THE DON IN LTC Supporting an Endangered Species

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THE DON IN LTC Supporting an Endangered Species

• Janet Dykstra, MS, RN, CDONA-LTC
• Edie Cassel Walters, MBA, RN, NHA

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• VI.
• PLANTING THE SEEDS, FEEDING THE PLANTS, PULLING
  THE WEEDS
• Hiring, education, retention, discipline and
  termination strategies

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PLANTING THE SEEDS

• SENSIBLE HIRING
• Know what you need
• Complimentary strengths
• Ads vs. word of mouth
• Hiring relatives and friends
• Resumes and applications
• Things are not always as they seem

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PLANTING THE SEEDS

• SENSIBLE HIRING
• Interviews
• Multiple interviews for supervisory level and up
• Team interviews
• Behavior based interviewing
• C Tell me about a challenge you had
• A What was your approach
• R What was the result, how was the problem
  resolved
• A warm body is NOT better than no body!

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PLANTING THE SEEDS

• Job descriptions
• Technical
• Managerial
• Behavioral
• Communicating expectations
• Realistic job preview
• Testing

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PLANTING THE SEEDS

• Using your gut in decision-making
• The adaptive unconscious a giant computer
  that quickly and quietly processes data such as
  getting you out of the way of a truck.
• The adaptive unconscious sizes up the world,
  warns of danger, sets goals and initiates action.
  We toggle back and forth between the conscious
  and adaptive unconscious.
• When you meet someone for the first time (such as
  in an interview) and when you are faced with
  making decision quickly and under stress, you use
  your adaptive unconscious.

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PLANTING THE SEEDS

• Truly successful decision are made based on a
  balance between deliberate and instinctive
  thinking.
• When listening, you pick up patterns.
• Too much input may overload this ability.
• When we recognize patterns and make snap
  judgments, we are editing. We get in trouble
  when we cant edit, dont know what to edit, or
  the environment doesnt let us edit. So we
  should avoid overload with irrelevant information.

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PLANTING THE SEEDS

• We size up people in ways we cant even explain.
  
• Did he look me in the eye?
• Did she answer questions directly?
• What was he saying with his body language?
• Did I feel comfortable with her?
• Did she look comfortable with me?
• Did he seem a bit too good to be true?

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PLANTING THE SEEDS

• Take the facts (resume) and
• Impressions and feelings (interview) and
• listen to the adaptive unconscious!
• Then make a decision.

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FEEDING THE PLANTS

• RETENTION
• What makes people leave?
• Poor treatment
• Inadequate pay/benefits
• Rejection from peers
• Preferential treatment
• Unresolved issues (especially personnel)
• Failure to become a team member

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FEEDING THE PLANTS

• RETENTION
• What makes people stay?
• Recognition/rewards
• Fair salary and benefits
• Competent supervision
• Feeling needed
• Respect
• Inclusion
• Empowerment

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FEEDING THE PLANTS

• ANTI-RETENTION
• There are issues in the organization
• We are not as good as we could be
• Survey outcomes are poor
• Complaints are frequent
• Satisfaction surveys indicate dissatisfaction
• Morale is low
• Turnover is high
• Absenteeism, lateness, injuries are high

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FEEDING THE PLANTS

• ANTI-RETENTION
• IDENTIFICATION OF PROBLEM EMPLOYEES
• The 80/20 rule
• Metrics
• Observation
• The too good to be true syndrome
• MBWA
• You hear something that concerns you about a
  staff member more than one time
• Exit interviews

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FEEDING THE PLANTS

• ANTI-RETENTION
• IDENTIFICATION OF PROBLEM EMPLOYEES
• THE OSTRICH SYNDROME
• IF YOU KNOW, EVERYONE KNOWS
• Damage to your image, your authenticity
• Frustration, turnover, apathy in the ranks
• Mediocrity in performance

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FEEDING THE PLANTS

• IDENTIFICATION
• So who or what really is the problem
• The employee
• The supervisor
• Someone higher up
• Policies and procedures
• Generational issues

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PULLING THE WEEDS

• So, why do you tolerate someone who is holding
  you back?
• Someone is better than no one
• Cant risk more turnover
• The residents/families/staff will be upset
• Not comfortable with conflict
• Employee has been here a long time
• Employee has your sympathy personal problems,
  etc., or is your friend

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FEEDING THE PLANTS

• EDUCATION
• It depends on what the meaning of mandatory
  is!
• Is your inservice boring, boring, boring?
• New approaches and media
• Free speakers
• Self-learning
• Small, informal learning

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WHY EMPLOYEES DONT DO WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO

• They dont know what they are supposed to do
• They dont know how to do it
• They dont know why they should do it
• They think they ARE doing it!!
• There are obstacles beyond their control
• They think their way is better
• They think something else is more important
• There is no reward for doing it

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WHY EMPLOYEES DONT DO WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO

• There is a punishment for doing what they are
  supposed to
• There is a reward for not doing it
• There is no negative consequence for not doing it
• Personal limits prevent them from performing
• Personal problems interfere
• They are fearful of punishment for doing it
• NO ONE COULD DO IT
• Ferdinand Fournies

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PULLING THE WEEDS

• THE LONG-STANDING EMPLOYEE
• The legacy from your predecessors
• The problem YOU have been ignoring
• Balancing
• What is fair and right
• What is for the good of the organization
• The making a job solution

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PULLING THE WEEDS

• DISCIPLINE
• YOU OWE IT TO THE EMPLOYEE
• SOME PEOPLE DONT GET THE MESSAGE UNTIL ITS IN
  WRITING
• SOME PEOPLE DONT GET THE MESSAGE UNTIL THERE IS
  A THREAT

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PULLING THE WEEDS

• DISCIPLINE
• INTENT
• TIMING
• CONFIDENTIALITY
• OBJECTIVITY
• ACTION PLAN
• FOLLOW-UP
• DOCUMENTATION

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PULLING THE WEEDS

• TERMINATION
• Is termination cruel?
• Helping the employee succeed somewhere else
• If the employee is taking a pay check, and not
  delivering, its stealing
• Fit is important, especially to the team
• Progressive documentation
• Sooner rather than later!
• ROLEPLAY

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PULLING THE WEEDS

• It isnt the people you fire who make your life
  miserable, its the people you dont. Al
  an Zimmerman

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PULLING THE WEEDS

• DEALING WITH FALLOUT
• DO THE RIGHT THING!
• You may need to cash in some chips
• The relationships and positive interactions you
  have had should carry you through
• Consider carefully how the message is transmitted
  (there is only so much you can say)
• Be ready to move on with positive messages

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PULLING THE WEEDS

• HANDOUT VI A
• TEST YOUR ASSERTIVENESS QUOTIENT

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PULLING THE WEEDS

• Standards are at risk
• Reputation is at risk (yours and your
  communitys)
• Performance and outcomes are at risk

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PULLING THE WEEDS

• TIPS ON DECISION-MAKING
• Accept that you may make a mistake
• Remember you can change your mind
• Dont get hung up on fact finding
• Respect your hunches
• Check your values
• Ask around, search for solutions
• Make the decision

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PULLING THE WEEDS

• TIPS ON DECISION-MAKING
• Avoid mushy statements well, maybe, perhaps,
  Ill think about it, it all depends
• A mediocre decision made quickly can achieve
  better results than a good decision made slowly

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• WHEN YOU HAVE TENDED THE GARDEN IN THE RIGHT WAY,
  YOUR HARVEST WILL BE FANTASTIC!