Culture-Workplace
Posted by Patti on November 16th, 2004 / 
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CULTURE- Workplace
Definition: The predominating attitudes and behavior that characterize the functioning of a group or organization.
Maybe you have heard a lot about workplace culture lately. It has been a buzzword for the past few years and much of it is geared towards the corporate world rather than the nursing home setting. However, every place of employment DOES have its own culture and within the LTC setting- a bad culture is devastating to staff and residents.
Signs of a “BAD” Culture include:
High turnover and absenteeism
High amount of agency staff use
Uptight staff
Grouchy residents
Backstabbing, gossip groups
No teamwork
Hostilities between shifts
Too many cliques
Causes of a bad culture include the actions, or lack of action from management, charge nurses and YOU the CNA. You have a huge impact on the culture of the unit you work on. Your attitudes and ability to be positive all have a large role in whether the place you work is seen as a good employer.
Everyone has a set of personal values they go by; also, everyone has morals. Knowing these can be a first step towards changing your attitude and therefore becoming more upbeat.
Many of the reasons/causes of an unhealthy culture are not the fault of the CNA, and these areas must be addressed by the Administrator and DON. Some tips for them would include:
-Hold regular staff meetings with ALL staff
-At these meetings seek input and advice from staff, and ACT on items that can be acted upon. Explain why others cannot be followed through.
-Break up negative cliques and do not allow little gossip groupings
-Examine reasons for shift wars and implement methods to stop them
-Have a mission and SHARE it with all staff- better yet- have all staff help with developing the mission statement
-Maintain a positive attitude and make all decisions based up the mission statement.
-Catch staff doing things the right way and give them credit for doing so (Gone with the mindset that “They should be doing it this way in the first place”)
-Hold staff accountable for policies and procedures breaches (attendance)
Many things are within the control of you the CNA, when it comes to creating a positive culture. You have to look at things differently though, and this can be hard for old timers not used to change. Having the mindset that people are lazy and will take advantage of others, for example, will get you no where. You will always been seen as a negative force. Your attitude might be why you are so unhappy at work. No one likes to be around someone who always finds fault with others- with their work, their uniforms, and their lifestyle. Negative people drain energy from others. It is hard work to remain negative- it amazes me to see how some CNA’s can be so miserable for so many years. It does seem that these miserable aides end up having more health problems as they get older, they LOOK so much more older than they are, and they are just as unhappy at home as they are at work. The old saying “Misery likes company” may have some truth, but what I think really occurs is “Misery infests others”.
Things You Can DO, Right Now:
Try not to get involved with gossip; stay away from groups of staff who tend to share stories about others. If you are approached with a statement like-”Did you hear”say NO and say “I DON’T WANT TO KNOW”. Walk away.
Don’t be a part of the “Call In Queen Club”. Show up for work, on time. And have a smile on your face.
Have a personal mission statement/vision if management cannot pen their own. A simple motto will work- something to the effect “I will give the best care I can and I will be a good co-worker to my peers.” Live by this. You will quickly become known as someone everyone likes to be around.
Don’t keep old baggage on your back. Forgive others for past mistakes and issues. Move on. Talk with them; tell them they have another chance with you. Stand up taller, take the higher road. You will feel so much better, like a burden has been lifted.
Use your manners. Saying PLEASE, THANK YOU, EXCUSE ME and I’M SORRY go so much further in the culture you create, then saying things like GET OUT OF MY, NO, DO THIS and I DIDN’T DO THAT.
Instead of having that “Us vs. Them” mindset, why not have a “Its US”? All of us- shifts, housekeepers, cooks, nurses, residents, ect. We are working together, not against one another. Hopefully management can assist with this because it will take some enforcement on their part to make this work.
When you are training new staff, be kind and gentle to them. Just because they are CNA’s doesn’t mean they should be treated poorly. And don’t expect them to know everything- no one knows the little tricks with residents until they get the training you can give. Model decent behaviors and talk about being positive. This will make a lasting impression.
When agency staff are utilized, don’t be rude to them. It’s not their fault they are there- more than likely it’s partly the facilitie’s and YOUR fault! It all rolls back to culture- if a place is full of negatives, folks are not going to work there. People will quit or call out. Face it- a vicious cycle can occur here. When you treat agency staff poorly, they talk. They tell their bosses and they tell other aides in other facilities- we have all heard about HELL HOLE nursing home- its hell because of the staff usually. I have heard some stories about agency staff being treated so badly by aides at certain nursing homes I would NEVER consider working at. And that is bad for you: Aides who might consider getting a job where YOU work, so you are not working short all the time- won’t even give your employer a chance. And you might wonder WHY you don’t have enough staff.
