Joanne Kaldy

Considering what you and your teams have been through in the past two years, panic attacks may be more common than you think. The American Psychological Association defines this condition as a “sudden surge of overwhelming fear that comes without warning and without any obvious reason.” Signs might include shortness of breath, chest pain, weakness or dizziness, sweating, and/or pounding or racing heart. If someone experiences a panic attack at work, the following advice might help:

• Breathe deep and slow. Put your head between your legs or breathe into a paper bag.
• Use mindfulness. Focus on your breathing and the present. Tell yourself, “This too will pass.”
• Visualize a happy place where you are at peace.
• Repeat a mantra or favorite work or phrase. Close your eyes and focus on the words. Breathe slow and steady.
• Take a break. Walk outside, get a cup of tea, or do something else that will remove you from the situation. The … [Read more...] about (3/22) Managing a Panic Attack at Work

A sense of belonging is more than just a “feel good” concept. In fact, studies suggest that employees who feel like they are key members of a team and connected to their colleagues are more likely to stay and be productive. Want to create a sense of belonging? Consider these steps:

• Build a diverse team. Think about focusing on “culture odd” instead of “culture fit.” Who will bring something new and unique to your team but share your values? Who can help fill existing gaps in skills, knowledge, experience, etc.?
• Ensure team cohesion. Clarity is the key here – having clear roles and decision-making processes. Recognize the personal attributes that each team member brings to the organization. Encourage collaboration and establish parameters that help everyone understand their role and how it connects with everyone else’s.
• Stop distributing power just to the dominant group. Train your teams and your managers about unconscious bias. Create a culture … [Read more...] about (3/21) Why You Need Diversity and Inclusion to Create ‘Belonging’

Hiring continues to be a major challenge in health care and other industries. According to leading recruiters, these tips can help:

• Write a detailed job description. Highlight tasks, responsibilities, and opportunities that will appeal to potential employees. However, don’t exaggerate or misrepresent the job.
• Leverage online job sites and other platforms. Know where the people you are seeking to hire are looking for jobs. Before you invest any real time and money, do your research. Where is your competition advertising? What are they saying to attract workers?
• Make use of employee referrals. Encourage your teams to refer qualified candidates to your organization. Incentivize them with gift cards, cash, time off, and other rewards for their efforts.
• Recruit at local schools. Take advantage of area pools of potential job candidates.

A new survey confirms that burnout and stress are causing nurses to leave their jobs. In fact, more than a third of nurses say they plan to leave their job by year’s end; and they say burnout and stress are the main reason for their departure. Among other findings:

• Next to burnout, the most common reason nurses cite for leaving their jobs are pay and benefits.
• Higher salaries are the leading reason for taking a new position. Nurses also say they’re attracted by greater flexibility and opportunities for advancement.

• In Texas alone, 58% of offers to nurses included a sign-on bonus in 2021.
• Sign-on bonuses doubled in a year from an average amount of $5,800 to $10,700.
• These bonuses seem to be effective, as candidate rejections after an interview decreased 28% in the last year.

Technology can make recruiting easier and more time-efficient…if you identify and implement targeted tech to solve your problems and meet your needs. Here are a few hot offerings:

• Recruitment marketing software. This technology can help you automate the distribution of job postings and enable their use on various platforms, better target appropriate candidates, and measure the effectiveness of marketing efforts.
• Applicant tracking systems. This automates a number of workflow steps, including background checks and interview scheduling. It also enables a shorter recruiting cycle and helps avoid unconscious bias.
• Recruitment CRM systems. These create a pipeline of candidates and helps maintain relationships with promising applicants.

• Clean up your current recruiting processes and systems.
• Ask for a demo.
• Think ahead about where … [Read more...] about (3/16) Recruiting Technology: What It Can Do and How to Choose It

Everyone has biases. The good news is that there are some important steps managers and other leaders can take to get bias – even unconscious bias -- out of the hiring process:

• Give leaders the tools, skills, and resources to be self-aware.
• Remove certain information from resumes: age, name, gender, and origin.
• Educate everyone who is involved in the hiring process about bias.
• Encourage leaders to examine their own mindsets and the beliefs that helped shape them.
• Have conversations about the value of diverse opinions and backgrounds.
• Put the focus on job competencies and specific knowledge, skills, abilities needed to be successful.
• Get diverse perspectives on candidates and the hiring process.
• Use an assessment instrument with candidates before the in-person or video interview.
• Create a job benchmark for each role. What is necessary to be successful at that job?
… [Read more...] about (3/15) 16 Ways To Remove Unconscious Bias From The Hiring Process

A boss that micromanages their team may mean well, but it most frequently comes across as controlling and a lack of trust in workers’ ability to do their jobs. As a result, productivity and engagement can suffer. If you have a micromanaging boss, there are a few steps you can take to make the situation more tolerable:

• Work to build trust. Let them see what you’re doing and the results you’re achieving. Seek their input on how things could be done differently or better. Explain your reasons for doing things the way you do. Share and listen.
• Calm them down. Try to understand what may calm an anxious, worried person who has a lot of their shoulders and is concerned about the possibility of errors or problems. Remind them of how your team is following specific protocols and procedures. Tell them how you’re preparing for a survey or implementing quality improvement efforts.
• Be proactive. Let the boss know how you’re planning to tackle projects ahead of … [Read more...] about (3/14) 3 Ways To Manage Your Micromanaging Boss

There has been a lot of talk about resilience in recent months and dozens of stories about how agility and adaptability have been key ingredients to helping organizations and teams survive – and even thrive – during the pandemic.  Through all of these conversations, we’ve learned three key things about resilience and how it works for those teams that have it:

• Resilient teams know that “collaboration” doesn’t’ equal “meetings.” With overburdened staff who often are handling the work of two or more people, successful organizations have realized how many meetings they can do without. Cutting back on meetings and making those that are deemed necessary more efficient free up time for hands-on work and a focus on other, more effective and time-saving means of communication.
• Resilient teams build caring, supportive relationships with each other. Teams in name only don’t have the stamina to survive a disaster or stressful situation. It’s essential to have teams who … [Read more...] about (3/11) 3 Practices That Set Resilient Teams Apart

The biggest challenge to CNAs’ jobs is the impact of the current staffing shortage, according to the results of a new survey from the National Association of Health Care Assistants (NAHCA), the professional association for Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs). The survey, which yielded nearly 650 responses, consisted of eight questions centering on the work of CNAs as they contend with the many challenges they face due to the pandemic and ensuing staffing shortages. The following results offer a window into what underpins the CNA staffing crisis and how it is affecting care today:

• Nearly 84 percent of respondents said it would take better wages and benefits to be hired back by their nursing homes, while just under half said that better training/opportunities for career advancement would lure them back.
• Poor wages and benefits were cited as the primary reasons why CNAs have left, or are considering leaving, their jobs.
• The CNA staffing shortage … [Read more...] about (3/10) CNAs Cite Staffing Shortages as Biggest On-The-Job Challenge: Survey

According to a new report, perceived discrimination at work affects both men and women, but women are more negatively impacted. Specifically, it decreases their confidence in their value, their suitability for their job, and their ability to complete tasks. About 4 in 10 women report experiencing discrimination at work because of their gender. Examples of workplace discrimination described by women include:

• Being paid less than men with the same or similar job responsibilities.
• Being evaluated or held to a different standard than their male colleagues.
• Getting excluded from important meetings.
• Being fired or demoted due to a pregnancy.
• Being subjected to unwanted sexual advances.