The staff at an aged care facility are the core of the organisation. Even though having qualified, well trained staff is essential – having happy, content staff can be the difference between offering good and great care.
Do you know what your staff say about you? What do they tell others about the organisation? Would they wish to use your services one day?
Your employees hold the most valuable information about your organisation. They’re on the front-line everyday – they know what works well and what what doesn’t.
Chances are, if your staff aren’t already giving you feedback, then they are withholding intelligence from you.
Your staff may even have ideas on how the care could improve – and with better care comes a growing business.
As a leader, you want the best for your organisation, staff and clients. That even means knowing the bad things that need to be improved for the betterment of all your stakeholders.
And the best way to improve is to know your flaws.
So why aren’t your staff giving you feedback?
Many staff struggle to be upfront with even the most open of leaders. This is amplified when the issues is serious or negative.
There’s an inherent “fear factor” when it comes to giving feedback.
Many staff fear negative repercussions from feedback. They worry that if they give negative feedback, it could be at the risk of losing their job.
They don’t want to seem like they are “complaining” or “ungrateful” for their job.
Even if a staff member loves their work, and with the best intentions want to improve things for the residents, the fear forces them to stay silent.
Some staff believe it isn’t worth giving feedback because management won’t listen, and if they believe their comments fall on deaf ears then they’re unlikely to say anything in the future.
If management aren’t open to listening to the staff, then a “why bother?” attitude develops which can be challenging to overcome.
Some organisations have a “culture” where they believe something as simple as “you don’t disagree with your boss” – which, therefore, justifies their silence.
And this applies to everyone from middle management people as high up to CEOs.
Those staff who are willing to give forth feedback, wish to see results. They either want you, or someone higher that you can pass a message to, to make a change.
If staff feel like their feedback it futile, then they’ll stop trying to give you any.
If you don’t want people to think their ideas went to waste, make sure you tell them what you did next and what they can expect as a result.
What will make a difference is taking steps to assure your workers that it’s both safe and worthwhile to contribute, no matter where they sit in the organisation.
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