menu

Part two: What makes aged care residents happy?

Share

Staff friendliness

Up to 40% of Australian residential aged care residents do not receive any visitors on an annual basis.

And with current visitor restrictions in place across much of Australian aged care, this figure is much higher,  placing an ever-increasing reliance on aged care staff to provide companionship and social support. 

Research conducted in multiple group environments and community settings clearly illustrates, there is a tendency of people to unconsciously mimic the emotional attitudes and expressions of those around them.

When we consider the way an individual views themself is impacted by the way they are treated by those around them, we can see why staff friendliness, warmth and happiness of staff can impact the emotional wellbeing of residents.  

Aged care providers face a number of issues related to workforce recruitment as the role of providing care requires staff who possess emotional qualities like empathy and patience as well as the ability to perform their day-today duties. 

A meta-analysis that was conducted by international analytics firm Gallup which incorporated 263 research studies across 192 organisations in 29 industries has revealed a startling correlation between companies with an engaged workforce and customer experience 

Companies that rated in the top quartile in employee engagement outperformed companies in the bottom quartile by 10% on customer ratings, 22% in profitability and 21% in productivity. 

25%
Companies in the top quartile suffered lower staff turnoverSource link
37%
less absenteeismSource link
48%
fewer safety incidentsSource link

Employees who are happy and engaged in their role at work are more likely to embody the ethos of an organisation and researchers believe that this is an important predictor of how an organisation will perform, even in a tough economy.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the link between these two elements is the way in which they positively influence each other.

While engaged employees will always lead to great customer experiences, interacting with satisfied customers reinforces the way that staff members feel about the value of their work which enhances employee engagement.

Having two elements that influence each other to this degree creates a chain reaction within the workplace, breeding a cycle of success that yields better outcomes for all involved while cementing a positive culture within an organisation.