Ensuring that residents feel safe, cared for and engaged is a goal that many aged care facilities pursue. It is an obvious and necessary area to cater resources and strategy too. Yet there is another component of aged care that is vitally important as well, the morale and wellbeing of staff. Numerous experts believe there is a direct link between staff morale and the quality of care and attention that residents receive. The care of residents must come first but it should not be done at the detriment of staff. Making sure staff feel seen and appreciated, along with providing opportunities to have a little fun go a long way in the overall atmosphere of any aged care facility.

1 Satisfaction Survey

An easy way to assess how your staff feel is to ask them about it. Anonymously. Through creating a survey that asks about salary satisfaction, work situation, accessible resources is a great start to getting a sense of how your staff are travelling. From scheduling to communication with management and relationships with co-workers there may be areas that as management you can easily address or provide ways to enhance. It is important to know before you respond and change.

2 Consistency

A study conducted recently found that many employees of aged care facilities enjoy a consistency in their shifts. Shift rotations can cause confusion and unrest among staff and can lead to a lowering of morale.

3 Appreciate Good Work

Train your eyes to see and appreciate good work as well as seeing areas for improvement. Whether an employee hasn’t missed a day of work, has been praised by a resident or their family member or has reached an anniversary working for your aged care facility, recognise and affirm that achievement.

Sending a personal message, either through email or card can mean the world to any employee. Include their team or anyone who manages them so the encouragement can come from a collective approach.

Facilitating a space where star employees can be displayed can inspire and encourage staff in their jobs. Provide a little drop box for fellow staff, residents, family members to leave positive notes of encouragement and gratitude.

4 I Can Read You Loud And Clear

Ensuring that the lines of communication are open, between all departments, especially between attendants working directly with residents and management. To create and protect an environment, where employees, administrators and managers feel comfortable to freely exchange ideas and concerns, is an important goal for facilities.