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Developing and Implementing Satisfaction Surveys

Long term care is a service oriented entity and employee satisfaction is of utmost importance in any service industry. The service your employees provide is your product and the service they provide hinges upon their satisfaction. As you begin working through the Quality Credentialing Program, you will want to start by collecting data on current employee and client satisfaction measures. This will give facility leadership an opportunity to analyze the results of the survey, focus on key areas where improvement may be attained, and set new rates of satisfaction goals which you would like to meet. Then, after interventions have been planned and implemented, schedule another opportunity to have clients and employees complete the same satisfaction tool. In this way improvement in client and employee satisfaction may be measured and the facility leadership can analyze systems to hold the gains. To assist you in getting started with implementing your own satisfaction surveys, we have gathered some resources which may help guide you through this component of the Quality Management System.

Building Satisfaction Tools
Client (Resident/Family) Satisfaction Surveys
Employee Satisfaction Surveys
Core Issues and Essential Questions
Sample Questions for Client Satisfaction Surveys
Sample Statements for Employee Satisfaction Surveys
References and Reading Resources

Building Satisfaction Tools

Excerpt from Guidelines for Developing a Quality Management System (QMS) For Long Term Care Providers:

Client (Resident/Family) Satisfaction Surveys
Residents and family members, to the extent they are capable, judge the facility's performance based on their expectations. The voice of the customer should drive change in the facility practices. Surveys and resident/family councils are two primary means of hearing the voice of the customer. Resident or family focus groups can also be used to identify specific ways to improve satisfaction ratings. The recommended process for conducting customer satisfaction surveys includes:

Sending the customer satisfaction survey to the resident if able, and/or to the family member most knowledgeable and able to respond regarding the resident care.
Selecting all capable and interested families/residents for an annual or bi-annual survey, or randomly for ongoing, periodic surveys.
Providing a cover letter and postage paid return envelope.
Permitting respondents to remain anonymous.
Having someone (either external or internal) other than facility management compile the survey results.
Having an appropriate facility leader investigate and personally respond to the customer when a signed survey includes a low rating or a concern.
Establishing a protocol for identifying performance improvement opportunities from the survey and documenting the actions taken.
Reporting survey results and planned actions to the residents, families, and staff members in a timely way.

Resident and family councils are additional methods of obtaining feedback regarding the quality of care and services. Key staff should discuss the outcomes of the resident and family council meetings and develop appropriate action plans to address the issues as soon as possible. In addition to having a client satisfaction tool, you also want to have a written description of the process for conducting and analyzing the survey, including a frequency of at least annually. [Back to Top]

Employee Satisfaction Surveys
Achieving performance excellence includes attending to the needs and wants of employees. Facilities should have formal and informal processes to measure and improve employee satisfaction with their work and environment. Employee satisfaction surveys and employee councils are two primary methods of listening to employees and understanding their concerns. Employee focus groups can be effective in identifying specific ways to improve satisfaction ratings. The recommended process for conducting an employee satisfaction survey includes:

Encouraging all employees to respond to the survey.
Permitting respondents to remain anonymous.
Returning surveys to someone or a team (internal or external) other than the facility management.
Having an appropriate facility leader investigate and personally respond to the employee when a signed survey includes a low rating or written concern.
Establishing a protocol for identifying performance improvement opportunities from the survey and documenting the actions taken.
Promptly reporting survey results and planned actions to employees.

An employee advisory council provides facility management with an additional opportunity for obtaining feedback regarding staff satisfaction and for generating ideas for improvement related to key staff issues. Management should develop appropriate action plans in response to key issues and recommendations generated by the employee advisory council. In addition to having a client satisfaction tool, you also want to have a written description of the process for conducting and analyzing the survey, including a frequency of at least every two years. [Back to Top]

Core Issues and Essential Questions
Vivian Tellis-Nayak, Ph.D. provides a list of core questions and for customer satisfaction surveys and highlights recommended questions for consumer guides. This paper address question design, emphasizing the importance of matching the purpose of the survey. Core Issues and Essential Questions [Back to Top]

Sample Questions for Client Satisfaction Surveys
Excerpt from Care Providers of Minnesota Committed to Quality:

How is the facility doing:

in making available interesting and useful programs and activities that actively involve you?
in providing quality health care, including physical and emotional assistance when needed?
in providing good meals that meet your taste and dietary needs, and that are served in a pleasant setting?
in providing you with high quality staff who are knowledgeable and make every attempt to fulfill your needs?

