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How to get your staff to say:     I do !

Celesta Powell

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This session will explore

• The hiring, training, and maintenance process for working with an employee

• Supervision and organizational culture to promote in your agency

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WHY IS THIS SESSION IMPORTANT?

KIDS & FAMILIES!

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THE DATA • Service workers turnover approximately

50% within first 2 years (residential is 50% within first year)

• Most say they leave because: -job wasn’t what they thought it was

-felt had inadequate training -low status of work -salary -no work life balance

(Astroth, Garza, & Taylor, 2004)

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Why is this important?• Professionals need to feel professional in the work

they do.• Staff need to feel valued heard, and respected.• The expenses of training to meet turnover is high.• The population served needs stability in care

providers• The population is the future and staff adjustments

vicariously alter the future for the young population served.

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As a direct manager your role to improve staff turnover in your

agency is:• Promote a positive image

of service provided

• Offer good solid initial training and follow through with consistent training on population served

• Create a sense of value & importance of the worker, their value & their own lives

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Promoting a positive image of the service provided

• Identify the service you provide as the best there is.

• Be honest about the work. Give them the opportunity to opt out pre-hire.

• Don’t apologize for the rate you are hiring at

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The interviewing game Your role as a

supervisor- Review of references &

written work - Strong Interview questions - ‘feel’ them out for fit- Confidence in what you are

asking them to join- NO Apologies

Their role as a potential hire

- Honest in their presentation & job expectations

- Ability to answer questions- The ‘feel’ of them- An opportunity to see what

they may have to offer- Seeing what the job truly is.

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Good interview questions?

• Value based• Experience• Tell me…• Coming for dinner• Describe

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Training

• Initial hire training (shadowing)• Regular training• Individual supervision• Agency wide training• Outside training

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Team Training

• Keeps staff invested (consider experienced staff running training)

• Reinforces agency values & mission• Motivates & invigorates staff• Improves staff value & team

cohesiveness • Teaches

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Examples of team work

• Regular staff meeting discussion• All staff meetings (core values,

needs, hot topics)• Team building activities• PLAN, DO, REVIEW- the debrief

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Individual Supervision

• Promotes staff professional growth• Improves staff/ manager relationship• Provides time for dialogue and

reassurance in programming

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Individual Supervision

• Timely, based on position, regular• One on one time• KUDOS, AGREEMENTS, CONCERNS• What do you want to be when you

grow up?• Evaluations

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Workplace Culture

• Policies & Procedures• Work/ life balance• Strength driven• Mutual respect• ‘Air’ of your agency• Practice what you preach

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Creating a healthy culture

• Kid focused/ perception of relationships

• Atmosphere, climate• 4 horseman of the apocalypse -

gottman -- criticism -- contempt -- defensiveness -- stonewalling

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The four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Criticism

• Criticism: attacking one’s personal character rather than behavior usually accompanied by blame

Solution: Complaint appropriate, not personal

actionbased.

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The four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Contempt

• Contempt is used with the intention to insult a person, name calling, insults, hostile humor, mockery, body language

Solution:Find something to like about the person!

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The four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Defensiveness

• Defensiveness is the reaction to feeling besieged by another… you have become the victim and must retaliate: deny responsibility, make excuses, disagreeing with mind reading, cross-complaining, yes-butting, rubber person, repetition, whining, body language

Solution: don’t see attack but information, empathy

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The four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Stonewalling

• Becomes a ‘stonewall’ silent, icy, flat, withdrawal.

Solution:Don’t be neutral but remain empathic,

calm, and watch body language

When it works….

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“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping

together is progress. Working together is

success.”Henry Ford