Title: Building Employee Engagement in the Health Sector: increasing staff performance through engagement
1Building Employee Engagement in the Health
Sectorincreasing staff performance through
engagement
- Wayne Balshin, Regional Director
- Employee Union Relations
- wayne.balshin_at_vch.ca
- 604.875.4563
2Engagement
3Engagement 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
4Engaged Employees
- I feel good about the organization.
- I enjoy being part of the team.
- The organization supports the teams
performance.
5Why Engagement?
Intuitively, it seems clear that employees that
feel strong, positive commitment to their jobs
and workplace are likely to outperform those who
dont. 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
6Key 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 Worlds
Greatest Managers Do Differently, Marcus
Buckingham Curt Coffman
7Communication Engagement
Supervisor communicates employee strengths Supervisor communicates employee weaknesses Supervisor does not communicate
Employee Engaged 61 45 2
Employee Not Engaged 38 33 58
Employee Actively Disengaged 1 22 40
- Gallop Study of 1000 US Health Care Workers
(2005)
8Level 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
9Engaged 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)
10A VCH Engagement Performance StrategyContinuou
s Communication
11Case 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
12Case for Continuous Communication
- 2006 Accreditation endorsed HRs partnership with
Royal Roads University to conduct Continuous
Communication as an alternative to regular
performance appraisals and as a component of
VCHs Staff Performance Management Framework.
13(No Transcript)
14Continuous Communication
Step 1 Continuous Communication Meetings
(semi-annual) Step 2 Ongoing staff
communication and recognition Step 3 Consider
process improvement ideas and challenges
15Continuous CommunicationStep 1 Meeting
- Semi-annual informal discussion (15 20 minutes)
between a front line employee and union
supervisor or manager about - Whats working well
- Performance achievements and recognition
- Skill and career development
- Ideas for process improvements and discussion
about operational challenges
16Continuous CommunicationStep 2 Recognition
- Positive and constructive
- Catch them doing something good
- Say it when you think it
- Say it often
- Smile when you say it
17Continuous CommunicationStep 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
18Performance 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
19Performance 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.
20 of Staff Impacted by Continuous Communication
Continuous Communication (90 staff)
21Pilot Study Continuous Communication
22Preparing 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
23Preparing for Continuous CommunicationEngagement
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
24Preparing for Continuous Communication Manager
/ Supervisor Training
- Communication Skills Model
- Effective Communication
- Recognition
- Conducting the Continuous Communication Meeting
25Manager / Supervisor TrainingCommunication
Skills Model
- Developed by Roger DAprix, 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
26Manager / Supervisor TrainingCommunication
Skills Model
Job Responsibilities
Engagement
Vision, Mission and Strategy
Performance Feedback
Department Objectives, Results
Individual Needs
27Manager / Supervisor TrainingEffective
Communication
- What Is Effective Communication?
- It is two-way
- sender ? receiver
- receiver ? sender
- It is balanced
- listening talking
- talking listening
- There is feedback
- discussion, questions, answers, analysis,
exploration of alternatives
28Manager / Supervisor TrainingEffective
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
29Manager / Supervisor TrainingEffective
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
30Manager / Supervisor TrainingRecognition
- - 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 Columbias
Public Service A Key to Delivering Quality
Service -
31Manager / Supervisor TrainingRecognition
- Bi-annual Continuous Communication Dialogue
- Supervisor asks employee, Whats going well?
- Actively listens
- Supervisor recognizes employee for his/her
contribution and performance
32Manager / Supervisor TrainingRecognition
- 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
33Manager / Supervisor TrainingRecognition
- 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 DAprix, ABC
34Manager / Supervisor TrainingConducting the
Meeting
- Bi-annual Continuous Communication Dialogue (15
20 minutes) - Supervisor asks employee, Whats going well?
- The CC dialogue is informal and positive.
- The managers role is to recognize performance
and listen to ideas, opinions and suggestions and
follow up where appropriate
35Manager / Supervisor TrainingConducting the
Meeting
- Choose topics appropriately dont need to cover
all every time. For instance - Long-term employee
- ?process improvements/barriers
- 2-3 year employee
- ?skill and learning development
- Everyone
- ?Recognition
36Manager / Supervisor TrainingConducting 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 employees contribution to others for
process improvement ideas
37Results from Pilot Study September 2007 June
2008
38Feedback from Pilot UnitsWhats 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
39Feedback from Pilot UnitsWhats 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 dont get done
this is a great compromise and covers the real
purpose of these interviews - Improved engagement at local level
40Feedback from Pilot UnitsCC 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.
41Feedback from Pilot UnitsProcess Improvement
Ideas
- Storage of linen items to where staff could
access them more easily streamline the
environment - Unit layouts (2) One of the old patients 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
42Feedback from Pilot UnitsProcess Improvement
Ideas
- Equipment requirements ordered gowns more
appropriate to nurses size - Converting a portion of a nursing vacancy into a
care aide position - Recycling
43Next Steps
44Next 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
45Manager 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 DAprix, ABC