Sourcebook : Improving Care for the End of Life : 11.4 Building Morale

In 1997 the Ohio Hospice Organization and Fortman & Associates surveyed 84 member hospices on several topics, including factors that hospice administrators believed contributed most to staff morale. Beyond employee benefits, the most frequently cited factors included:

• Open communication, including ``open-door'' management
• Highly functioning and cohesive teams of competent and capable staff
• Good communication skills
• High levels of autonomy and self-direction
• Clear definitions of roles and accountability
• Mission focus

The survey also asked, "What has your organization done that has been most helpful in improving or maintaining a high level of morale?" Here are their responses:

• Recognition - A focus on recognizing, appreciating, and celebrating individuals and teams. Examples included sending personal notes, celebrating special days (e.g., days or weeks designated for specific disciplines or professions), peer recognition at staff meetings, and celebrations for success (and, at times, just for the sake of celebrating).
• Support - Opportunities to share stories. Examples included support groups, birthday luncheons, staff retreats, staff picnic, casual dress days.
• Communication - Tracking, displaying, and communicating important statistical and operational data in a snapshot, graphic format. Examples included: town hall meetings, small group task forces, and transition teams.
• Team building - A commitment to team participation in goal setting, as well as team-building opportunities and exercises and cross-training.
• Staff involvement - Self-directed teams; staff decision-making authority.

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This online version of the book Improving Care for the End of Life: A Sourcebook for Health Care Managers and Clinicians is provided with permission of Americans for Better Care of the Dying [ www.abcd-caring.org ] and Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For further information on quality improvement in end-of-life care visit The Palliative Care Policy Center [ www.medicaring.org ].