The Basic Needs

     Last week, we discussed the lowest level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. The next level is the need for safety and security.  The first two levels of the hierarchy are considered the basic needs.  Individuals do not become motivated by higher level needs until their basic needs are met.  Staff in long term care often have difficulty having basic needs met.  I have seen staff struggle with health care needs of their families, finances, and security.  One problem such as a sick child can lead to a call off which then snowballs to not having enough in the paycheck to pay for gas or rent.  Calling off also creates the problem of job security

     Often staff cannot afford insurance to meet their health care needs.  When someone in the family is sick the emergency room is utilized.  Preventative care is not used.  This can contribute to attendance problems.  Staff members also need to feel they have some measure of job security.  When people are in fear of losing their job, they cannot move up to the higher levels of motivation.  Ways we can support the staff in meeting these needs include financial planning classes, employee assistance programs, low cost insurance plans or health care provided at the facility, free flu vaccines, and supportive supervision.  Once the basic needs are meet, individuals can begin to focus on personal growth and fulfillment.

Caring for our Staff

     In long term care, we focus our efforts on caring for our residents.  This is an important part of our work.  As a leader, do you think about caring for your staff with the same focus?  We can build better relationships with our staff when we acknowledge their struggles.  In the Nurses as Leaders Curriculum developed by Barbara Frank and Cathy Brady¹ the needs of the staff are viewed from Maslow’s Hierarcy².

Teamwork is Critical

     How important is teamwork within a facility?  Researchers have identified that facilities which have good teamwork have higher performance and have higher quality outcomes (1).  Culture change in nursing homes has focused on resident centered care which allows residents choice in their daily preferences and routines.  Part of the culture change that is less focused on is teamwork among the staff.  Teamwork among staff is a critical element of providing quality care to the residents.

The Pygmalion Effect

Believing in the innate goodness of human beings and helping people achieve their full potential is a characteristic of strong leadership.  The Pygmalion effect occurs when the leader believes so strongly in the abilities of another that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.  "When leaders expect people to achieve high standards they do, when people are labeled as underachievers performance suffers" (Kouzes & Posner, 2003, p.21).    Creating a supportive environment in which nurse leaders look for positive performance and expect the best in their staff sets a good tone for the facility and motivates staff to achieve outstanding results.  Managers who walk around and look for negatives are intimidating to staff and lose credibility and respect. A negative atmosphere is created that does not encourage people to be their best.