Bringing Elder Care Home

Vol. 2, No. 3

Good Management Basics
First of Four Parts: Accountability

By John Paul Marosy, President
Bringing Elder Care Home LLC
jpmarosy@charter.net
(508) 854-0431

The attitudes and behaviors of managers and supervisors can make all the difference for employees who are trying to take care of an ailing parent while remaining committed to their jobs. This is the first of a four-part examination of how good management basics can promote elder care/work balance.

" 'It's the supervisor and the company's culture that really make the difference," says Ellen Galinsky, Co-President of the Families and Work Institute. "...In other words, if your company has flex time but your supervisor won't let you use it, it doesn't do you any good.' "

"Managing elder care conflicts well is a subset of managing people well. To succeed, a manager needs to pay consistent attention to four elements of good management:

Clear accountability for performance
Open, honest, and on-going communication
Job design flexibility, and
Respect for privacy and confidentiality."

We will examine the first element:

Accountability

"Clear accountability for fulfilling responsibilities is a key factor that must be in place... A clearly written, up-to-date job description and mutually agreed-upon goals are a necessary starting point, a base for common understanding to which worker and supervisor can refer in the course of working together."

"Once the job description and goals are set, it is critical that individuals know what level of authority they have to accomplish their responsibilities. Trust can be diminished when authority for the same accountability varies among co-workers."

"The manager needs to assure that these basic building blocks of clear communication are in place before work/family conflicts arise. Specific tasks include:

Updating job descriptions at least annually.
Setting specific, quantifiable goals for the individual, department, or team.
Involving team members in a regular review and discussion of progress
toward goals, at least once every three months.
Conducting open and honest performance evaluation reviews at least annually."*

Simple as it may seem, many work situations lack clear accountability. This can result in open-ended, unrealistic expectations on the part of the manager or supervisor. From the employee's point of view, it creates an atmosphere of uncertainty that can erode confidence, trust, and enthusiasm.

Without clear accountability, there is no base on which to build the second key element of good management - and essential for work/life balance: open and honest communication.

*Excerpts from A Manager's Guide to Elder Care and Work by John Paul Marosy, Greenwood Publishing, Westport, CT, 1999. www.greenwood.com

Next issue: The two components of speaking the truth.

We welcome your thoughts and opinions on this subject. Visit the Elder Care/Work Balance discussion group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bringingeldercarehome

John Paul Marosy
Editor and President,
Bringing Elder Care Home LLC

John Paul Marosy is the author of Elder Care: A Six Step Guide to Balancing Work and Family, available from Bringing Elder Care Home Publishing on line at www.bringingeldercarehome.com or by calling 508-854-0431.

"A Manager's Guide to Elder Care and Work is an easy-to-read, "how to" text addressing the role of managers in the development of elder care programs in private business... The author provides useful information regarding the characteristics of caregivers who are predominantly women and make up half of the labor force..."

-- Journal of Women and Aging

Visit www.bringingeldercarehome.com or call or email today to learn how your organization can offer this effective resource. (508) 854-0431 jpmarosy@bringingeldercarehome.com

Click here to unsubscribe Click here to subscribe

This newsletter may be reprinted in whole or in part so long as the author, John Paul Marosy, is credited and the Web site address, www.bringingeldercarehome.com, is provided.