I went apple picking last week and they told me that the best apples are all the way at the top. After questioning their theory, I just went with it. Because behind this statement is the underlying truth that the best things in life take work – especially at the beginning.
I’ve read that average employee turnover is higher than 50% for direct care staff like CNAs, but why does this happen? One of the reasons is organizations don’t always spend the time that new employees need to be successful. Maybe it’s that their newest CNA is just thrown right into working with a resident without being onboarded properly. There’s no mentoring program or job shadowing so that they can be placed in an area that plays on their strengths. And studies show that most turnover occurs within the first 90 days at a new job, so it’s important to invest that time in new employees.
To help combat this, think of recruiting as an ongoing process so that you have a pool of qualified candidates to choose from when an opening occurs. This will prevent that scramble to find someone that can end with hiring the first person you find, not the best for your organization. Once you have found one that is a perfect fit, start them off on the right foot. Create a mentor program so your star employees can show them the ropes, monitor their progress, and celebrate when they make it past the 90-day milestone. That’s definitely an accomplishment worthy of some recognition and will not go unnoticed.