There’s a new trending topic in health care and senior living communities across the United States and it’s called “Employee Engagement”. Many workplaces want more of it and are trying to get their employees either more engaged or out the door. But, what does employee engagement mean? How do you motivate employees to become more engaged? Engaged in what? Can employee engagement help with the endless problem of turnover, poor quality of care, deficiencies, errors, citations and even resident mortality? Let us explore this new concept.
What is Employee Engagement?
We all know that employee turnover can do a lot of damage in the workplace. It can decrease morale and teamwork, increase stress, workload and hours, and chip away at a positive work culture. On the other hand, engaged employees are less likely to quit and bring many positive benefits with them including increased productivity, higher profits, lower liability, and a happier workplace culture.
(NOTE: Interested in learning more about Professional Development in health care? Checkout my Professional Development CEUs on CEU Academy and try a FREE CEU today!)
Recently, senior care communities are putting a lot of attention on employee engagement. It is critical that healthcare professionals know exactly what this is, how to develop it and how to sustain it. Employee engagement means that employees are exceptional, stand apart, go the extra mile, have more passion about their mission, not just their work or roles, and feel profoundly connected with the care community or company. They drive innovation and move the care community and organization forward in positive ways.
Some experts indicate that employee engagement involves staff who are fully occupied in their work. They are much more than a license or a position. They exhibit great strength in commitment to their employer and to the role they play in the care setting. Engagement and commitment are very close in nature.
Engagement is the employees’ commitment to work effectively and remain in the company – not leave. It involves how employees feel and act towards their job, the experience, and company. Truly engaged employees enjoy and believe in what they are doing. Their work is deeply meaningful and purposeful to them.
What About Disengaged Employees?
A good way to better understand engaged employees is to contrast them with disengaged employees. These individuals find more excuses to why something isn’t done or done right than actually doing something right. They complain frequently and may damage the care community’s reputation. These employees are usually unhappy at work, and probably with life and they, at times, act out their unhappiness in the workplace. They monopolize the time of leadership, management and supervision with trivial issues. They might drive away customers, dragging the bottom line down.
Disengaged employees can be a little tricky to spot. Some may not appear hostile, unhappy or become disruptive in any way. They do just enough to eek by without being noticed. They do as little as possible and fly right below leadership’s radar. They can be uninspired, demotivated, and detached from the life of the community. They, too, may have little to no concerns about residents, families or visitors.
Which Would You Rather Be?
Americans spend more time at work than they do with their own families. They go to work sick and work longer hours than any other nation on the planet Earth. So, why wouldn’t you want to be fully engaged in what you are doing all those hours you’re putting in? Why wouldn’t you want deep meaning and purpose driving and motivating you each and every day? To be engaged or not. The choice is yours!
(NOTE: Interested in learning more about Professional Development in health care? Checkout my Professional Development CEUs on CEU Academy and try a FREE CEU today!)