to this organization and the quality of care I provide." To feel that, employees need recognition, Thompson adds.
At The Surgical Center at Lake Norman, based in Mooresville, NC, and part of Lake Norman Regional Medical Center, each employee receives a gift, such as a canvas chair, duffel bag, sweatshirt, golf umbrella, or a Wal-Mart gift certificate, during Hospital Week, says Mary Jane Sutton, RN, MSN, clinical director at The Surgical Center. Other events held that week include a tea, a dinner for employees receiving service awards, and a picnic. Sutton gives cards to her entire staff on Feb. 14 and Nurses’ Day, and she adds a bookmark. "It’s the little things that don’t cost very much, but they do make a difference," Sutton says. "They really do appreciate it."
• The work itself. This item relates to the particular duties of the hospital staff employee, Thompson says. It is different from the "value of my work," which showed up as a surgery center predictor, he says. The "value" predictor is related to staff members considering themselves important to the organization, Thompson explains.
• Communication. At the hospital level, it’s not just communication by the supervisor that matters, but communication by the high administration level, Thompson says.
At Northwest Community Healthcare, the Day Surgery Center in Arlington Heights, IL, found that a daily report sheet enhanced interdepartmental communication. The sheet lists sick calls, any equipment issues, general announcements, and social announcements. "We leave it on the bulletin board for several weeks, so part-time staff can see when they come in. Then they go into a book," says Meaghan Reshoft, RN, MBA, director of the Day Surgery Center. "If someone is on vacation, then [that person] can come back and see what was going on the week before," Reshoft explains.
Sources
For more information on hospital employee satisfaction, contact:
• Meaghan Reshoft, RN, MBA, Director, Day Surgery Center, Northwest Community Healthcare, 675 W. Kirchoff Road, Arlington Heights, IL 60005-2372. Telephone: (847) 618-7075. Fax: (847) 618-7069. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: www.nch.org.
• Mary Jane Sutton, RN, MSN, Clinical Director, The Surgical Center at Lake Norman, 156 Centre Church Road, Mooresville, NC 28117. Telephone: (704) 660-4572. Fax: (704) 660-4501. E-mail: [email protected].
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