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Disgruntled workers at odds
with Honey Hill
Posted on 03/31/2009
NORWALK By JILL BODACH Hour Staff Writer
Employees
at a local rehabilitation center say the relationships between
administration and staff are in need of some rehabilitating.
Workers
at the Honey Hill Care Center in Norwalk say they are fed up with the
ill treatment they receive on the job and want to see changes.
"I've
worked at Honey Hill for 13 years, given it my best, and now I get so
upset and aggravated when I walk through the doors that I actually hate
going to work now," said Margaret Owen, a 55-year-old CNA at the
nursing home. "I've never felt that way before."
Taishka Addison, another CNA at Honey Hill, said she often
feels uncomfortable at work because of her superiors.
"People
are followed to the bathroom, timed actually, and people have been
suspended and fired for reasons that could be settled in a friendly
manner," Addison said.
Addison has worked at Honey Hill since 2005.
Owen and Addison say the mistreatment is coming from their
new nursing supervisor, Judy Perry.
"It's never been this way until she came on board in July,"
Addison said. "She just talks to us with such disrespect."
Owen said employees do not feel free to speak their minds
because they are afraid of being suspended.
"She
(Perry) treats us like slaves instead of employees," Owen said. "She
follows us to the bathroom. She times us on our breaks."
Willie
Reddick, an employee in the dietary department at Honey Hill, said he
doesn't come into contact with Perry on a daily basis but has heard
from other employees about how they are being mistreated.
"They
complain and talk to the administration but it's like no one wants to
hear what they're saying," Reddick said. "It shouldn't be like that.
It's just not right. What else are they supposed to do?"
Art
Santilli, administrator of Honey Hill, said the employees are not being
mistreated by their supervisors. Stopping short of blaming the union
that represents CNAs, Santilli noted the union is under negotiation for
a new contract.
"I'm not going to say it's a union technique," he
said. Santilli declined further comment on the matter.
Owen
said Perry has changed the procedure of the overnight nursing staff,
insisting they sit in chairs in the hallway instead of at the desk so
they can be closer to the patient rooms if a buzzer goes off.
"For
13 years I've sat at the desk and used the computer to write my
reports; now, we have to write them in the hallway," Owen said. "She
(Perry) comes by and says, 'Turn this way. Turn that way.' It's just
ridiculous. The patients are getting upset by it, too."
Owen
said she was suspended for not sitting in her chair one night but
claims the reason she wasn't in her chair was because she was tending
to very ill patients.
"Our patients were very, very sick -- the
whole place was under quarantine," Owen said. "From the time I arrived
at work for about three hours, all I was doing was sitting with people
while they threw up, getting them juice, changing them, cleaning them.
Then I get in trouble for not sitting in my chair."
Owen said she tried to explain the situation to Perry but to no avail.
"She is just harassing us," Owen said. "I have never in my
life been treated like this before."
Despite all of the mistreatment Owen and Addison claim, both
said they do not plan to quit their jobs.
"I
need my job, like everybody else," Owen said. "I can't afford to lose
my job, but I'm afraid that I will now because I said something about
what's going on. They are firing people left and right here."
From
the desk of Nicole Gruendl,
Dear
Care
Home Director or Administrator,
NOW! How would you feel if your staff talked about you and your facility
this way?
As you can see from this message, staff members rely on their
managers, team leaders and directors for support and
guidance. This disconnection between staff members leads to
conflict, stress, being overwhelmed and then who suffers in the end?
The patients. Many of these patients do not have a choice to be in your
facility. They are there for health reasons or they do not
have the ability to care for themselves any longer. They come
to you in trust and hoping they have found a more comfortable and
caring place to be.
Yet, because YOUR staff is so overwhelmed and stressed and
have nobody
to talk to or nowhere to turn, they reflect their frustrations onto one
another. Creating not just a horrible work environment but a
place that is far from warm and welcoming to your primary concern, your
patients. The staff is there for the patients but who is
there for the staff?
“A
survey instrument derived from the model was distributed to 771
hospital and nursing home employees in New Jersey, and 289 (37.5 per
cent) were returned. Respondents did not significantly differ from
non-respondents by age, sex, job tenure, union membership status, job
satisfaction, job perceptions and attitude towards employer and union.
