Improving staff meetings

I have a question? When your unit has its staff meetings is it a lecture on staffs short comings, are you treated like children, or is it a give and take of opinions and ideas on how to improve floor performance.

What style do you feel is more productive? When your lectured to do you feel unappreciated? Do you feel a meeting with a give and take discussion is less productive. Last edit by NRSKarenRN on Dec 31, '11
Retitled and moved to AN's General Nursing Discussion for best chance members advice.

Quote from casper 1I have a question? When your unit has its staff meetings is it a lecture on staffs short comings, are you treated like children, or is it a give and take of opinions and ideas on how to improve floor performance. What style do you feel is more productive? When your lectured to do you feel unappreciated? Do you feel a meeting with a give and take discussion is less productive.

I have avoided staff meetings for the last 5 years and plan on avoiding them for the next several years till I retire.

...double post

Definitely the former. We get told "this is the way we've decided to do things now" [I use the word "we" lightly because the decision was made by a maximum of 4 people], occasionally asked "what are your thoughts?" If anyone cares to say anything (which is likely what everyone in the room is thinking), the person who originally posed the question has an answer ready and they shoot down everything we say until we realize it's a waste of breath to keep talking and stop. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Staff meetings are the biggest waste of time. I wish I could avoid them but they're usually only announced but a day in advance and are done at 7am, so I either get stuck there for up to an hour after a night shift (without getting paid) or I have to start my day on a sour note.

We aren't talked down to, and our manger asks us for our opinions. What irks me are the ones that are so nasty and negative, but have no ideas how to fix things. Our meetings will be changing to mostly education and I don't know when we will have meetings about floor issues. It will be interesting. I do think people need to vent, but it needs to be done constructively.

Was in a staff meeting where the NM banged her fist on the table, and said she was tired of this bulls*it.Of course she didn't know anything ABOUT the bullsh*t .. but meetings are a GREAT place to throw your weight around.

Quote from KyrshamarksI have avoided staff meetings for the last 5 years and plan on avoiding them for the next several years till I retire.

Quote from KyrshamarksI have avoided staff meetings for the last 5 years and plan on avoiding them for the next several years till I retire.

Our manager has an outline she follows, she doesn't preach at us, but if stuff isn't right then she lets us know, but she also has a plan or asks for opinions on how to fix it. This is the format I used also and it works. The only time you-know-what hits the fan is when we have been told to fix something and 2 months later it is the same because people don't do it, don't care to do it, or say it is stupid. then we get lectured. She also has us email her things that we think need addressed,esp practice items. And lately it has been about people helping to stock and clean up because we lost both of our aides in a cut.

There was a night shift supervisor who got an idea from a supervising class she went to . . . .she made sure she met with her staff as soon as report was over for a private meeting.It drove everyone nuts!! They needed to get on the floor and get busy and sometimes report could get longwinded, depending on who you were following. A meeting every shift soon went by the wayside. Whew. I meet every week with our hospice team. That can get rancorous. Depending on who is there. I prefer to be like Dave and Kyrashanks . . . avoid meetings if possible. Fortunately, there is no bonus tied to the meetings . . . however, you do get paid to go. It just isn't worth the $ . .. IMO.

I think the most efficient way to run meetings is with Roberts Rules of Order. At first is seems formal and somewhat silly and may be uncomfortable, but it does keep things orderly, on track, and assures follow up. My rule of thumb is no more than 2 items of new business for each meeting. One must be realistic about how much new information and/or change can be reasonably disseminated/implemented at one time.Everyone gets a chance to speak/respond at every meeting.We make them biweekly so there is less material to cover and we can be out in 30 minutes. We decided by vote to do them Wednesday mornings with a catered breakfast. We close early on Wed, so people are willing to come in a bit earlier (7:30 a instead of 8) and the Breakfast usually entices most people to make an appearance.