These questions could be rated using categories from Excellent to Poor. [Back to Top]

Sample Statements for Employee Satisfaction Surveys
Excerpt from Care Providers of Minnesota Committed to Quality:

My supervisor's expectations of me are clear.
I have the tools (technology, supplies, information) I need to do my work well.
I have the opportunity to do what I do best.
I receive recognition (praise, rewards) for good work.
My supervisor is concerned about me as a person.
I have the opportunity to learn new skills.
My immediate supervisor asks for my input to help make decisions.
I feel I am contributing to the facility's mission.
Quality service is a top priority at this organization.
I have good friends at work.
My supervisor tells me when I do my work well and/or when my work needs improvement.
I get training needed to handle new work.

These statements could be ranked from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. [Back to Top]

References and Reading Resources

American Health Care Association's Resources (www.ahca.org/quality/qf_resources.htm)

Buckingham, M. First, Break all the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently. The Gallup Organization, 1999.

Care Providers of Minnesota, Committed to Quality, www.careproviders.org.

Dania, B. Guidelines for Developing a Quality Management System (QMS) For Long Term Care Providers, American Health Care Association, 2003.

Kaye, B. Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay. Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans, 2002.

Kouzes, James. The Leadership Challenge. John H. Wiley & Sons, 2002.

Nelson, B. 1001 Ways to Reward Employees. Workman Publishing Co., 1994. [Back to Top]

The photos and images on the www.fhca.org website are the property of Florida Health Care Association and cannot be used in any manner without FHCA permission in writing.


