From pay and equity issues to concerns about benefits and communication, employees share their top workplace grievances. A survey of employees at 2,100 organizations representing various industries identified the top complaints employees have. Consider which of these might be issues in your organization and how you might address them to improve hiring, retention, and engagement. … [Read more...] about Understand Employee Complaints to Improve Retention
(3/21) Why You Should Care about the Cost of Turnover
If you need some solid evidence to build a case for greater investment in employee retention, a new tool may help. The Cost of Turnover tool is a calculator that helps estimate the cost of employee turnover in two areas: direct and indirect costs. This is important, as direct costs are easier to determine; while indirect costs—such as low morale and reduced productivity—generally are harder to put into numbers. To make best use of this tool, determine in advance what position or occupation you want to calculate costs for, who you need to collect information from, where you can get reliable information about hiring and onboarding procedures and costs, and what manager(s) can provide information about the impact of vacancies and the onboarding procedures for new workers. Read the full article. … [Read more...] about (3/21) Why You Should Care about the Cost of Turnover
Bridging Skills Gaps to Build a Strong Workforce
Here’s what employers are doing to fill skills gaps that keep them from finding qualified job candidates. In a recent survey of HR professionals, 83% said they have had trouble recruiting suitable job candidates in the past year; and 75% said that part of the problem is related to skills gaps. Over half said this concern has worsened in the past two years. Skills most lacking, the survey suggested, are in the medical, science, engineering, and data analysis fields. Thirty-five percent (35%) of respondents said that candidates don’t have the right technical skills for job openings, while 30% said applicants don’t have the right soft skills (such as problem solving, critical thinking, the ability to deal with complexity and ambiguity, and communication). About a third of respondents said that candidates don’t have … [Read more...] about Bridging Skills Gaps to Build a Strong Workforce
(3/20) Managing High-Cost Claims Tops Employer Benefit Plan Concerns
Health benefit costs are rising for U.S. employers, a new survey show. According to data, costs rose 3.6% in 2018, and projections suggest they could go up 4.4% this year. This is likely to hit smaller employers harder. Employers identified “monitoring and managing high cost claims” as their leading strategy to manage health benefits moving forward, followed by “creating a culture of health.” Wellness is a key focus for most employers, and they mentioned telehealth and point solutions as some of their benefit offerings to address this. Elsewhere, employers have identified several cost-containment strategies, such as raising PPO deductibles, providing financial incentives for health assessments/screenings, and offering account-base, consumer-directed health plans. Read the full article. … [Read more...] about (3/20) Managing High-Cost Claims Tops Employer Benefit Plan Concerns
How Optimistic Are Employers?
Looking ahead, business owners see some clouds, but staying positive can help weather the storm. According to a recent survey, business owners are less optimistic about the employment and economic outlook than they were last year. On a scale of 1-100, with 100 being the highest level of optimism, owners’ overall business outlook is six points lower in 2019. Respondents rated their optimism at 71 points in 2018 and 65 in 2019. Their confidence in the country’s economy is down three points from 65 to 62. … [Read more...] about How Optimistic Are Employers?
(3/19) Q&A: How to Best Recruit Gen Z Candidates
There are 61 million Generation Z workers entering the workforce, and they could be the answer to some of your worker woes. But what how should you reach out to them? Marketing pro Terrie Hermann suggests a few tips. For instance, these individuals are 100% digitally natives, so the best way to connect with them is through instant, digital, and seamless high-tech processes and social media. Mobile friendly recruiting, including mobile interviewing, is key to attracting Gen Zers. Elsewhere, many of these people grew up in a recession and saw parents and others lose jobs, so stress security and grow/advancement opportunities to engage them. Read the full article. … [Read more...] about (3/19) Q&A: How to Best Recruit Gen Z Candidates
CMS Announces Changes to Star Rating That Impact Staffing
More than ever, you need an engaged, experienced, reliable team to shine. Stepping up your game on staffing is more urgent than ever after an announcement last week out of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The agency outlined plans to update the star ratings on its Nursing Home Compare website in April to include tougher criteria for staffing level ratios. Specifically, CMS is setting higher thresholds and evidence-based standards for nursing home staffing levels. According to a news release from the agency, “Nurse staffing has the … [Read more...] about CMS Announces Changes to Star Rating That Impact Staffing
(3/18) Boost Engagement and Productivity by Playing Games
Gamification is making its way into the workplace, where it is often found to increase engagement and develop knowledge in more efficient ways. From onboarding and retention to learning and development, games are a fresh, fun way to impart information, maximize knowledge, and apply adult learning concepts shown to maximize buy-in and retention. For instance, you can turn training into a simulator game via virtual reality and related technology. Gamification also can be used to improve employee relationships by setting up a game that motivates employees to reward each other for performance. Many gamification practices are easy to integrate into work processes and promote teamwork. To help ensure the effectiveness of games in the workplace, set clear goals for their use, connect game elements to actual work processes, and understand what motivates your employees. [Read more...] about (3/18) Boost Engagement and Productivity by Playing Games
Time’s Up: Set the Alarm to Improve Inclusion, Retention, Engagement
Now is the time to pursue opportunities to address issues regarding harassment and inequity. A manager often scolds and criticizes staff—loudly—in front of others. A practitioner interrupts and dismisses others at meetings. A resident uses racial slurs and sexually suggestive language around caregivers. Qualified individuals are passed over for promotions because of gender or age. When such situations occur, they can lead to morale and performance issues and high turnover rates. They also can hurt an organization’s reputation, making it difficult to attract and keep good employees. Many women and others in healthcare everywhere—at all levels and in all job categories—have experienced harassment, bullying, and power inequity in the workplace. Recently, a group of women in the field—including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and others--joined together to launch Time’s Up Healthcare, an effort … [Read more...] about Time’s Up: Set the Alarm to Improve Inclusion, Retention, Engagement
(3/15) Zero-Base Your Way to Tomorrow’s Workforce
More companies are taking a zero-based approach, originally used for budgeting, to redesigning outdated processes by starting from “zero” to analyze and evaluate them. There are five zero-based components companies can use to redesign their workforce looking forward. These are: right work (what drives the greatest business value), right size (how and when work is done), right structure (focusing on core and new competencies), right people (align skills to roles), and right measure (align organization objectives to business functions; create clear metrics of success). Read the full article. … [Read more...] about (3/15) Zero-Base Your Way to Tomorrow’s Workforce
