Tag: empowering workplace

Create an empowering workplace

By Thomas Davis, DNAP, MAE, CRNA

The times they are a changing.  Not long ago, applicants who lined up to compete for healthcare jobs hoped to be the lucky winner of the coveted position.  Now, due to many factors including COVID burnout, healthcare organizations are competing to attract candidates to fill the void created by open positions.  More than ever, employers are seeking ways to retain current workers while creating a positive reputation that will attract additional qualified people.  In short, organizations have a new focus on implementing employee friendly activities and have discovered that professional development is a core element of a preferred workplace.  Investing in all aspects of worker growth improves morale, engagement, productivity and retention.

Writing for Insperity, author Celenia Estime identifies the following as characteristics of a great workplace:

  • A sense of belonging
  • A sense of purpose
  • Allowing employees to have fun
  • Provide an opportunity for development and advancement

Clearly, Celenia is in alignment with other writers who tout professional development as an essential component of a highly desirable workplace.

The Gallup organization has been collecting information related to staff engagement for several decades and have refined their engagement assessment tool to 12 basic questions referred to as the Gallup Q12.    Savvy employers note that many of the twelve questions are designed to generate positive responses from workers when the organization has an ongoing commitment to the professional development.  These questions from the Gallup Q12 that support the importance of a robust professional development program.

  • In the last seven days I have received recognition or praise for doing good work
  • My supervisor or someone at work seems to care about me as a person
  • There is someone at work who encourages my development
  • At work, my opinions seem to count
  • The mission or purpose of my company make me feel as if my job is important
  • In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress
  • In the last year I have opportunities to learn and grow.

The Gallup team know that affirmative responses to these questions indicates that the team is highly engaged in their work and are likely to be both productive and loyal to the employer.

At this point, you may be all in for professional development but unsure about where to start.   If your workplace does not have an ongoing staff development program, step up and look for opportunities to learn new skills and to share your knowledge with your teammates.  An active combination of teaching, coaching, and mentoring will provide opportunities for personal growth for you and your colleagues as you learn and grow together.

“You will get all you want in life if you help enough otherpeople get what they want.”

~Zig Ziglar

In a podcast interview with Richard Wilson, CRNA, the importance of teaching, coaching, and mentoring are discussed.  Although there is overlap between the three approaches, Richard discusses the subtle differences and offers insight into how to effectively apply each approach to introduce professional development to your workplace. Click on the podcast at the end of this article.

Teaching is designed to impart academic information and instruction to a group of learners.  In most cases, the material is presented in a pre-determined manner and is designed to fulfill a specific need.  Teaching is often confined to working with neophytes in the classroom however when best practice guidelines are updated, opportunities for teaching arise for experienced workers.

Coaching occurs in the actual work environment and is often an extension of the classroom.  Typically, the coach builds on classroom knowledge by using his/her experience to teach hands on skills to less experienced people on the team.  As Richard points out in the podcast, coaching moves the learner from understanding concepts to acquiring the skills necessary for completion of a task.  When a leader arranges for an experienced person to coach a new member of the team, both the coach and the new hire have opportunities for professional growth.

Mentoring is a special relationship between two people in which the senior, more experienced person helps the underling define a vision, develop a plan, and achieve a goal.  Mentoring goes beyond teaching and coaching by introducing elements of professionalism and networking to the process.  The mentoring relationship is built upon trust and often develops into a lifetime friendship between the two individuals. 

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed. It is the only thing that ever has.”

– Margaret Mead, American cultural anthropologist

Professional development is the ultimate win/win for the organization, frontline leaders, and individual workers.  By actively engaging workers to participate in professional development, an important step is taken toward creating a preferred workplace that will attract and retain the best employees.   Author Trevor Antley notes the following as positive outcomes related to professional development:

  • Professional development expands your knowledge base.
  • Professional development boosts confidence and credibility
  • Professional development increases earning potential and hireability
  • Professional development can provide networking opportunities
  • Professional development keeps professionals current on industry trends
  • Professional development can open the door to future career changes

Congratulations if your workplace encourages and supports professional development because you landed a great job.  However, when the boss does not provide avenues for personal growth it is time to step up and be a leader regardless of your seniority or position in the workgroup.  Stay current with professional literature and freely share your ideas with your colleagues.  Establish both formal and informal times to share what you have learned by teaching and coaching.  Volunteer to be a coach for new hires and seek coaches for yourself when you want to learn a new skill.  Seek out a mentor who will help you move into a leadership role initially in your workgroup and later in the organization.   Look outside your organization and consider completing an advanced degree or gaining certification in a related area such as ultrasound nerve blocks or pain management.  Finally, listen to the advice provided by Richard Wilson in the podcast.

Click here to listen to the Podcast

Tom is an experienced leader, educator, author, and requested speaker.  Click here for a video introduction to Tom’s talk topics.

