7 tips to support staff effectively in health and social care

In any organisation, employees are what underpin our successes. With so many frontline roles available, it is crucial that we support our frontline teams more than ever. In this blog post, I look at 7 tips on how to support staff effectively.  

We know research has shown that when employees feel valued, motivated and well-supported, they are more likely to be engaged, remain loyal and be more productive. So, how can we ensure that our teams feel supported?

1. Clearly communicate

It is important that we first create an environment that forges and facilitates effective communication.  

First things first, we need to move away from being so task focused to being people focused – which means that we give ourselves and others time to have conversations.  

Communication doesn’t have to be difficult. Remember, adapt it to the person and make it meaningful. If you need to, seek advice and up-skill your teams. Getting it right can lead to many wonderful things.

2. Provide training and development

By developing staff through training, we can identify gaps in skills, provide relevant training opportunities and enhance skills and knowledge.  

We’ve all interviewed staff who are leaving a role due to lack of training or qualification opportunity, so be the provider who invests in training for their team. You will see an increase in job satisfaction, be able to retain staff for longer and can develop career pathways and succession plans.  

3. Recognition and appreciation

Recognising and appreciating your staff's efforts and accomplishments can go a long way in boosting morale.  

Celebrate achievements, both big and small, and give credit where it's due. A simple "thank you" or public acknowledgment can make a significant difference in how employees feel about their work.

4. Work life balance

Promoting the well-being of your employees involves showing consideration for work-life balance.  

We should all strive to offer flexible working arrangements as well as encouraging our teams to take their designated breaks and annual leave, whilst ensuring that you are not overloading them with work and overtime.  

5. Empower your team

You should trust your employees to make decisions and take ownership of their work.  

Micromanagement can reduce creativity and lead to disengagement and poor productivity, which, in turn, increases the turnover of your staff.  

6. Pay and benefits

Whilst we cannot always pay our staff what we would like to pay them, we can ensure that we offer worthwhile benefits, such as:

• Employee Assistance Programmes / EAPs – these can provide your team with access to counselling and support for personal issues  
• Sick pay
• Enhanced percentage of pension
• Enhanced annual leave entitlement  
• Flexible working
• Career pathways  

This list is not exhaustive but can go a long way to improving morale and support.  

7. Provide feedback

Providing constructive feedback on a regular basis, which focuses on both positive and negative aspects can help employees understand how they can improve and provide resources for their development. Positive feedback will lead to the employee doing more of it.  

Summary

Supporting staff is not as simple as just implementing the above. It takes time to embed a culture where employees feel safe, heard, and supported.  

The above pointers will guide you in the right direction, but only you can make people feel valued and motivated.

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