April 27th, 2005 at 6:59 pm
Hey Patti, thought your post was great. I work at an agency that has a number of issues going on and it appears to be a result of cliques and employees attempting to sabotage their managers. What often occurs is the employee comes to upper management with untrue statements with the intent of having this middle manager lose their position within the organization. I am the Director of HR at this agency and what I have advised upper management on these types of issues is the following:
1. Never give anything that is anonomous ANY attention at all. I advise them to treat either phone calls or notes/letters that do not identify the person sending, to conider this as something that hasn’t occurred, non-existent. 2. If an employee comes to the manager with an issue, ask them to document their concerns, sign and date them. If they are willing to do this, they are interested in resolution. It is simply too easy to essentially unload their monkey onto your back and now you own it. 3. I also encourage them to have what is called a friendly visit with the middle manager, the employee and the manager at the next level. The intent is to resolve. I could go on and on about other issues such as work ethics, the decline; rumors, gossip and backstabbing. These issue are also very real and are entering the workplace. Thanks again!
May 3rd, 2005 at 4:34 pm
Ken, thanks for this. It’s important to have a good culture, and it does start at the top. There will always be bad apples in the group though…weed them out and the good apples will thrive.
January 22nd, 2006 at 5:19 pm
I was just wondering if anyone could answer a question for me. Recently at my place of employment, a girl has been guilty of neglect but our supervisor needs documentation of what I have seen to take any action. Does anyone knows exactly how to put that kind of thing in writing? Do I mention her name or refer to her as “the CNA”? If anyone could help me out I would appreciate it…thanks so much.
January 24th, 2006 at 3:08 pm
Hi Leah,
I would say yes, you will have to say her name. I was in a similiar situation before and had to write out what i saw and heard. Its not always a easy thing to do, but neglect of one of the residents is a big issue. Just make sure you document facts and not “i think”. Hope this helps..
February 19th, 2006 at 6:40 pm
It’s good to read something that promotes a positive work environment!
Well said….
July 14th, 2006 at 6:37 pm
I will be starting my new job as a cna in 2 weeks, i’ll be working the 11 pm – 7 am shift, what sould i expect to do on that shift?, any positive advice would be accepted. Thank you in advice.
Belinda.
March 28th, 2007 at 5:30 pm
I really enjoyed reading these posts…and as I did it brought to mind another issue of which I feel these issues effects also..wouldnt you agree that the “culture” or working environment ( Staff Attitudes ie: cna, nurses, laundry etc ) that are brought in to the workplace from home and those created in the workplace ..also can adversely effect the very ones we are there to give care to? Residents pick up on these attitudes and can cause them to be uneasy, fearful, even possibly withdrawn… Making things even more difficult for them and the caregiver.
We are Care Givers and should keep in mind those we are to care for…attitudes do not belong in that culture. Would you agree?
April 3rd, 2007 at 9:59 pm
Hi Deborah,
Of course our personal life issues effect how we work, our attitudes and perceptions. We’re human. We can’t just turn off the issues for 8 hours. I wish we could. But we can try to quell them while we work; we can try to be upbeat when things at home are not; we can work hard to overcome problems with our children or parents or spouses…it’s not as easy as it sounds though.
Sometimes when we go to work, we can talk about these things on our breaks with co workers, or nurses or the DON- who often give us advice and feedback on how to handle things.
I think we can overboard in the other direction though here too. When staff STOP being human and stop showing feeling, we’re like robots. And nothing goes against culture change more than THAT. I’ve seen it happen many times when staff have been told to keep home out of work.
Remember: We’re all human. And the residents do pick up on things AND I have been blessed with the chance to hear THEIR opinions and advice on issues.
April 4th, 2007 at 7:14 am
Deb, a few years ago my Grandmother was very sick, she had cancer and was dying. I was very close to her; it was very hard to go to work everyday and see my residents- many who were women and not be reminded of my Grandmother. I spent my breaks crying. One of my residents, little old Sally, took my hand and kissed it..she told me she KNEW something was making me sad and told me she would pray for me. I broke down and told her about my Grandmother. Sally helped me get through this hard time with her questions and positive upbeat words, on a daily basis. She actually became more of a friend than a resident. The nurses didn’t like this but they also didn’t stop it…they could have assigned me to other residents. I could have been written up. But I wasn’t. How much culture change is this??