It's essential to a nursery's service that staff are performing to the standards set. What do you do if they're not? Mary Evans explains
A nursery's reputation sinks or swims on its ability to provide consistently good quality childcare. That, in turn, depends on the effectiveness of the manager in maintaining a motivated and high-calibre staff team. However, as a famous chef once remarked, just one bad-tempered washer-up could quickly affect the atmosphere and destroy the camaraderie and creativity of a busy restaurant kitchen.
How does a nursery manager deal with failing staff? A glib but accurate answer is, 'Don't employ them in the first place.' Tracy Storey, head of personnel and training with the Leapfrog nursery chain, which employs about 1,000 people, says they take great care over the recruitment process to try to avoid employing people who will not fit into the staff team.
Candidates are asked to work a trial day or half-day in the room in which they are being hired to work and the unit co-ordinator (room supervisor) plays a major part in the selection. In the first four weeks of employment the new staff member has a weekly one-to-one review meeting with his or her manager to review progress and pick up on any problems.
Firing and re-hiring is a time-consuming and expensive process, even when there are watertight reasons under employment law to dismiss an employee. Gross misconduct obviously warrants summary dismissal or suspension at the very least, but in the current childcare recruitment crisis, if the problem is capable of being resolved without undermining company rules, it is worth managerial time and effort to support the team member and help them find their way again.
Motivation is a most effective management tool. Round-the-world yachtswoman Tracy Edwards drew on her experiences at sea when she delivered a keynote address about motivating your staff team at the National Day Nursery Association's annual conference. NDNA communications officer Nathan Archer says, 'She described her time creating a team on board and used it as a metaphor for creating a team in the workplace.
'The team must be set clear boundaries and responsibilities so everyone knows what is expected of them, and at the same time the team should operate in a no-blame culture. People should be able to own up and embrace their mistakes, learn from them and move on. People must feel they are valued and they must also know that if they need help they can ask for it and it is not a failure to ask for help.'
Sandra Hutchinson, proprietor of the Primley Park chain of nurseries in Leeds, works on the basis of two-way support and communication with her employees. 'We apply Christian values. There is an acknowledgement of each person's contribution to the team and recognition that everyone who comes to the team is valued. If someone has low self-esteem they are not going to perform as well.' Mrs Hutchinson, who takes a 'firm but fair' view on personnel management, says if someone's work is suffering she tries to discover whether the cause is related to the workplace or home. 'If someone has a domestic problem we will support them and give them the time off they need without them having to feel guilty.
'We like the team to gel together. It does not always happen, but we can still get the team working together. Sometimes if we have two people who are not gelling then we might get them to do a project together so they can get to understand each other better.'
An appraisal scheme should only be used to identify weaknesses in a positive way. If an interview becomes negative the employee will clam up and cease to contribute. Tracy Storey says, 'An appraisal interview should not be used for disciplinary issues. It is a positive tool that lets you discuss career aspirations, development and training.
'We always take the view that something must have happened if someone changes behaviour, and we try to investigate. If someone is failing, the problems are discussed and targets for improvement are set, along with a timetable. For something like not following the nappy-changing procedure we would expect an immediate improvement, that is, on that day.'
Ultimately, if the targets are not met and the problems persist, the disciplinary procedure is invoked. However, by operating a careful selection process and running a positive management system, it is very rare that the chain has to dismiss someone who has failed in their work.
'It can be very difficult when you find the manager and unit co-ordinator made completely the wrong selection decision,' says Tracy. 'It is not the poor girl's fault and she should not have been given the job in the first place. It is very rare, but sometimes there are people who should be working in a different environment, perhaps with fewer children or in a different sector, or perhaps they should not even be in childcare.'
Disciplinary matters
When you issue a new staff member with a written contract of employment the document should include details of the company's disciplinary procedures. It is important that all disciplinary matters are followed according to the company rules and are in line with employment laws to avoid setting precedents which could overturn these rules.
The normal format is to list as follows the steps to be taken in the event of the need to take disciplinary action:
- First - verbal warning. This warning will be recorded and a copy maintained in the employee's personnel file.
