Ideas to Solve Today’s Senior Care Workforce Issues

The American Health Care Association recently took over San Antonio with its 66^th Annual Convention. As they say, “Everything is bigger in Texas” and the educational content and best practices shared held true to that expression.

As I two-stepped my way into countless discussions about staffing and labor management, it was clear that there are myriad workforce issues facing long-term and post-acute care providers today. With caregiver turnover rates over 50% in some parts of the US, minimum wage increases, and a projected shortfall of 2.5 million workers industry-wide, staffing issues were poked and prodded throughout the entire event.  

While the workforce challenges are intense, it was great to hear from the many providers who are not just discussing their senior care workforce problems, but are successfully addressing them. Here are three approaches to staffing issues that I thought were worth sharing, due to either their practicality or ability to spur debate.

Develop Employees
Let’s just get this out there – there is no silver bullet to fix employee turnover in long-term care. But, there are strategies that you can implement to engage and develop your employees so they stay with your community long-term.

Have you considered establishing defined career paths for caregiver associates? Develop a transparent plan and communicate it clearly so your caregivers know that if they work hard and meet milestones, they can progress in their profession. One HR leader I spoke with explained his caregiver ladder with CNA levels 1, 2, and 3, each with distinct job descriptions. Mentoring and training also play an important role in helping caregivers develop and step to the next level.

Recruit Caregivers
How to recruit talent and leadership was a hot button at the AHCA convention. Exploring candidates from outside the senior care market was discussed time and again, given the growing gap between the supply and demand of healthcare workers.

One provider detailed a new partnership with local high schools to attract students to work at their community. Yes, high schools! Students are hired in and given some basic duties within the community. They get exposed to the senior care environment and have opportunities to grow into positions as they learn and become more skilled over time.

Engage Millennials
Nothing ignited spirited discussion more than the topic of millennials in the workforce. Technology usage, work ethic, learning style – you name it, and the topic was explored with a millennial twist. Millenials are now the largest generation in the labor force, so it’s no wonder this was such a hot topic.

In a session covering how to recruit and engage post-acute care staff, led by OnShift CEO Mark Woodka and industry expert Irene Fleshner, the issue of community cell phone policies ignited the crowd. Woodka and Fleshner examined different perspectives and policies, while offering additional tips to recruit millennials to your community and engage them for greater staff retention. (View the SlideShare from the session here)

Woodka and Fleshner demonstrated that when it comes to the millennial workforce one thing is for sure, technology matters – big time. In fact, a recent study showed that 96% of millennials chose their cell phone as the most important product in their daily lives. Next on the list? A toothbrush and deodorant!

Consider this statistic as you look to recruit, hire and retain the millennial generation. Are you set up for success? Look for ways you can optimize your operations with technology to not only engage the millennial workforce, but also to make your clinical, financial, and operational outcomes the best that they can be.

(photo courtesy of David Castillo Dominici on freedigitalphotos.net)

Hiring the right staff - and keeping them engaged - is an ongoing challenge for senior living providers. When providers adopt employee engagement practices, they report reduced turnover, improved customer satisfaction and higher quality care and service as their key benefits. Read this whitepaper to get 5 tips to improve employee engagement in your communities.