5 strategies to engage colleagues in audits

‘Yes! We have achieved the standardisation!’ After months of preparation, documentation and interviews with auditors, it has finally happened: your healthcare organisation has met all the requirements for the coveted standardisation and may now shout this from the rooftops. But while management toasts to this huge success, things remain suspiciously quiet in the rest of the organisation. And when asked what the audit ultimately revealed, care workers shrug. ‘I don’t actually know what came out of it,’ mutters one nurse. ‘Wasn’t that something for the management?’

Recognisable? Unfortunately, this is a common situation we regularly encounter with clients. You work extremely hard to pass audits, but within the organisation you notice that this does not resonate. If audit findings do not land well with employees, little changes. So how do you ensure that healthcare professionals take part in audits and really see the value in them? Today we will show you five strategies that can help!

1. Involve employees before the audit begins

Does an audit become visible only when the auditor comes by? That is as convenient as setting the alarm clock after you have overslept. This is one of the reasons why audits are not alive within organisations. Give healthcare staff a role in the preparation. That way they know in advance what the audit is about and what they can contribute.

How to go about it? For example, form a working group with a number of employees from various departments and let them think about what is going well and what could be improved. That way, they feel heard and will be more motivated to help improve.

2. Make the audit relevant to the care worker’s work

For many employees, an audit is as abstract as Piet Mondrian’s work. What is the audit about? Why will there be an audit? And what does it provide your colleagues with? These are all questions that should be answered for greater engagement. Therefore, always make it clear what the audit will bring to your colleagues.

And if we can give you another tip: show what improvements have come out of previous audits that have worked as benefits for the employee. Think less red tape, more efficient processes or fewer incidents.

3. Make sure there is room for positive findings

Is the glass half full or half empty? In healthcare, many things are going very well. But is enough attention paid to this within your organisation? If not, it can lead to employees feeling less appreciated. Therefore, apply appreciative auditing!

In practice, it will look like this: engaging more often with care staff, deepening strengths from the organisation and committing to a learning and improving audit culture.

Read more about why you also need this ‘soft’ side of auditing.

4. Follow up findings with visible actions and communicate this organisation-wide

Having said A, one must say B. Have you collected input in the organisation and have findings emerged? Then it is extremely important that these are followed up correctly and that this is communicated. Are you not doing this? Then the next time, employees will think ‘Ah that audit, we won’t do anything with it anyway’. That would be a shame, wouldn’t it?

Some practical advice from us: share an update soon after the audit with the findings and follow-up actions. Also appoint a clear owner so everyone knows what is expected of them. Have results been achieved? That too is worth sharing!

Here you will discover 5 tips to make an audit better.

5. Show that you value engagement

There is nothing like appreciation for what you do. You think so, and so do your colleagues, of course! So show that you appreciate their input and efforts. This way, you not only turn the audit into an improvement opportunity, but also into a moment to put employees in the spotlight.

Wondering how best to go about this? How about a message on the intranet, appointing some so-called ‘audit heroes’ and thanking them for their efforts? Or thank employees personally with a small gift or a nice lunch. The possibilities are endless!

Working with healthcare professionals to make audits a success

The best results are not achieved alone, but together. That’s what we believe in at Zenya. That’s why we like to make it easier for you to involve employees in an audit with our audit software. Our software allows you to:

Do you and your colleagues get the most out of audits? With these strategies and Zenya’s support, you not only increase commitment, but also ensure that improvements are really implemented!