Solving Labor Challenges in Healthcare Foodservice with Pride

It seems kind of over-simplistic to say it like that, but nothing could be closer to the truth. When staff takes pride in their jobs, when they engage with residents in authentic and memorable ways, not only will residents be happier with the overall service level of the community, but staff members will be happier, as well.

Don’t take our word for it, though. Here’s what a few labor experts had to say:

According to Deloitte’s Talent 2020 series, which surveyed 560 employees across several industries around the world, one of the top three engagement drivers for employment was the ability to do meaningful work.

The reality, though, is this statement is common sense. It’s obvious that staff members who love what they do, who are the most engaged in the process and how to improve it, are the ones who are likely motivated by the fact their work matters. The question then becomes, how?

According to the MIT Sloan Management Review and a study led by Professor Catherine Bailey called “What Makes Work Meaningful — or Meaningless,” the answer is deeply personal and individual. What’s the point of this job? It really depends on who you ask. There were some trends, though:

* Meaningful work tends to be associated with a wider contribution to society.

* Significant memories of family members when related to on-the-job experiences tended to result in feelings of worthfulness. Basically, there’s a relationship between family and job satisfaction, between what’s personal and what’s work.

* Meaningful work is not planned. Rather, unexpected moments during the workday were often the most impactful.

How does this relate to healthcare foodservice and senior care communities?

The bottom line is meaningful work is personal, interpersonal, and unexpected. So how can we empower foodservice staff members to have those types of day-to-day experiences? By putting them in the right positions.

First, it’s impossible to force our way into someone else’s head. This makes personal, independent decisions about what’s meaningful and what’s impossible. The other two factors, though, are certainly doable.

How can senior care communities put staff in intimate situations that remind them of their own families? How can healthcare foodservice operators give team members the opportunities to have serendipitous experiences in their day-to-day tasks? By creating situations where staff members are around the residents.

In foodservice this means getting the team out of the four walls of the kitchen and into the dining room.  When staff members interact with their guests and a community can adopt a service approach to the dining experience, the work becomes more meaningful and more personal.  Have the staff interact directly with the residents, ask questions, and really actually talk to them!  This increases team engagement, staff retention, and resident satisfaction – it’s a win-win-win!