Joanne Kaldy

Unveiled earlier this week, a Senate bill called the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act calls for the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration to create a standard requiring healthcare employees write prevention plans. The bill was introduced by Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and is supported by a bipartisan group of other Senators, as well as numerous professional and nonprofit groups. The bill is designed to ensure that healthcare workplaces adopt proven prevention techniques and are prepared to respond in the tragic event of a violent incident. Incidents of violence against health care and social service workers are on the rise, with the pandemic only exacerbating the issue. Workers in the healthcare and social service industries experience the highest rates of injuries caused by workplace violence. A 2016 GAO study reported that rates of violence against health care workers are up to twelve times higher than rates for the … [Read more...] about (5/13) National Bill Would Require Senior Living Operators to Implement Workplace Violence Prevention Plans

Treating departing employees with respect and seeking their feedback is especially important in light of a new study that says nearly half of workers who left their job in the last year say they would consider going back to their former employer. Instead of dismissing employees when their resign, consider:

• Keeping lines of communication open. Let them know that they will be welcomed back without judgment.
• Examine your culture. Look for ways to show workers more respect, empowerment, engagement, and autonomy. Promote innovations such as scheduling flexibility, the ability to work remotely, and new benefits that may entice workers back.
• Provide career growth trajectories. A third of employees suggested they would return to a previous employer if their current job stopped meeting their expectations. Make sure you offer pathways for career advancement and let employees know about these and how they can participate.

Gaining employee loyalty is going to take some work, according to a new survey. Among the findings:

• 63% of respondents say they’ve considered changing their career path or industry or possibly going back to school in the past six months.
• 88% say they could picture themselves working in a different industry from the one they’re in currently. Gen Z and Millennial workers are most likely to say they’re open to changing industries.
• 61% say the opportunity to earn a living wage is the most important characteristic of a job.
• 38% say they felt less valued than they ever have in their career lives during the past year.

Between cell phones, laptops, and tablets, employees are often tethered to the company 24/7. This may seem like a good thing – everyone is working harder and communicating in real time. However, according to a new study, never feeling like they’re off the clock is actually hurting employees and their productivity.

• 63% of workers say they continue to check their email outside of work hours.
• 34% say the struggle to respond to important messages.
• 43% report spending more time on video calls than they did a year ago.
• Workers say they use nine apps a day to get tasks done.
• Respondents say that switching apps adversely impacts their productivity, with 19% indicating this reduces their attention to tasks and 17% claiming they work longer hours because of it.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Community Living (ACL) recently announced a $1.3 million federal project to establish a new center to help shore up the frontline workforce in the home- and community-base care arena.  The Strengthening the Direct Care Workforce: A Technical Assistance and Capacity Building initiative will:

• Build off and advance collaboration between the ACL, the Department of Labor, and other HHS agencies, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
• Offer access to an array of model policies, practices, training materials, technical assistance and learning collaboratives.

According to a new survey, 71% of healthcare workers experienced moderate to severe burnout during the pandemic, and many continue to feel stressed and pressured. Burnout, researchers said, have led to staffing shortages that have caused:

• Longer waits for healthcare services, even in life-threatening emergencies with potentially fatal outcomes.
• Patients being turned away from clinics and ERs.
• Adverse outcomes including medication errors, patient falls, increased infections, and increased mortality.

• Compulsory leave days to prevent burnout.
• Sufficient staffing with ‘workload flexible hours' to prevent burnout.
• Prioritizing leaving on time/taking leave.

As of January 2022, about 76.00 Afghan refugees have come to the U.S., and the Biden Administration has committed to taking several thousand Ukrainians as well. This may be good news for organizations struggling to find workers. However, it is important to prepare for ways to support and train these hires to ensure their success and contributions to your company:

• Identify ways to overcome language barriers. Of course, a big part of this will be English as a Second Language (ESL) classes and tutors. At the same time, consider starting workers with no or poor English-speaking skills in positions where they will have little or no interaction with residents. Connect them with any co-workers who speak their native language to help them navigate their new world. When possible, provide visual – not written – communications and instructions.
• Realize they may be helping or supporting family in their native country. Lower housing, food, and other costs will be appealing … [Read more...] about (5/5) How Employers Can Set Up Immigrant and Refugee Hires for Success

Upskilling that gives workers new and better ways to work, as well as advance and expand their careers, is a worthy goal. But when your workers area already exhausted by the pandemic and workforce shortages, it’s important not to add to their stress. Consider these five ways to upskill your teams without causing burnout:

• Create a personal development plan for each employee. Provide milestones and goals to create a sense of direction and purpose.
• Set realistic expectations and timelines. It is important not to set people up for failure by establishing unrealistic goals and deadlines.
• Leverage remote training programs. Connect workers with online programs, webinars, courses, and other efforts that they can pursue on their own schedule and in their homes or on the road.
• Establish a wellness culture in the workplace. Encourage workers to be mentally and physically healthy by taking regular breaks, do breathing and/or stretching exercises, … [Read more...] about (5/4) 5 Ways to Upskill Your Employees Without Causing Burnout

As the pandemic eases and senior care moves into the “new normal,” the industry is facing challenges ranging from workforce shortages and residents’ mental health issue to high property insurance rates. This is according to a new LeadingAge survey. Among other findings:

• 71% of provider respondents say that staffing levels remain their top concern . This is up from 20% in December.
• Providers report an increasing number of confirmed COVID-19 cases among staff. They also are seeing low morale and personal circumstances affecting productivity.
• More than 30% of respondents say it takes longer than five months to fill a service coordinator position. HUD-approved budgets and low salaries are the top barriers to filling these positions.
• 84% of respondents say they have vacancy rates below 4%, up from 75% in December. They report an average waitlist of 1-5 years or more.
• 41% say they currently have no known cases of COVID among their … [Read more...] about (5/3) Workforce Issues Remain Top Challenge for Affordable Senior Housing Organizations: Survey

If you really want to keep your employees, it’s important to listen to them. One way to do this is to conduct ‘stay’ interviews. According to recent Gallup report, 51% of employees say that neither their manager nor any other leader spoke with them before they left a position. In fact, stay interviews can enable you to identify and address any concerns before you lose good people. Consider these steps for an effective stay interview:

• Make sure you know the employee, what their job responsibilities are, and what their history is with the organization. Read data from employee surveys or other sources of feedback from staff.
• Make the interviewee comfortable. Make it clear that this is an opportunity for you to improve worker retention and engagement and that they can be open and honest. Don’t judge or react defensively or negatively if they offer opinions or thoughts you disagree with. Conduct the interview in a quiet space with no distractions.
• Ask … [Read more...] about (FEATURED BRIEF) 3 Steps for Conducting Effective ‘Stay Interviews’