How to Attract and Keep Good Staff? Good Question! By Lynda Battaglia, LCSW, Director of Mental Health & Community Services, Genesee County Executive Officer, CLMHD
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s I pondered this question internally, so many thoughts flooded my mind; money, appreciation, quality, flexibility, balance, environment, teamwork, good leadership. I could have gone on and on with my thoughts but I stopped, and then I thought; “I think I know what it takes to attract and maintain good staff, but, this is really a question FOR staff.” So, I sent out an email asking staff this question, along with requesting their permission to publish their thoughts for this article. As soon as I hit the send button on the email, responses came in immediately. The reaction and responsiveness to this question tells me staff want to share their thoughts and feelings about what it takes to attract and keep staff and that they know I want to hear from them. This in and of itself, is a way to attract and keep staff. As the Director, I can go about my day making decisions that have a direct impact on staff, operations, and the organization without any input from staff, but if I want operations to run efficiently and effectively, and if I want staff to feel valued, then I need to listen. If I want to establish trust, I must be willing to put faith in their opinions about what will make us better as an organization. Collectively, we can identify areas that need improvement and work on solutions together. Overall, the responses were fairly in sync with my immediate thoughts on this question; our staff wants to be heard, they appreciated my asking for their input, and if I want to have a pulse on how things are going internally, I just have to ask. Here’s what our staff had to say: “I think having a positive, supportive working environment where the staff feels appreciated is important along with opportunities for advancement and flexibility.” “I appreciate feeling valued as a person at work. Not just some arbitrary object that sits at a desk and brings money into the company.”
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NYSAC News | Fall 2022
“Supportive teamwork atmosphere. Non-punitive, constructive criticism. Affordable health benefits.” “Flexibility in work schedule.” “I think it's important for an organization to exhibit fairness and equal standards, effective communication, transparency (when possible), and an effort to not stay stuck in the old way of doing things just because that's the way they have always been done.” “Feeling appreciated.” “Feedback; Honest and thoughtful feedback helps employees know where to improve. Positive feedback motivates people to do even better. Leaders & Supervisors; When employees can respect and trust the leadership team, they feel secure. Leaders who are accessible can communicate well, give honest reports and listen to employees are key to job satisfaction. Staff being appreciated and treated equally regardless of job title. Communication is key to being successful to make things run smoothly. Work as a team with equal workloads for the job title.” So, there you have it. You now know what staff need and expect for them to not only start with an agency but to stay at one. I think as administrators, leaders, and managers, we must truly self-evaluate how we are doing with leading by example. We must keep that door of communication open, build trust, value our employees, advocate for appropriate compensation, listen and recognize that as much as we have on our shoulders, we do not carry that stress in a silo. Collectively, everyone plays a role and by everyone playing a role, then we have a team. And when you have a team, regardless of how many players you have, you can do great things! We are doing great things at Genesee County Mental Health. We’ve got a great team and I value every staff person!
