Transcript Building Employee Engagement in the Health Sector

Building Employee Engagement
in the Health Sector:
increasing staff performance
through engagement
Wayne Balshin, Regional Director
Employee & Union Relations
[email protected]
604.875.4563
Engagement
Engagement is …
“A heightened emotional connection
that an employee feels for his/her
organization that influences him / her to
exert greater discretionary effort to
his/her work.”
Conference Board 2006
Engaged Employees …
• “I feel good about the organization.”
• “I enjoy being part of the team.”
• “The organization supports the team’s
performance.”
Why Engagement?
“Intuitively, it seems clear that employees that
feel strong, positive commitment to their jobs
and workplace are likely to outperform those
who don’t. Gaining this discretionary effort
from employees may be the last remaining
source of productivity, now that so many
companies have already captured the
efficiencies of technology and streamlined
processes.”
-- Working Today: Exploring Employees’ Emotional Commitment to
their Jobs, Towers Perrin/Gang & Gang Research 2003
Key Driver for Engagement
“An employee may join Disney or GE or Time
Warner because she is lured by their generous
benefits package and their reputation for valuing
employees. But it is her relationship with her
immediate manager that will determine how long
she stays and how productive she is while she is
there… managers trump companies.”
- First Break All the Rules – What the World’s Greatest Managers
Do Differently, Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman
Communication = Engagement
Supervisor
communicates
“employee
strengths”
Supervisor
communicates
“employee
weaknesses”
Employee
Engaged
61%
45%
2%
Employee
Not Engaged
38%
33%
58%
1%
22%
40%
Employee
Actively
Disengaged
Supervisor
does not
communicate
Gallop Study of 1000 US Health Care Workers (2005)
Level of Engagement
• Employee engagement in the Health
Sector is generally lower than
engagement in other sectors, whether
public or private, in the United States or
Canada:
• Gallup (U.S.) documented in 2002 that
nurses’ level of engagement scored 18%
vs. 30% for overall working population
Engaged Employees …
speak positively about the organization to
coworkers, potential employees and
customers (recruitment)
 have a strong desire to be a member of
the organization (retention)
exert extra effort to contribute to the
organization's success (performance)
A VCH Engagement &
Performance Strategy:
Continuous Communication
Case for
Continuous Communication
• 2004 Accreditation identified Human Resources
needed to address the lack of performance appraisals
for VCH staff
• Given the Managers large span of leadership, eg.
between 75 – 200 staff, Managers were challenged to
find the time to write annual performance evaluations
• Performance evaluations are specific to the individual,
not department performance, they are retrospective
and do not capture the level of employee engagement
or process improvement opportunities
• Employees’ perception is that negative evaluation =
disengagement and grievance
Case for
Continuous Communication
• 2006 Accreditation endorsed HR’s partnership
with Royal Roads University to conduct
Continuous Communication as an
alternative to regular performance appraisals
and as a component of VCH’s Staff
Performance Management Framework.
Continuous
Communication
Step 1
Continuous Communication
Meetings (semi-annual)
Step 2
Ongoing staff communication and
recognition
Step 3
Consider process improvement
ideas and challenges
Continuous Communication
Step 1: Meeting
•
Semi-annual informal discussion (15 – 20
minutes) between a front line employee and
union supervisor or manager about:
 What’s working well
 Performance achievements and
recognition
 Skill and career development
 Ideas for process improvements and
discussion about operational challenges
Continuous Communication
Step 2: Recognition
Positive and constructive
Catch them doing something good
Say it when you think it
Say it often
Smile when you say it
Continuous Communication
Step 3: Process Improvement
• Supervisor/manager records brief
summary of ideas/challenges
• Manager brings forward ideas and
challenges to Director for consideration as
appropriate
• Manager communicates outcomes to staff
Some ideas may be feasible; others may
require further analysis; some ideas may not
be feasible for a variety of reasons
Performance Assessment
• Staff new to a unit / department or to VCH
informed of what is required to succeed
orientation provided to facilitate success in
position
recognition, feedback, and coaching provided
Coaching includes identifying strengths, areas
for development and actions required
Written performance assessment completed at
the conclusion of qualifying period
Performance Recovery
• Applies to staff whose job performance is
unsatisfactory.
• Interventions to remedy performance:
 supervision and instruction to the staff member;
 learning plan and timelines;
 alternative employment within the competence of the
staff member; and,
 warning(s) job in jeopardy.
# of Staff Impacted by
Continuous Communication
Continuous
Communication
(90%+ staff)
Performance
Assessment
(5% staff)
Performance
Recovery
(5% staff)
Pilot Study:
Continuous Communication
Preparing for
Continuous Communication
• June 2007 VCH:
– Identified 6 units to pilot Continuous
Communication
– Ask staff in pilot units to complete VCH
Engagement Survey
– Trained supervisors and managers for the
pilot units, plus Human Resource Advisors, on
Continuous Communication
• Implemented Continuous Communication
September 2007 for the 6 pilot units
Preparing for Continuous Communication:
Engagement Survey
•
•
•
•
Duties of my job are clear
I have the material and equipment needed
I receive frequent recognition for my work
There is someone who encourages me to take
advantage of career growth
• I feel free to make suggestions for improvement
• I receive feedback about my work
• I recommend my unit as a good place to work
• Answered on the Likert Scale:
– Strongly agree; Somewhat agree; Neutral; Somewhat disagree;
Strongly disagree
Preparing for Continuous Communication:
Manager / Supervisor Training
Communication Skills Model
Effective Communication
Recognition
Conducting the Continuous
Communication Meeting
Manager / Supervisor Training:
Communication Skills Model
• Developed by Roger D’Aprix, ABC, an
internationally-recognized communication
consultant, lecturer and author in collaboration
with International Association of Business
Communicators
• Model based on experience working with
managers and employees in Fortune 500
companies
• Model describes the questions employees need
answered to reach engagement
Manager / Supervisor Training:
Communication Skills Model
1
Engagement
Job Responsibilities
6
How can
I help?
