CNA Bonus Plan

Conqueror+, BSN, RN · Mar 30, 2016

Wish I got a bonus for showing up and on time. Attendance and punctuality are a requirement of employment.
Now in order to meet that requirement... a BONUS must be paid???

Just answering the question. Geez Louise.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Mar 30, 2016

Hi there,
I'm a Compensation Analyst for the LTC world. I fight everyday to prove that CNAs are the heart of the centers and need to be recognized more for their efforts.
With that being said I am attempting to design a bonus plan for CNAs. My goal is to give CNAs the ability to control their earnings based on their performance. Since I am not in a center I don't have first hand knowledge of how a CNA affects the success of centers.
I'm reaching out to you to help me design the perfect CNA bonus structure for individual performance. Things to consider:
What should a CNA be measured on?
How easy would it be for a Supervisor to keep track of the CNAs performance?
Should a CNA be rewarded on a monthly basis or annual?
What are some fair eligibility rules?
Any help would be greatly appreciated, not just from me but the 6,000+ CNAs my company employs nationally.
Respectfully,
Marie

So what I hear you saying is.. you have NO clue what CNA's do. But you are asking the professional nurse to assist you to " design the perfect CNA bonus ".

I can do that for 50% of your salary.

Conqueror+, BSN, RN · Mar 30, 2016

OK.
OP, I do applaud your efforts to try to get something more for your CNA's, who work really hard at what they do, and get little recognition for it. Your company's heart is in the right place, however no matter how innocent your first line was in your post, the nurse is the heart of the facility. The previous remarks are made because that particular platitude has been shoved down nurses' throats for years now, and while other workers are indeed VERY important to the care of the residents, nurses do get tired of that line. I would be first in line to make sure CNA's are adequately compensated, but it should be ALL employees, not just a particular set of employees. That plan will sow discourse among your employees.
As far as the PP talking about bonuses in the hospital setting, yes, some of the metrics can cross over, but in the hospital I am at, the quarterly bonuses are for everyone, including custodial, dietary, business office, nursing, etc. NOT just CNA's. Yes, they may have done a separate bonus plan for nurses, but the OP stated she fights everyday to ensure everyone knows the CNA is the heart of the facility. The other posters have given excellent advice on how to reduce falls, PU occurrences, and to increase staff morale. And I completely understand how feasible those may not be, but those suggestions are coming from the front line.
Before any CNA's start on me, I DO appreciate what you do. You make every nurse's life much easier, because all that you do is part of our job. We delegate to you what you can do to assist us, so we will have time for the things that need to be done that you can NOT do. And, yes, I started my healthcare career as a CNA. In LTC. For 4 years (Actually 7, if you count the time I was working while going to school, but that was in the hospital). To this day, I will put myself on the floor as an aide when we have call-ins, and leave the LPN as charge. It is a wonderful change of pace, and I still enjoy it.
One final note, PLEASE OP, do not make the mistake that just because the nurses make the assignments for the CNA's that they are supervisors. They are not. The CNA's are not their employees, the person who does their performance evals is. The nurses are responsible for the care of the resident. Offering something to the CNA's and not the nursing department in its entirety is the same thing as offering something only to first shift, and not the other shifts. Please think of that BEFORE implementing anything. I do not envy your position, and I wish you luck in whatever you decide.

In the long term care facilities around here the nurses on the floor do complete the CNA evals including sitting down with them and discussing the results. I know it varies from place to place though. And even if the DON does the eval she is an employee of the company as well so the CNA's do not work for her either.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Mar 30, 2016

Just answering the question. Geez Louise.

My name is not Louise. More like Thelma actually.

Farawyn · Mar 30, 2016

So what I hear you saying is.. you have NO clue what CNA's do. But you are asking the professional nurse to assist you to " design the perfect CNA bonus ".
I can do that for 50% of your salary.

:inlove:

Jensmom7, BSN, RN · Mar 30, 2016

Wish I got a bonus for showing up and on time. Attendance and punctuality are a requirement of employment.
Now in order to meet that requirement... a BONUS must be paid???

Modern thinking. Kind of like how everyone gets a trophy simply for showing up at an event, without having to participate.

Sadly, it seems to be the only way to motivate some to do what really is part of a work ethic.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Mar 30, 2016

Modern thinking. Kind of like how everyone gets a trophy simply for showing up at an event, without having to participate.
Sadly, it seems to be the only way to motivate some to do what really is part of a work ethic.

Motivation is the paycheck. Management needs to apply the disciplinary process. There are MANY CNA 's looking for a job.

Extra Pickles · Mar 30, 2016

some years ago the floor I worked had an incentive program that gave the aides vouchers for the cafeteria and gift shop when they got Excellent ratings on customer service cards and letters of praise written to the department. Trouble with that program was that it was the aids who slobbered up to the family and dumped all kinds of affection and attention on their loved ones who got letters written and cards filled out. The CNAs who were busy working didn't do that and gosh what do you know didn't get so many phony praise cards. oh, and the sneaky aids would have those cards right there in their pockets to hand to the family, with their names on them, in case there was anything they wanted to ask them about. Total manipulation!

The fact is that an aid who does an excellent job at T&P, cleaning, morning cares and such may not be the one the family notices or remembers and they aren't likely to be the ones who slobber attention on the family when they should be doing their actual jobs.

I don't know how long the program lasted but I know it didn't last long, instead of asking the nurses who worked with the aides who had the best work ethics and who they wanted to work with most because they were so good they just got rid of the program. Back to the beginning!

One thing we could do to do something for the best aides was to have them be the Lead. The Lead would be assigned to the charge nurse's patients and the Lead would make the assignments for all the other aides. So if you were a great CNA you could more or less be In Charge of the others. sometimes the extra responsibility was the incentive needed I think for the marginal worker to do better.

smartassmommy · Mar 30, 2016

Instead of some gimmick that can and WILL be manipulated, put the money where it really matters. Safe ratios would not only result in better outcomes, but also potentially make your company a leader in the LTC industry.

Mariesmith · Mar 30, 2016

Great! What would you consider a "Safe patient/staff ratios"? Seriously guys, I'm an actual Corp. person who is trying to hear what you have to say and make a change for the better. Now I could be like the majority of Corp. people who assume they know what is best for you but I rather hear from the people that my decisions directly effect.

So if "Fake rewards" as you so eloquently put it, what are some ideas that would make a CNA feel recognized. That's all I'm trying to do.

Mariesmith · Mar 30, 2016

Awesome! You have given me the best information so far. Thank you so much! :)

Mariesmith · Mar 30, 2016

Thank you for understanding where I am coming from.