Beyond performance indicators: A case study in aged care

Abstract

"Benchmarking both absenteeism and labour turnover rates focuses on centrally driven\nperformance measures emerging in aged care organisations in the health sector. This\ncase study suggests that there is a need for performance indicators to take broader\naccount of the essential characteristics of care work and the impact on employees of the\nchanging focus of aged care work. Study participants express concerns about their\nworking conditions and the impact that these have on their well being. They are also\nconcerned about the interests of another group, the residents in aged care facilities,\nand the quality of care for those residents.\nThe paper identifies some recent trends in reporting human resource management\noutcomes that are consistent with the expectations of New Public Management\n(NPM). It then outlines the case study approach, briefly describing the aged care\norganisation involved and some of the study outcomes. Absentee rates and factors\naccounting for it are highlighted and the paper discusses the unique features of care\nwork and the different ways it is made more difficult by NPM priorities. These\npriorities not only appear to affect negatively the working life of aged care workers but\nalso point to underlying problems that question the efficacy of NPM when applied to\nthe essential relational elements of care work. While acknowledging some personal\nfactors accounting for exhaustion and illness among respondents, the paper reveals\nthat the requirement on them to report continuously and document activities\neffectively increases the administrative component of their work. This reduces the time\navailable for hands-on care. In the absence of additional resources and organisational\nsupport, these factors inhibit key aspects of effective caring, increase the likelihood of\nburnout and absenteeism, and ultimately affect labour turnover."