Home Health & Hospice Week

Every workplace is fraught with stress -- and no place is more likely to wind up with overworked, tense staff members than the home care industry.

Problem: Stressed out staff can experience difficulty accurately assessing and working with your patients, documenting their work, and following complicated instructions, according to statisticsfrom the U.S. Department of Labor.

But you don't have to let your agency and its workers fall victim to long hours, a dwindling workforce, and inadequate pay. You can suss out your staff's concerns, worries, and suggestions in just a few clicks by asking them to take an inexpensive and time-friendly online survey.

How it works: You set up the questions and your staff share what they really think about what's going on in your agency without worrying about potential repercussions. Follow these steps to get started:

While there are many survey options on the Internet, the one most companies rely on is SurveyMonkey. Not only is it the most affordable system, it will also give you ultimate control over your survey's prompts.

First step: Before you can create your first survey, you must sign up for a free account at the SurveyMonkey Web site, www.surveymonkey.com.

To sign up for a free account:

1. Visit the SurveyMonkey home page and click the Join Now For Free button or hyperlink.

2. Fill out the required information and as much of the optional information as you want.

3. Click the Create A New Account button, and SurveyMonkey creates an account and takes you to the My Surveys welcome page.

4. Click on the Example Survey Web site link to view the sample survey.

Here are the basics of creating a very simple survey with the free account option:

1. After signing in, click the New Survey button to start a new survey.

2. Select whether to create the survey from scratch or from an existing survey.

3. Click Add Question to create your first survey question.

4. On the Add Question page, select a format choice from the Choose Question Type drop-down menu. The Matrix of Choices (Only One Answer Per Row) is a great option for questions with responses intended to rate employee satisfaction.

5. On the next page, follow the prompts to enter your question in the Question text box.

6. Follow the prompts to enter the answers you'd like to provide to the survey takers.

7. Click the Add button to add the question.

Then follow the prompt to add the next question.

8. Finish the survey, then click on the My Surveys button in the navigation bar to view your new survey.

9. Click on the brown box icon to the left of your survey to open the survey.

10. Click on the Collect icon for options to send your survey invitation to your employees.

Now that you've created your first survey,pay close attention to your staff members' feedback.

Note where questions were too vague or too specific and consider ways you can tweak the questions to elicit the response you really need from your staffers.

Examples: While "Do you always follow proper wound-care guidelines?" may net you a yes or no response, a better question might be, "Which wound-care guideline is most difficult for you?"This will help you better cater your training and procedures to your staffers' needs.

You'll also want to include more "soft" questions about your staff's workplace concerns. For instance, you might ask, "What changes could we make to increase your productivity?" or "What do you dread about coming to the office?" The answers to these questions could help you adjust your environment to make a positive impact on everyone.

Remember: Check your company's policies before you create your survey to ensure you stay within established guidelines. If you aren't sure whether an online survey violates your policy, ask your legal counsel or human resources expert to weigh in.