More than in most workplaces, ‘success’ in a care home relies on how staff feel. When you need people to help each other do extremely difficult jobs, you need them to feel motivated and happy.
And studies suggest that UK carers are often highly motivated and satisfied. But you don’t have to survey many of them to know this is often despite (not because of) their working conditions.
So how can you, as a team leader, improve your care home’s working environment?
In this article, we explore:
- Why it’s so important for a care home to be a positive working environment
- What makes a care home such a challenging place to work
- Practical tips for care home leaders to create a better working environment
- How FuturU’s online learning platform can improve care home culture
Why is a positive work environment important in a care home?
From the actual provision of person-centred care, to effective shift transitions, activities, meal preparation and housekeeping – everything that happens in a care home relies on good teamwork.
Creating the right environment for the team to grow and succeed should be a priority for all care home leaders. Getting it right can significantly improve the quality of life of both staff and residents.
So how can you create a more positive environment for your team?
Before we get there, we should remind ourselves why care home work isn’t for everybody.
What makes care home work so challenging?
Those who build long and rewarding careers in care feel deeply that helping people to live better lives makes even the hardest parts of the job worthwhile. Unfortunately, those people are pretty rare.
We see this reflected in the sector’s recruitment and retention challenges. But if we want to make care homes better places to work, we must remember why so many people choose not to stick around.
1. The physical and emotional toll can be enormous
Returning home exhausted after a long shift, having been on your feet all day, lifting residents, changing beds, administering medications – it can leave little energy for anything but sleep.
Add this to the emotional toll of caring for sick or distressed residents, or worrying from home about a situation you left behind at work, and you get a fairly all-consuming job that can impact wellbeing.
2. The stress and pressure of compliance is ever present
In a highly-regulated environment, time-poor staff can feel torn between wanting to do the best for residents, and needing to remain thoroughly compliant with regulations.
A CQC inspection isn’t just stressful for the home’s leaders. Staff at all levels feel the impact of compliance and documentation pressures, which are often cited as a ‘con’ by those who leave.
3. Feeling like you’re not a good enough carer is draining
‘This isn’t just what I do, it’s who I am.’ You’ve probably heard a version of this from numerous colleagues during your career. When people feel a passion for care work, they feel it deeply.
For these people, feeling like they don’t have enough time or support to provide the care that residents deserve can be demoralising – and a major reason for pursuing a career elsewhere.
4. Caring for sick and dying people can be traumatic
Never forget: your staff are human beings helping people live better lives in difficult circumstances. They get attached to their residents, which is in itself a positive outcome that can lead to better care.
Having to witness the suffering and death of people you’ve become attached to – this has to be one of the main reasons why relatively few people are cut out for the demands of care home work.
5. Teammates come and go all too frequently
Your staff don’t just grow attached to the residents, they grow fond of each other too. When a job asks employees to give so much of themselves, it’s natural for colleagues to form strong bonds.
But with such high employee turnover rates, care home staff have to watch their teammates leave more often than most. This isn’t an easy job if relationships with colleagues are important to you.
How to improve your working environment: 5 practical tips for care home leaders
As a leader in a care home, none of the above is news to you. But neither is the fact that, despite the tough aspects of the job, those who build a career in care find it immensely rewarding.
The question is: how can you make it even more rewarding and positive?
1. Communicate, and communicate, then communicate some more
Become a leader who listens and asks questions. And not just about work, but about people’s lives and wellbeing. Ringfence the catch-ups you have with your staff, both individually and as a team.
Let people know you value them by giving up your time. Let them share their problems and solutions with you and their colleagues. The uplift in trust and collaboration you get will be worth it.
2. Recognise and reward both effort and contribution
Say thank you, privately and publicly. Run employee of the month schemes and encourage people to vote. Organise social activities. Do everything you can to recognise people’s hard work.
In a recent US survey of nursing home professionals, 76% said ‘feeling appreciated for the job they do’ is an important factor in their job satisfaction. Let people know you’re grateful for what they do.
3. Promote wellbeing and a healthy work/life balance
Could you organise rotas and workloads differently to better support the wellbeing of your team? Are people taking proper breaks? Time and resources will always be tight, but you must lead by example.
Research shows the wellbeing of staff and residents is interdependent. Improve working conditions for your team and you will very likely improve the quality of care that residents receive.
4. Create a culture where team is everything
Write clear value statements. Speak often about why you’re all here, and link daily tasks to these guiding principles. Remind people: the team’s mission doesn’t change, even if the personnel does.
High staff turnover will always be tough on long-serving employees. But from a professional point of view, you can lessen the impact with strong and consistent messaging around purpose.
5. Put learning and development front and centre
As a people leader, you must make time to discuss career progression with your care home team. Create plans and opportunities for them to train, learn and become better care professionals.
So much to get done, and so little time and resource to do it. This scenario can force you to focus on the immediate needs of the home, at the expense of longer-term staff development. Don’t let it.
We can help you with learning and development. Here’s how.
Create a strong learning culture with FuturU
The benefits of providing learning and career development opportunities for staff are manifold, from improved performance and productivity to greater job satisfaction and feelings of being ‘valued’.
In our 2024 survey of frontline nurses and care workers, 98% of respondents said regular training is important to their job satisfaction.
The FuturU online learning platform is an affordable way to train your team and invest in their futures. Our courses meet all mandatory CQC requirements and your staff access them for free.
For just a small per-learner monthly fee, your care home can:
- Save thousands of pounds on CPD-accredited training courses
- Provide staff with engaging learning content they’ll actually enjoy
- Assign courses and track progress easily in your online dashboard.
Want to see FuturU in action? Book a demo now and we’ll be in touch.
