Employee satisfaction and resident quality of life connected

The hardest job in the world is hiring good managers. Good managers not only set the tone for the entire operation, they help ensure the two keys: compliance and quality.

My InnerView’s recent report published as a supplement to Provider’s October 2009 issue, emphasized this point over and over in the results of their latest surveys on quality care in assisted living. Good managers – managers who care, listen and set clear guidelines – results in greater employee satisfaction and improved resident quality of life.

Not surprisingly, the two outcomes are closely connected, as well. When employee satisfaction is high, resident quality of life increases at the same rate.

Supporting an employee’s career earns high marks as a measure of management strength; at the same time, only 22% of the 12,000 individuals surveyed rated the training provided to them as “excellent” – the weakest of the 4 areas the survey covered.

Nursing and personal care staff had the lowest overall job satisfaction rating, with just over 70% of the individuals in these job descriptions expressing happiness with their job, compared to over 80% of housekeepers and more than 90% of administration who were satisfied with their jobs.

Considering that these are the crucial workers who provide the care delivery to the clients, this is certainly an area for focus and improvement. These are the people who deliver the care, and in turn determine the happiness of clients and families.

Since top consumer issues are the care and competency of staff, this is clearly a management issue.

Caring, listening and building the strongest employee team possible – these are no small challenges that today’s assisted living manager faces. Seems like it’s more important than ever to focus on leadership.