In an Aged Care setting, especially in a team environment, job satisfaction for Carers is important for all parties involved – employers want a lower staff turnover rate, elderly clients want to have familiar faces tending to their needs who they can build a rapport with and you, the Carer, want stability in your job.
When you think about job satisfaction there are many obvious things that come to mind. Ask anyone the question and there’s a good chance that you’ll hear things like: passion for the job, getting along well with colleagues, a positive working environment, etc. and they are all valid. However, there is a one that isn’t so obvious. A term that you might not know of, but is of great importance to both employers and you as a Carer. This is called: Organisational Acumen.
So what is Organisational Acumen? Well it’s one of those things that’s difficult to define in a single sentence, but it mainly refers to an employee’s understanding of their workplace, and how they fit within it. It’s vital to an employee’s job satisfaction and workplace engagement, which will in turn increase their willingness to stay in the position.
You’ll find that a more experienced Carer will have better Organisational Acumen than a new graduate, as throughout their career, they will have picked up knowledge from previous jobs that that they can implement into similar working environments.
To help you better understand the concept of Organisational Acumen, it can be broken up into the following 3 key factors:
Understanding of the organisation
It’s important to know how the organisation works in terms of its policies and procedures. Every care provider will have different procedures about how things are documented, processes surrounding behavioural issues and different expectations as to how you should act in the workplace. The better you can understand how your workplace operates in these respects, the more in line you can be with their way of providing care.
It’s also good to know the organisation’s mission, as this does vary from organisation to organisation – and this can often dictate their policies and procedures.
Understanding of colleagues and who to ask for Help
Your colleagues are your greatest asset when entering into a new job – they are the ones who can provide you with insight into how they do things at that specific workplace. Senior staff members and Supervisors are especially vital to you, as they are generally trusted with directing proceedings on the floor. It’s very important to know who these are as soon as possible, as these are the people who can give you the most useful advice, and have the best understanding of how that particular organisation does things. The quicker you can do this, the faster you will settle within your new job, and feel comfortable with your surroundings.
Awareness of your job position
As a Professional Carer, your role within a workplace is to deliver quality personal care to the elderly or disabled clients. Depending on the organisation this role can be either very fluid, or rigid. Some places are willing to let you work beyond the scope of your position, and others will want you to stick closely to your job description.
When delivering personal care, you are more likely to experience the latter, as there are many policies and procedures that need to be followed, and there are certain tasks that require very specific training and skillsets that not everyone will have.
So in saying this, it’s very important to understand what you’ve been hired for. Know what is expected of you in terms of your position within the workplace, and the boundaries of your skillset and qualifications. It’s always great to take initiative and do your work without being prompted, but it’s never wise to undertake tasks that are outside your scope of practice as that can lead to a lot of issues for everyone involved.
If you can quickly grasp these key elements of Organisational Acumen, you will feel more confident and at ease in the workplace. The result of this will be increased job satisfaction and engagement and will mean you’ll be more likely to stay at a new job.