The results support the hypothesis that reported job strain (job
dissatisfaction, depression, psychosomatic symptoms) and burnout is
significantly higher in jobs that combine high workload demands with
low decision latitude. This association remained significant after
controlling for age, sex, education, marital status, children, hours
worked per week and shift worked. Other job characteristics (job
insecurity, physical exertion, social support, hazard exposure) were
also associated with strain and burnout.” |
As the head of the facility, whether it be a nursing home,
care home or
what have you, it is your responsibility to support your staff at all
cost. This task is far from an easy one. The
employees often carry their turmoil from work to home and vice versa
and they feel frustrated and alone and sometimes just don't know where
to turn. When their demise begins to interfere with the quality of work
you are left with questions such as “Do I fire them? Do I
just continue to “write them up” hoping things will change. You're in
an administrative position but it also leaves YOU thinking, “I'm only
one person, how can I handle all of their “stuff” as well as my
own.” And the cycle continues...
You may have your weekly, bi weekly staff meetings to relay
important
information reflecting the facility's day to day events but have you
thought about support for the staff! Having a weekly or bi weekly group
meeting for them to vent and share their thoughts and
feelings. CLEAR THE AIR?
I don't know about you but I sure feel better when I have the
opportunity to say what I have to say so I can get on with my work, my
day and my life. Letting go of such burdens can create so
many opportunities for them. They are more focused on their
work, on support for one another instead of playing the blame game,
working together as a team instead of a lonely savior.
Get
the picture?
You
are here to create the best group of staff members
around. Can you envision the possibilities?
Less stress for you, less conflict for them, happier work
environment,
they WANT to come to work and not just feel they have to because they
need to pay their bills. This is not just a job they are
doing, they are caring for other people and that takes a special
person. Seeing things a little clearer now?
Now why am I talking to you about this? How could I
possibly
KNOW what I am talking about? Why should you trust in what I
am saying? I'm a coach, not a nurse or a manager or hey, I haven't even
worked in a hospital. But yet here I am talking to
you. WHY? Because I lived with someone who worked
in a facility such as yours and I have experienced it first hand at a
very young age. I am talking about my mother. Often
she would bring her work home with her, the frustrations she had with
some of her coworkers and the patients, let alone the lead team! This
did not lead to a calm home let alone how things were transpiring at
work.
Furthermore, I am the leading authority in Care Home Coaching
for
Whatcom County. I have acquired my coaching skills and
techniques in a year program from the finest coaching programs in the
world. This led me to working with one of the local
facilities and their staff. I been able to support their
selected staff members, those who were on the chopping block due to
their inability to work with others and the frustrations they brought
to the facility. There were a few bumps and bruises along the
way with their “it's not me, it's not my fault attitude” but with a
little time and lots of support they got to see the bigger picture and
how by them changing as leaders and their support staff began to change
as well.
They were able to resolve their issues and have the facility
run
smoother. The team has learned that communication is a key
factor. This not only led to change in their work environment but in
their personal lives as well. They were able to keep 100% of
their staff, saving the employees grief of finding a new job, but also
saving the facility ten of thousands of dollars!
I
REPEAT!
Saving
them ten of thousands of dollars and hours on
advertising and retraining
So what is the next step? What is your sense of
urgency? Why should you even talk to me? My
response to you is this. Let's talk, let's meet and
discuss your environment and see what the possibilities are for not
just you but your whole staff and the patients they care for.
You, as a team, are working in the industry for one reason...you love
caring for people. Enough said.
So is this worth a ½ hour of your time to speak to me? How
about
this? Why not try my service out for 30 days FREE of
charge! That’s right, you read this correctly. I
will coach your staff for 30 days, in group (of 10) and the sessions
are for 1 hour/1 day/week for 4 sessions, free of charge. If
you see NO difference in how your staff works together, we shake hands
and say good bye. But WHEN the change comes and you notice
the difference, we then work together and schedule a time and program
that works for you! So pick up the phone or email me and take
action on creating a great work environment for you and your
staff.
“Happy staff is a more productive and efficient staff!”
Nicole Gruendl
Life and Success Coach
www.NicoleGruendl.com
Nicole@NicoleGruendl.com
360.201.2195
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