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17/03/2011
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Lenneke Vaandrager
The website beroepseer.nl features various stories from people who no longer enjoy working in healthcare and who want to see the dignity of the profession restored. A job in the healthcare sector is no easy option. The growing emphasis on cost-efficiency and treatment guidelines has led to a workplace governed tightly by protocol, in which healthcare providers are expected to account for every single euro. We’ve all heard stories about seven minutes being allocated for putting on support stockings and two for making a bed. There’s barely any time left for a smile and a chat. The idea behind this policy is that every minute that is funded with public money must be spent usefully and that healthcare workers must be scrupulously supervised to ensure that this happens.
People work in healthcare for a reason. They made a conscious career choice, and it’s not for the money. They take pleasure in caring for needy and vulnerable people. Work gives us self-esteem and a purpose in life – an identity. A satisfying and rewarding job is important for the well-being of the healthcare workers themselves and for the future of society as a whole; all the more so, given the growing numbers of chronic and geriatric patients, the worsening shortage of healthcare personnel and that fact that we’ll have to keep working until we’re sixty-seven – in all sectors, including healthcare.
It’s time to change track. We know from research findings that certain factors are important in maintaining a healthy workforce: flexibility, freedom to do the job in your own way, appreciation, an inspiring boss and a pleasant working environment. Physical fitness and a healthy lifestyle help too. Pressure of work has always been a sticking point. But we all know that what one person perceives as pressure of work, another perceives as a challenge. No-one minds going the extra mile now and then for a supportive boss and good colleagues. That way, you contribute to the collective product. One vitally important factor in maintaining a healthy workforce is trust. Trust that the workers know how to do their job. Trust in their skills and abilities. True professionals don’t need supervision. They take pride in their job and they fulfil their responsibilities, provided the right conditions are in place. Amongst other things, trust is about allowing people to make mistakes as long as they learn from them and giving them space to apply their knowledge and skills. Of course, there will always be shirkers. But should the entire profession have to suffer because of a minority?
There are several examples in the healthcare sector in which trust has led to good results: more enjoyable work, healthier personnel, better quality of care and lower costs. But it means that managers and policymakers have to loosen their grip and – above all – learn to trust.
Dr. Lenneke Vaandrager, Associate Professor at Health and Society