At a meeting recently, an info-graphic was presented, resembling a world map, full of images, longitudes and latitudes of text, and arrows. You know the type that is trying to make the truism ‘a picture paints a thousand words’ obsolete? Staff as a priority was languishing somewhere in the Topic of Capricorn.
We’re in a service industry with new shiny buildings amidst ones which are no longer fit for purpose all equipped with costly technical infrastructure. Yet, our clients consistently complain about the care provided despite our motto mentioning that they are at the centre of all we do.
If we’re serious about improving the service user experience, shouldn’t the organisation put staff first, maybe even before clients? I know this isn’t a radical thought, as leaders of private firms have opined on this in various media. Fast forward a few weeks and there’s an email to employees asking them to complete the staff survey. Skepticism whipped up as quickly as a desert dust storm tempting me to snub the questionnaire. Yet being aware of the price paid by generations past for me to have a voice, I find it difficult to eschew any opportunity to have my say even if I have doubts that it will be listened to and if so, acted upon.
I’m not deluded into thinking that my experience of and feelings towards my employer is universal but I do know that it is not unique. I whizzed through the multiple choice section and arrived at the free text portion. Instead of a stream of consciousness, I drafted and re-crafted my response to focus more on solutions and practices based on evidence (one of my workplace’s favourite phrases is ‘evidence-based’) which would ameliorate staff retention and productivity while improving client outcomes and satisfaction.
There was cynicism creep again as reminders for conferences dropped into my inbox. The advert for one talked about the joy at work. Staff, clinical in the main, rush to attend as presence is equivalent to points with the prize being retaining/renewing one’s license to practice. Yet many of the sessions are run by foreign experts who have not been properly briefed about how things work in this region, the varying nationalities of the employees and how these intersect to produce a very different environment to a North American or European work culture. Consequently the returns on the investment, if measured, would be low, in my estimation.
Yet, I believe that if each member of staff was given £1000 to spend on their work related development, the transformation would render the organization unrecognizable. I mentioned this idea to a colleague who challenged me about officially logging my suggestion, to which I replied that I had done so in my staff survey response. He suggested that I’d sooner see cockerels with teeth than any such change.
Ah the winds of doubt! Just when I am tempted to give in to despair, I’m asked to a meeting to discuss how we can raise awareness and reduce stigma among a specific cross section of our clients. I am reticent as I take a place around the table but the passion of the other attendees infects me and I’ve come away with some actions to make the event we’re planning a success.
So whether or not my suggestions are listened to or acted upon, I know that the majority of my colleagues want the best for our service users and I am happy to be part of that.
Do you have joy at work?