Vision,
Mission
and Strategy
5
What are our
vision, mission
and values?
How are
we doing?
Department
Objectives,
Results
What’s
my job?
2
How am
I doing?
Does
anyone
care?
3
4
Individual
Needs
Performance
Feedback
Manager / Supervisor Training:
Effective Communication
What Is Effective Communication?
1. It is two-way:
sender ► receiver
receiver ► sender
2. It is balanced:
listening & talking
talking & listening
3. There is feedback:
discussion, questions, answers,
analysis, exploration of alternatives
Manager / Supervisor Training:
Effective Communication
“The most basic and powerful way to
connect to another person is to listen.
Just listen.
Perhaps the most important thing we ever
give each other is our attention…”
Rachel Naomi Remen
Manager / Supervisor Training:
Effective Communication
• Active Listening Techniques
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Paraphrase
Re-frame
Acknowledge both content and feeling
Use bridges
Use positive words
Wait to hear what the other person is saying
Empathize
Accept silence
Ask open-ended questions
Manager / Supervisor Training:
Recognition
- “Recognition has been shown to motivate staff, increase
morale, productivity, and employee retention, and
decrease stress and absenteeism.”
- “…individual recognition” was one of the top three
factors for improving the levels of employee satisfaction
and employee engagement in the BC public service.”
2002 report, Auditor General of BC on Building a Strong Work
Environment in British Columbia’s Public Service: A Key to
Delivering Quality Service
Manager / Supervisor Training:
Recognition
• Bi-annual Continuous Communication
Dialogue
– Supervisor asks employee, “What’s going
well?”
– Actively listens
– Supervisor recognizes employee for his/her
contribution and performance
Manager / Supervisor Training:
Recognition
• Ongoing Spontaneous Recognition &
Feedback
– Positive and constructive
– Catch them doing something good
– Say it when you think it
– Say it often
– Smile when you say it
Manager / Supervisor Training:
Recognition
“As a manager, you add value to overall
performance when you motivate your staff
to achieve performance levels not
otherwise attainable. Employee motivation
comes from working with a leader who is
open to ideas, who is accessible and who
recognizes performance.”
- Roger D’Aprix, ABC
Manager / Supervisor Training:
Conducting the Meeting
• Bi-annual Continuous Communication
Dialogue (15 – 20 minutes)
– Supervisor asks employee, “What’s going well?”
• The CC dialogue is informal and positive.
• The manager’s role is to recognize
performance and listen to ideas, opinions
and suggestions and follow up where
appropriate
Manager / Supervisor Training:
Conducting the Meeting
• Choose topics appropriately – don’t need
to cover all every time. For instance:
– Long-term employee
• ►process improvements/barriers
– 2-3 year employee
• ►skill and learning development
– Everyone
• ►Recognition
Manager / Supervisor Training:
Conducting the Meeting
• No formal record-keeping:
– Barriers and process improvement ideas
• Employee describes ideas; pinpoints barriers
• Manager records ideas & barriers for follow-up
– Barriers & process improvements follow-up
•
•
•
•
Discussion at staff meeting
Forward to Director
Follow-up with employee on action or reasons for non-action
Acknowledge employee’s contribution to others for process
improvement ideas
Results from Pilot Study:
September 2007 – June 2008
Feedback from Pilot Units
What’s Working Well with CC
• Informality of CC process is positive
• Gives structure to conversation
• Sets the tone – not a performance appraisal;
putting people at ease
• Increases opportunity for manager and staff to
meet
• After meetings, staff feel more comfortable to
approach managers
• Staff now coming up with improvements by
phone, e-mail or in person
Feedback from Pilot Units
What’s Working Well with CC
• All staff who participated in one unit said
they appreciated the ability to talk to their
manager one-on-one
• Prefer this process to yearly, long drawn
out, labour intensive reviews that don’t get
done; this is a great compromise and
covers the real purpose of these
interviews
• Improved engagement at local level
Feedback from Pilot Units
CC Challenges
• Some managers found their large span of
control was a challenge for scheduling
meetings
• Staff need more communication around
the CC process as units adopt this
approach
• Continued need for training program,
especially for staff with limited experience
in difficult conversations and coaching.
Feedback from Pilot Units
Process Improvement Ideas
• Storage of linen items to where staff could
access them more easily; streamline the
environment
• Unit layouts (2) – One of the old patient’s rooms
changed to a store room and another changed
to a patient room closer to the nursing station
• Identified educational need around a number of
patients with delirium from alcoholism was
addressed; educational need around skin care
Feedback from Pilot Units
Process Improvement Ideas
• Equipment requirements: ordered gowns
more appropriate to nurses’ size
• Converting a portion of a nursing vacancy
into a care aide position
• Recycling
Next Steps
Next Steps
• VCH Steering Committee reviewing
feedback from pilot units and distributing
follow-up engagement survey in
September 2008 (approximate)
• VCH to assess CC roll-out across
organization
Manager is fundamental to
Engagement
“No one is a more influential leader than
our immediate boss. He or she sets the
tone, provides the example, and either
motivates or destroys our engagement.”
Roger D’Aprix, ABC