Feeling Critiqued Versus Evaluated in Senior Living?

Feeling Critiqued Versus Evaluated in Senior Living?

Do They Feel Harshly Criticized?

Do They Feel Harshly Criticized?

“Critique” and “evaluate” are two simple words but often misconstrued by the receiver.

In a recent team meeting, one department head described how one of her staff cries every time she tries to critique her.  This makes it very difficult for this supervisor to work with her employee.  The senior living team brainstormed together.  Another department head said that it really should be called “evaluating performance” of the staff member and not critiquing.

It is the responsibility of supervisors in senior living communities to continually evaluate his or her residents and document everything (particularly in skilled nursing care, assisted living and memory care).  It sounds so simple, yet when a supervisor starts evaluating the caregiver providing the care to the resident…it can be misinterpreted as harsh criticism.

Hopefully, supervisors continually critique themselves and try to improve their own coaching skills.  How is a supervisor approaching an employee to administer an evaluation or yearly review?  Everyone has different personalities and some supervisor’s direct approach can be confrontational to another personality type.  Our marketing team just read, “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” by Dale Carnegie.  It is an excellent book on how to interact with other employees.  Evaluations should be capitalized on as a teaching opportunity, so the evaluated employee can continually improve.

Can you share how you evaluate your senior living employees?  How do you handle an employee who reacts negatively and turns the performance improvement plan into a personal attack on them?

Please share your successes, failures or comment below to join the conversation and interact with other senior living professionals on what is currently being effective to increase occupancy on a nationwide basis.

Diane Twohy Masson is the author of “Senior Housing Marketing – How to Increase Your Occupancy and Stay Full,” available at Amazon.com with a 5-star rating.  The book is required reading at George Mason University as a part of its marketing curriculum.  Within this book, the author developed a sales & marketing method with 12 keys to help senior living providers increase their occupancy.   Masson developed this expertise as a marketing consultant, sought-after blogger for senior housing and a regional marketing director of continuing care retirement communities in several markets.  She has also been a corporate director of sales and a mystery shopper for independent living, assisted living, memory care and skilled care nursing communities in multiple states.  Currently, Masson is setting move-in records as the regional marketing director of two debt-free Continuing Care Retirement Communities in Southern California – Freedom Village in Lake Forest and The Village in Hemet, California.  Interestingly, this career started when she was looking for a place for her own mom and helped her loved one transition through three levels of care.

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