- Second - written warning. This warning will be recorded and a copy maintained in the employee's personnel file.
- Third - a final written warning. If the employee continues to fail to meet required standards, a final written warning will be issued indicating that further conduct of a similar nature within a specified period could result in dismissal.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, which has more than 100,000 members, is the leading professional body in Europe for those involved in the management and development of staff. It publishes books and guides on all aspects of human resources and operates a website which can be accessed by non-members. For information, phone 020 8971 9000 or visit www.cipd.co.uk.
The current book list includes a snappy guide to motivation, called Motivating People by Iain Maitland, available for 5.95 from 01752 202 301. The Department of Trade and Industry publishes advice on employment legislation, including the document Written Statement of Employment Particulars (PL700), available from the DTI website at www.dti.gov.uk ,which covers the information that must be included in employees' contracts, such as disciplinary and grievance procedures.
10 customer care tips...
Starting points
By Maureen Smith, ex-CACHE director, now a consultant
Use these tips as a starting point for developing excellent customer service in your setting.
1. Find out why your customers use your service and how you can ensure customer loyalty. Research has shown that customers make choices based on recommendations and their own experiences more than through advertising. Ask new customers why they came to your setting and their expectations of the service. Use this to build on your strengths and deal with your weaknesses. Satisfied customers will often pay a premium and will offer other forms of support such as fundraising.
2. Ensure best practice in early years provision. Good customer service starts with best practice in care and education and in support for families. Incorporate the values of the sector into your provision. Recognise that standards set for external inspection are the minimum and develop your own measurable quality standards that staff and customers understand, using the new national care standards, the guidance (when available) and the NVQ standards.
3. Define excellence in your core service. Identify and set service standards for your core business and for different parts of the organisation and include a customer service element in each, for example, greeting parents within ten seconds. Make standards available to staff and customers so they know what you are striving to achieve.
4. Identify additional aspects of customer service. These are the 'value added' aspects of your customer service, which follow on from your best practice and are usually tangible benefits, such as flexible payment terms, or an extended range of services but can be less tangible, such as excellent staff/ customer interactions. Find out what 'value added' aspects customers really want.
5. Develop a customer service strategy. Settings need a clear strategy to achieve customer service goals, which should be easily remembered. A SWOT analysis can give a starting point: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats. Have a simple slogan for your customer service initiative such as LISTEN: Listen, Include, Smile, Take time, Excellence, Now.
6. Identify barriers to good customer service. Staff meetings and training sessions will help identify barriers, which can be physical (for example, lack of space to talk privately) or organisational (for example, staff cannot greet parents when involved with breakfasts), or involve negative staff attitudes. Perhaps set up project teams to look at particular issues. Address negative attitudes if they are affecting the quality of service, through appraisal, training and sometimes disciplinary action.
7. 'Walk the talk.' Research has shown that the managers most likely to succeed are those who understand the service, are committed to quality and remain involved with the service. They can often be found in the nursery and spending time with parents, children and staff. As they walk around they are assessing and monitoring service levels, demonstrating best practice and motivating all levels of staff to 'walk the talk'.
8. Help customers to sort out problems even when it's no fault of the setting. Customers respond well to settings prepared to help them with problems. Staff who listen and offer to help find a solution are good ambassadors for the setting, but they do need to be clear about their boundaries. Staff should be trained in how to deal with unfair and aggressive criticism.
9. Be inclusive. Ensure that the individual needs of all your customers - children and their families - are met. Best practice in early years provision is inclusive and anti-discriminatory. Good customer service opposes discrimination and does not favour one group over another. Settings must be sensitive where finance is involved and not treat some customers more favourably where they pay to attend.
10. Train and reward your staff. Well-trained and committed staff are the keystone to good customer service, so training in how to achieve the service standards is essential. Excellence in routine tasks should be the norm and rewards should be given for specific achievements. Staff need to know the criteria against which they are judged and how they can improve their performance. Rewards in early years settings are hard to instigate, with pay and promotion prospects limited. Work with staff on fair and feasible ways of rewarding them.