The Top 10 Long-Term Care & Senior Living Blog Posts Of 2018

2019 really snuck up on me there! And while I’m excited and ready to plunge head first into the new year, I think it's important to take time to reflect on the previous one.

So, what really resonated with our readers in 2018? Employee engagement, mobile recruitment, turnover prevention, smarter scheduling and staffing compliance (for the skilled nursing industry folk) topped the list. I won't keep you on your toes any longer. Here are OnShift's top 10 long-term care and senior living blogs of 2018.

1. Final Updates From CMS: PBJ Data's Use In Five-Star Ratings

Some big changes took place in the world of Payroll-Based Journal in 2018; namely that CMS announced staffing data would impact skilled nursing providers’ Five-Star Ratings. Our in-house PBJ expert sums up the huge implications of this change and how providers can remain compliant.

2. Introducing OnShift® Text2Hire™: Our New Text-Based Recruiting Software

Part of providing quality care and service is ensuring you have the right amount of staff on hand. OnShift was thrilled to be able to help providers in this particularly challenging environment.  After much research and conversations with our clients, we delivered a product that helps senior care providers successfully connect with, interview and hire quality candidates in half the time.

3. How Senior Care Providers Can Build A Culture Of Compassion

A survey revealed that 56% of disengaged employees, stemming from low-compassion workplaces, are actively looking for new jobs. We did our research and found the top ways senior care providers can connect with and support staff for better morale, increased productivity and higher retention rates.

4. Superheroes in Senior Care: The 2018 OnShift Schedulers of the Year

I’m never surprised that our annual Scheduler of the Year announcement tops the list. Who doesn’t want to hear about and learn from all the amazing schedulers out there? This year’s batch of scheduling superheroes were touted for reducing overtime, working with employees to create best-fit schedules and diligently ensuring that each shift is properly staffed.                       

5. How To Make Your Senior Care Community A Top Place To Work

For the first time ever, Fortune Magazine and Great Place To Work published a list of the Best Workplaces in Aging Services – which is great publicity for the senior care industry. So, how can providers get a spot on the list? By giving employees something great to say! Here are the practices you can implement today based on what the winners are doing for their staff.

6. Six Tips For Recruiting To Senior Care From Outside The Industry

The staffing crisis in senior care had many scratching their heads. How are we going to get the workers we need to care for the growing aging population? One increasingly popular strategy is recruiting those with a caregiver spirit from industries like retail and hospitality. To make yourself attractive to these outsiders, make sure your recruiting strategy has these six things.

7. How To Build A Rewards Program That Boosts Employee Engagement

Employee engagement was a major theme again in 2018. A proven way to boost engagement is by rewarding your employees for their hard work. Senior care HR veteran Peter Corless shares these steps to take build a rewards program that resonates with employees and boosts satisfaction.  

8. Five Tips For Creating An Awesome Senior Care Onboarding Program

When employees come on board at OnShift, we let them spend some time at a local senior care community to help them get acquainted with the industry. In this post, Portfolio Marketing Manager Tommy Marzella offers his insights on what it takes to successfully onboard new hires and kick-stark engagement from day one.

9. Getting Ghosted By Candidates? Here Are 10 Reasons Why & How To Fix Them

Much like the world of online dating, we kept hearing stories about providers being ghosted by job applicants. It was driving us a bit batty, so we put together this Halloween-themed blog on the top ten reasons candidates go dark. Are you ghoul-ty of any of them?

10. [INFO] 5 Quick Scheduling Tips For Caregivers In LTC & Senior Living

How you build your schedule can make or break employee engagement, so it's crucial that your practices are caregiver-friendly. Our infographic points out the practices your community should put into place to boost employee satisfaction and performance, and make sure you're always staffed to provide the quality care and service your residents deserve.

And there you have it; our most popular blogs of last year. Now, time to look ahead. I can't wait to see what this year has in store for us. Cheers to a 2019 full of more awesome content!