Be In the Know!

It’s common for nursing assistants to feel like they are powerless in the workplace. They may think of themselves as the least important employees—unable to make a difference no matter what they do. It’s important to remind your employees that they do have power…and to help them recognize it.

Their personal power comes from their communication skills and their desire for personal achievement.

Their relationship power comes from their ability to work well with others.

Their knowledge power comes from their experiences on the job and from their continuing education efforts. (Remind your employees that knowledge is power and that the more they know about their work, the more valuable they’ll be to your organization–and to their clients.)

Their task power comes from their daily work. Their close contact with clients gives them a unique ability to make suggestions for improving client care. Because nursing assistants perform up to 80% of the client care for your organization, they have the power to make or break the reputation of your company.

The Bottom Line: Encourage your nurse aides to make every decision on the job as if they owned the company! And be sure to acknowledge when you see them demonstrate their importance to your health care team.

Happy Teaching!
Linda

One way to empower your nursing assistants is to reward positive behavior. Obviously, positive behavior is more than just getting to work on time and performing an assignment. As you go through your day, look for all the little ways in which your aides are growing–both as employees and as people. For example, be sure to praise your employees when they:

Set a good example for others.

Ask to join committees.

Ask for help when they need it.

Share their knowledge with others.

Approach their work creatively.

Come to work/meetings on time.

Are willing to stay late.

Set goals for themselves.

Listen to others.

Give help to others when asked.

Finish what they start.

Have a positive attitude.

Volunteer for challenging assignments.

Look for ways to make new ideas work.

Do their work with enthusiasm.

Complete their inservices.

Do their work better today than they did yesterday.

Avoid gossip.

Finish their paperwork.

Are excited about learning new things.

Offer or agree to train new employees.

Learn from their mistakes.

Ask lots of questions.

Enjoy their work!

As a supervisor, it’s easy to get caught up in “putting out fires” and dealing with negative behaviors…forgetting that all of the above actions demonstrate an employee’s enthusiasm for lifelong learning. So, focus on the positive and you’ll be on your way to retaining a happy CNA staff!