Make it a no go

no go

By Thomas Davis, CRNA, MAE, DNAP candidate

Follow @procrnatom on Twitter

 

The end of the year is a time to reflect on the good, the bad and the ugly.  For some, reflection on recent work experience produces the conclusion; “I gotta get a better job.”  They may be people who struggle in toxic environments in which the work they do is valued but, despite their contribution, they are not appreciated, recognized or rewarded for their efforts.  Those stranded in an onerous workplace may benefit from a new job and can truly justify leaving.  More frequently, however, people are motivated to seek a new position because they’re in a professional rut and no longer feel challenged or empowered by their ho-hum job.  In a nutshell, they are bored.

According to Alison Doyle, author for The Balance Careers, studies indicate that 51% of workers in America are planning to leave their current job and 47% of American workers who feel that they are in a good job would leave if an ideal job were available.  Millennials tend to not see themselves working at one job for the duration of their careers with 44% expecting to change jobs in the next 2 years.

 

Why People Leave

Business journalist, author, and CNBC business consultant, Suzie Welch, affirms the current unrest in the workforce and offers three reasons to explain why people seek new jobs.

  • They are no longer fully engaged in their work. People spend the early days of a job mastering the skills needed to be successful.  Over time, work becomes routine leaving the person feeling like a spoke on the wheel.
  • They have been at the same company too long. As years turn to decades, people settle into niches and robotically do their assigned task.  Not only is their spot on the pecking order assured, they are may have become embedded into the position with little opportunity to move either up or down the chain of command.
  • They are no longer challenged in their role. “You get good at what you do” remains true today and the risk of having acquired competent comfort is the onset of boredom. When a job no longer offers the stimulation of professional development, it loses importance beyond money earned, money paid.

 

Why People Stay

Are you ready to throw in the towel?  Not so fast!  Before you start a job search, consider some factors that make the current job a little more attractive.

  • Geographic ties The longer a person is in a community, the more engrained the person and their family become.  Friendships have been formed, and trusted resources have been located.  Leaving a community may require selling a home, packing and moving with the blind faith that the new community will be as good as the new job.
  • Interests of partner/spouse/family Those in a two-income family must consider both incomes before pulling up stakes and moving. Children have friends and school activities that would be disrupted by relocating. If your partner own/runs a business, moving may not be an option at all.
  • Current pay/benefits are good   Among the many reasons a person works, paying the bills is always on the list.  If the pay/benefits of the current job are good, it may be unwise at this point in your affairs to trade security for the stimulation of a new workplace.
  • Fear of the job hunt process  Searching for a job, interviewing, credentialing and onboarding are stressful and time-consuming. In addition, applying for a position opens you to unwanted scrutiny or potential rejection.
  • Prospect of changing the current workplace culture A great reason to stay in the existing job is the realization that your dissatisfaction with the present position can be alleviated by taking the lead in shaking things up and infusing energy into the present job.

 

The grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence so before you sell the farm, step back and look at your job objectively.   If the status quo is truly toxic or oppressive, and you’re able to move on, move on.  However, if the root cause of your unrest is plain old stuck-in-the-rut, you’re almost always better served by running toward the problem rather than running away from it.

 

When You Stay

For those who are committed to staying in the current job and want to feel fulfilled with a sense of purpose and enjoyment, try these ideas.

  • Develop a friendship. A friend at work gives you a trusted ear for sharing personal thoughts and someone whose company you enjoy.  Having someone in the workplace who you look forward to seeing each day increases loyalty to the organization and increases the likelihood that you will remain in the same job.
  • Just say no to negative talk. Negative talk and gossip are draining.  Refuse to say anything unfavorable about your job, a colleague or the organization.  When lounge talk deteriorates, change the subject or simply leave.
  • Leave it at work. Taking disagreeable thoughts home to share with a partner continues your discontent into your personal time.  Going home and assuming the role of a victim garners sympathy and reinforces your dissatisfaction with the job.  The emotions tied to victimhood will diminish your ability to make an intelligent decision about the potential benefits tied to the current job.
  • Take a break. Some people seek to make a job better by working longer and harder.  Doing too much for too long puts you at risk for burnout and even minor irritants at work become major issues.  Take a break, relax and return refreshed.
  • Acknowledge your own value. The importance that is tied to your good work may not get the recognition that it deserves.  End each day by reflecting on your positive contributions and your importance to the team.
  • Be proactive. Don’t expect the world to be placed at your feet; go after it.  When you have ideas for improving workflow or making the workplace a better place, take the initiative to make it happen.  Even little things can make you feel empowered and create a big difference for you and your colleagues.

 

In just a few days the new year will arrive, and you can quit the old job.   Start the new year with a new job by re-defining your position at your current workplace.  All that is required is renewed self-confidence and a shift in focus from, “I gotta get a better job,” to, “I can and will make this a better job.”  Don’t allow yourself to become a victim who enjoys wallowing in the mud of negative thought.  Instead, accept responsibility for making your job more satisfying by approaching the challenge with proactive, optimistic enthusiasm.  Expand your friendships, leverage group dynamics and consistently reflect on the positive.  When you think it’s time to go, reconsider and make it a no-go.

 

“Grass is greener at other people’s feet because they watered it. You need not to let your environment control you; you have what it takes to make it look beautiful!” 
~Israelmore Ayivor,

 

Tom is a respected anesthesia clinician, author, speaker and leadership coach.  Forward this article to friends and help expand the network of healthcare leaders.