Home About FHCA Advancing Excellence Contact Us Emergency Preparedness Family Forum Assisted Living Job Board Members Only Member Search Membership Online Store Quality Credentialing Seminars/Events Sites of Interest Treasure our Elders What's New	Quality Credentialing Developing and Implementing Satisfaction Surveys Long term care is a service oriented entity and employee satisfaction is of utmost importance in any service industry. The service your employees provide is your product and the service they provide hinges upon their satisfaction. As you begin working through the Quality Credentialing Program, you will want to start by collecting data on current employee and client satisfaction measures. This will give facility leadership an opportunity to analyze the results of the survey, focus on key areas where improvement may be attained, and set new rates of satisfaction goals which you would like to meet. Then, after interventions have been planned and implemented, schedule another opportunity to have clients and employees complete the same satisfaction tool. In this way improvement in client and employee satisfaction may be measured and the facility leadership can analyze systems to hold the gains. To assist you in getting started with implementing your own satisfaction surveys, we have gathered some resources which may help guide you through this component of the Quality Management System. Building Satisfaction Tools Client (Resident/Family) Satisfaction Surveys Employee Satisfaction Surveys Core Issues and Essential Questions Sample Questions for Client Satisfaction Surveys Sample Statements for Employee Satisfaction Surveys References and Reading Resources *Building Satisfaction Tools* Excerpt from Guidelines for Developing a Quality Management System (QMS) For Long Term Care Providers: *Client (Resident/Family) Satisfaction Surveys* Residents and family members, to the extent they are capable, judge the facility's performance based on their expectations. The voice of the customer should drive change in the facility practices. Surveys and resident/family councils are two primary means of hearing the voice of the customer. Resident or family focus groups can also be used to identify specific ways to improve satisfaction ratings. The recommended process for conducting customer satisfaction surveys includes: Sending the customer satisfaction survey to the resident if able, and/or to the family member most knowledgeable and able to respond regarding the resident care. Selecting all capable and interested families/residents for an annual or bi-annual survey, or randomly for ongoing, periodic surveys. Providing a cover letter and postage paid return envelope. Permitting respondents to remain anonymous. Having someone (either external or internal) other than facility management compile the survey results. Having an appropriate facility leader investigate and personally respond to the customer when a signed survey includes a low rating or a concern. Establishing a protocol for identifying performance improvement opportunities from the survey and documenting the actions taken. Reporting survey results and planned actions to the residents, families, and staff members in a timely way. Resident and family councils are additional methods of obtaining feedback regarding the quality of care and services. Key staff should discuss the outcomes of the resident and family council meetings and develop appropriate action plans to address the issues as soon as possible. In addition to having a client satisfaction tool, you also want to have a written description of the process for conducting and analyzing the survey, including a frequency of at least annually. [Back to Top] *Employee Satisfaction Surveys* Achieving performance excellence includes attending to the needs and wants of employees. Facilities should have formal and informal processes to measure and improve employee satisfaction with their work and environment. Employee satisfaction surveys and employee councils are two primary methods of listening to employees and understanding their concerns. Employee focus groups can be effective in identifying specific ways to improve satisfaction ratings. The recommended process for conducting an employee satisfaction survey includes: Encouraging all employees to respond to the survey. Permitting respondents to remain anonymous. Returning surveys to someone or a team (internal or external) other than the facility management. Having an appropriate facility leader investigate and personally respond to the employee when a signed survey includes a low rating or written concern. Establishing a protocol for identifying performance improvement opportunities from the survey and documenting the actions taken. Promptly reporting survey results and planned actions to employees. An employee advisory council provides facility management with an additional opportunity for obtaining feedback regarding staff satisfaction and for generating ideas for improvement related to key staff issues. Management should develop appropriate action plans in response to key issues and recommendations generated by the employee advisory council. In addition to having a client satisfaction tool, you also want to have a written description of the process for conducting and analyzing the survey, including a frequency of at least every two years. [Back to Top] *Core Issues and Essential Questions* Vivian Tellis-Nayak, Ph.D. provides a list of core questions and for customer satisfaction surveys and highlights recommended questions for consumer guides. This paper address question design, emphasizing the importance of matching the purpose of the survey. Core Issues and Essential Questions [Back to Top] Sample Questions for Client Satisfaction Surveys Excerpt from Care Providers of Minnesota Committed to Quality: How is the facility doing: in making available interesting and useful programs and activities that actively involve you? in providing quality health care, including physical and emotional assistance when needed? in providing good meals that meet your taste and dietary needs, and that are served in a pleasant setting? in providing you with high quality staff who are knowledgeable and make every attempt to fulfill your needs? These questions could be rated using categories from Excellent to Poor. [Back to Top] *Sample Statements for Employee Satisfaction Surveys* Excerpt from Care Providers of Minnesota Committed to Quality: My supervisor's expectations of me are clear. I have the tools (technology, supplies, information) I need to do my work well. I have the opportunity to do what I do best. I receive recognition (praise, rewards) for good work. My supervisor is concerned about me as a person. I have the opportunity to learn new skills. My immediate supervisor asks for my input to help make decisions. I feel I am contributing to the facility's mission. Quality service is a top priority at this organization. I have good friends at work. My supervisor tells me when I do my work well and/or when my work needs improvement. I get training needed to handle new work. These statements could be ranked from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. [Back to Top] *References and Reading Resources* American Health Care Association's Resources (www.ahca.org/quality/qf_resources.htm) Buckingham, M. First, Break all the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently. The Gallup Organization, 1999. Care Providers of Minnesota, Committed to Quality, www.careproviders.org. Dania, B. Guidelines for Developing a Quality Management System (QMS) For Long Term Care Providers, American Health Care Association, 2003. Kaye, B. Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay. Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans, 2002. Kouzes, James. The Leadership Challenge. John H. Wiley & Sons, 2002. Nelson, B. 1001 Ways to Reward Employees. Workman Publishing Co., 1994. [Back to Top] The photos and images on the www.fhca.org website are the property of Florida Health Care Association and cannot be used in any manner without FHCA permission in writing.