Study: staff satisfaction key to retention - NH News Notes

Nursing Homes, Oct, 2003 by Douglas J. Edwards

How satisfied is your direct-care staff with their jobs and working environment? Answering that question--and taking steps to rectify complaints--can be an important part of a facility's employee recruitment and retention efforts, according to a study by the Institute for the Future of Aging Services (IFAS) and the California Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. In tact, the study concluded that the workplace environment is just as important--if not more--as money in determining experienced workers' job satisfaction.

Robyn Stone, DrPH, executive director of IFAS, added, "Though we found that wages do influence worker satisfaction, they are not the sole factor that determines whether direct-care workers in aging services facilities can be recruited and retained. This means that a facility that may not have the resources to raise wages can still make strides in staffing, for example, by encouraging all staff to be problem solvers and decision-makers and by ensuring that direct-care staff are recognized for the important role they play."

The report adds that nurse leaders are critical to this process--a DON with strong leadership skills and who is visible, accessible, and directly involved with resident care can establish a positive work environment. The report also highlights the importance of recognizing if direct-care staff have negative attitudes toward charge nurses. Recommended workplace strategies to increase staff satisfaction--and ultimately recruitment and retention--include bringing direct-care staff and charge nurses together to "hear each other out," training supervisory nurses in effective management skills, and using role-modeling, mentoring, and coaching to disseminate nursing information and skills.

To purchase the report, Addressing Shortages in the Direct Care Workforce: Recruitment and Retention Practices of California's Not-for-Profit Nursing Homes, Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities, visit www. aahsastore.org.