2018 CNA Appreciation Week is Coming! How Will You Thank Your Team?

Home Care Office Staff Hiring Tips

Show your team all year-long how important they are to your organization and the clients you serve.

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Like it the old fashioned way?

This year, CNA Appreciation week starts June 14th and runs through June 21st. Get ready to shower your CNAs with gratitude for their hard work and dedication during this special time of the year.

Last month we shared 10 Ways to Thank Your Caregivers. Many of those same ideas can be used for your CNAs. But, don’t stop with just one week of appreciation. Show your team all year-long how important they are to your organization and the clients you serve.

Here are a few ways you can keep the appreciation flowing:

  1. Give your CNA’s a choice and a voice. Being a CNA can feel pretty powerless. You don’t make any decisions about your pay or your schedule. You can’t decide which clients you serve. You don’t get any say over when you take a break or eat your lunch. So, take a moment and look at your process. Where can you add some CNA choices into the equation?
  2. Add staff photos to your website and social media. Take a group photo of your team and post it to your website or social media. Add names and say something positive about each team member. For example: Sasha (The Dementia Whisperer), Sandy (Always Helps Out in a Pinch), Darlene (Family Members Love Her).
  3. Help with travel expenses. At least half of your staff will have some sort of transportation problem during the course of a year. Subsidize their “Qualified Transportation by offering vouchers and bus passes. The IRS allows an employer to pay for employees’ “qualified transit” costs, up to $255 / month per employee. Qualified transit includes vanpooling, bus, rail, and ferry services.
  4. Start a mentoring program. A peer-to-peer mentoring program can benefit everyone involved, including both the mentor and mentee. It can improve morale, motivate staff and ensure the highest quality of care for the clients you serve. Download this instruction sheet to get started!
  5. Offer “well days.” Many people can relate to this: You need a day off. You may have something really important to do, or you may not. So you decide to call in “sick.” Most of the time this makes you feel guilty about missing work, right? Reward a job well done by allowing your employees to earn “well days.” These are days off when an employee can do whatever they need or want to do, but they won’t have to fib about feeling ill.
  6. Use rank and title to create a meaningful career ladder. For all those outstanding aides who continually show that they are responsible and accountable, offer to add “Senior” or “Shift Leader” to their title. It is amazing how much pride your new leaders will take in this small gesture. If possible, add a small pay raise to sweeten the deal even more!

How will you thank your CNAs?

These are just a few ways you might thank your important CNA team. Surely, there are thousands more! Share your creative ideas in the comments below! The more ideas, the better!

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