Attendo has wanted to change the operating culture, where it has been difficult to talk about grievances, says CEO Virpi Holmqvist.
Geriatric Attendo, which organizes care services, ran out of steam a few years ago in ojamudi. There was a nursing crisis in Finland, and Valvira, the Social and Health Licensing Agency, found numerous deficiencies in the nursing homes owned by Attendo. The elderly had been left without proper care, and drug safety, for example, had been compromised.
The miserable situation was also reflected in the nausea of the employees. Attendo regularly conducts a so-called NPS survey for its employees. In the survey, employees answer how likely they would recommend the company as a place of employment.
During the years 2018–2019, Attendo's employees gave their employer a negative NPS of 16 points at their worst. Now the company has made the reading rise to 31 points. The scale on the meter is minus one hundred to one hundred. Personnel turnover decreased by 7 percentage points during 2023.
“After the initial quotation, the management saw that the matter had to be addressed,” says Attendo's CEO Virpi Holmqvist. Holmqvist has led Attendo since 2020.
Thursday it was reported that the employees of welfare areas more than a third feel that their ability to work has decreased.
Research professor at the Institute of Occupational Health Jaana Laitinen according to the reading is very worrying. A reduced ability to work predicts inability to work in the future, and there is already a significant shortage of social security workers in Finland. According to Laitinen, nausea can also be a threat to patient safety.
According to Holmqvist, improving the results at Attendo required a change in the entire company's strategy. In practice, according to him, it means that the point of view of the customers, i.e. the people living in nursing homes, must always be the most important.
At Attendo, common operating models based on discussions were created on how to direct employees to face customers better. For this work, the company trained 900 employees to coach other employees.
The managers of all nursing homes were also trained to meet employees, and common criteria for good leadership were made in the company. Attendo has around 400 nursing homes in Finland.
Project was not a one-time event, but is still ongoing. According to Holmqvist, the essential thing was that the company began to discuss a lot about how the residents of nursing homes could get the best possible service.
“Even though we talked about customers, it affected the well-being at work. The work became more meaningful, and the employees got the experience that they can make a difference.”
“
“Thence [kissasta] has become a common thing.”
The company also consciously decided to change the previously prevailing operating culture, where it was difficult for employees to raise grievances and they were kept silent. Now raising grievances is encouraged, says Holmqvist.
“Intervening in grievances is caring, both for other employees and customers.”
Holmqvist says that Attendo bought a total of 500 cats from Ikea, as soft toys and decorations. Their task is to encourage courage.
“You can concretely put it on the cat's table and say that now we have to talk about something that seems difficult. When all Attendo homes have a cat like this, it has become a common thing.”
Although work well-being has improved based on the metrics, the company is not ready for that, says Holmqvist.
“We are not at any goal yet. The reading of 31 is the average, and we still have places where occupational well-being is not in order.”
Holmqvist says that last year the company received complaints from relatives of an elderly person living in a nursing home in Espoo about poor care. According to Holmqvist, poor care has been shown, for example, in the way that the resident's support bandages have been too tight and his diaper has been wet for too long.
“The matter has been treated with indifference at the nursing home, and this relative has not been heard from.”
The case came to the attention of Attendo's management in November. According to Holmqvist, after this, the care home staff has been retrained and an external inspection has been carried out at the care home.
“We have to talk about these. Concealment is an obstacle to changing the culture, and it is a threat to staff satisfaction.”
#Social #health #care #Attendo #improved #results #workplace #wellbeing #Pohjakoketus #woke #company #CEO
