Heart, Hope & Honesty by Craig & Scott de Fasselle

"This is the story of Direct Support Professionals (DSPs). They are dedicated workers few have heard about who help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It is a practical guide that shows those who hire DSPs how to get off the DSP Hamster Wheel of Recruiting, Hiring, and Turnover, It highlights why DSPs are essential workers and why they are vital to those they serve and the community."

Heart

We put too much emphasis on “what” we do vs. “why” we do it. We need to show how meaningful and rewarding the job is. We need to “sell” the job. “How can you recruit the right people without first-hand experience of the work they will do?”

Recruitment & hiring has to be done by people who are passionate about supporting the people we serve. The onboarding process needs to last at least six months. We need to make a personal connection with each new hire. The first step in the process is to start a relationship.

Post short videos on social media of great DSPs sharing why they love their jobs. We have to capture a person’s attention to draw them in. Potential applicants need to feel the passion. The average person does not even know what a “DSP” is or does.

Our great DSPs want all of the staff to care about the service recipients the same way they do. They don’t do it for the money. Great DSPs form strong bonds with those they support and their coworkers.

Problems as seen by good DSPs:

                    “Quality staff is not being hired and there’s a lack of consistency.”

                     Staff attitude.

                     Lack of motivation.

Hope

We need to get off the DSP Hamster Wheel! We need to control what we can. We can control how we communicate to potential hires and how we treat them from the first contact forward.

We need to proactively recruit DSPs. Passive recruiting does not work. We need to actively recruit people who value fulfillment and that love the idea of helping others. Advertise an “ideal DSP profile”. Create an interest in the position.

Prevent “ghosting” by communicating each step of the way. Text reminders! Warm, friendly reminders with emojis. Everyone looks at their texts. People don’t answer their phones, listen to voicemails or read emails.

Training. We need to train new hires by communicating and guiding them LEGO-instruction-style: simplify text; guide them step by step.

Have a staff mentor (“Chief Heart Officer”). Again, it’s about building relationships. Simple conversations from leaders who are not direct supervisors can help increase retention. We need to support our PCs as well on an ongoing basis.

Culture improvement. This takes an ongoing commitment to change. It requires consistent effort over time. A great culture is built on communication and empathy. People want the opportunity to express their frustrations, concerns, and opinions. They want to be heard. If concerns are not voiced, “infections” will grow. If ignored, the infections will spread. We need to treat the root cause and not merely the symptoms.

Trust. When there is real trust, productive conflict will quickly lead to the best ideas. Artificial “harmony” where there isn’t trust is dangerous. People need to address the elephants in the room. A fear of conflict results in choosing an artificial harmony over constructive, passionate debate. People need a safe environment to share their concerns.

Regardless of a person’s role in the company, everyone needs to work together to succeed.

“Driver”: sets the vision for where we are going; pushes everyone forward.

“Runners”: the top performers; puts the work first; they don’t make excuses or ask for much. Listen to your runners.

“Joggers”: the team players doing a good job; conscientious; rarely create problems; they believe they are doing their best, but they can and will do better with support.

“Walkers”: while they contribute to the forward momentum, they tend to do the bare minimum; they resist change and complain; their complaints slow others down or start a toxic culture; probably never learned about a strong work ethic.

“Riders”: they hide behind others and only perform when someone is watching them; lack a good work ethic and tend to be hard to motivate. These are the “dead wood”. They need to be eliminated from the company.

Every day at work should be a team-building activity. Communicate expectations very specifically and positively. When staff have fun at work, they will work together more collaboratively. People need to feel a purpose and that they are a part of something greater than themselves.

It’s better to have high trust, lower performer team members than high performers, low trust. Low trust is toxic to a team. The individuals that everyone trusts are the most valuable members of your team. 

Accountability. Being a good “accountability partner” means not letting each other off the hook; encouraging and pushing your partner; having an open, sharing & growth mindset; meeting consistently.

Honesty

Three categories of people we should target to recruit DSPS:

-        Mature individuals

-        College students

-        High school students who are unlikely to go on to college

We need to emphasize the rewards of being a DSP. It’s a recession-proof position and the job is far more than a weekly paycheck. “So why worry about the hourly pay when you recruit DSPs? If someone cares about an hourly check, they probably aren’t ideal for this work.”

People over paperwork.

Frequent and positive communication.

Create interest by painting a picture of what a DSP’s day looks & feels like.

Help people stay connected to the cause.

Listen and appreciate.

Build relationships starting at the interview.

Interactions build culture.

Wendy's Rating: ****