A PalmPix shot of one of two surviving Beta's kept in glass jars around the nurses' station. It's part of the Fish! philosophy, based on this book about increasing productivity in the workplace.
It started with the fish-hurling antics of the fishmongers at Seattle's Pike Place Fish Company, where to the delight of tourists, fishmongers hurl fish through the air and then subsequently catch and wrap them for the tourists. I am not sure exactly how this logic works, but it has turned into a productivity tool for big businesses (including hospitals). The concept is sound: if workers relate to one another (and to their leaders) on an emotional level that indicates trust, commitment, honesty, pride and humor, those workers tend to be more productive, and tend to provide better customer service.
I dunno. It seems to me simply TELLING people to be happy and thus become more productive seems, intuitively, silly. People are happy because they are happy, and provide good customer service because they have the training, the ability, and the desire to do so. I'm not sure how this can successfully be mandated by management.
Especially hospital management.
Again, corporate lemmings pay good money to attend a workshop, they get a free book, they buy a dozen fish (who die horrible deaths that have led to nightmares on my part) and they wonder why people don't just start laughing themselves silly while nursing productivity goes through the roof and patient care becomes superlative with Press Ganey's all at the 99th percentile.
They can't figure out why nurses are leaving the bedside, many to leave the nursing industry altogether.
They can't figure out that patients do indeed want that special personal touch -- but more importantly, would like to survive their hospital stay with their life and limbs intact.
They are bemused and befuddled by the number of nurses who are opting for "travel" nursing positions -- and yet own permanent residences less than 20 miles from where they are employed as "travelers."
They wonder why agency nursing, where the guarantees of no-nonsense non-political "fish free" per-diem pay "inexplicably" draw seasoned nurses away from traditional core positions.
Unbelievable.
Hi,
I am a medical talent recruiter who would like to trade links with you.
Thanks,
Victoria Hawley
[email protected]
Posted by: Victoria Hawley | November 05, 2004 at 12:25 PM