Joanne Kaldy

How do you engage and connect with frontline workers when you don’t have the luxury of communicating with them via traditional means? Consider these three steps:

• Make sure from the start workers understand how they are paid and rewarded, know their benefits and have access to them, have clarity about their schedules and how to cover/change a shift, know health and safety guidelines, and have access to equipment and training to feel safe at work.
• Leverage the “Ikea Effect,” the idea that people place a higher value on things they help build. Seek input from workers on solutions and innovations. Follow up, let them know when their ideas are used, and recognize their contributions.
• Meet people where they are. For instance, use ‘walk-arounds’ and stand-up meetings to discuss issues, seek input, and share information.

“People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” This quote from author John C. Maxwell is the essence of empathetic leadership, which is more important than ever to business success.   Empathetic leaders encourage trust and promote employee engagement and input. Team members feel empowered to contribute ideas and suggestions and to be innovative. Are you an empathetic leader? Consider these qualities:

• They walk the walk and present themselves honestly and without pretense.
• Transparent communicators and decision-makers. Empathetic leaders believe in open dialogue, active listening, and backing up their words with action.
• Ability to empower and develop others. They realize that each person brings a unique set of skills, capabilities, and experiences to the table; and they focus on harnessing these and using them to benefit both the employee and the company.
• Embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion … [Read more...] about (9/13) In Search of Empathetic Leaders

Emotions aren’t necessarily a bad thing in decision-making. However, it is important to channel and manage feelings to avoid reactive choices. Use this four -step approach:

1. Identify the decisions you need to make. Don’t get distracted or overwhelmed. Precisely determine the specific (or primary) issue you want/need to address.
2. Identify your feelings about the decision you have to make. Consider the dominant emotion you have. Anger? Fear? Hope? Putting a name to your feelings helps you keep them from driving your decisions. Instead, you can confront your feelings before you make a decision.
3. Visualize your success and how it feels. Think about how it would feel to make a successful decision. Will you be relieved or proud? What will it mean to those impacted by what you decision? How will it affect your relationships? Imagining a successful conclusion can give you to confidence to focus on and weigh the facts at hand.
4. Apply emotional … [Read more...] about (9/12) Emotions Aren’t the Enemy of Good Decision-Making

Workers are worried about the state of the economy, and this may benefit employers. According to a new worker survey:

• 67% of respondents said they are “very likely” or “definitely” planning to stay at their current company. Benefits and compensation were the top reasons for this decision.
• 43% said they’re concerned about the impact economic uncertainly might have on their professional life.
• 62% said they expect people (including coworkers) to be more stressed and tense if the economy takes a downturn.
• 45% said that layoffs would cause their team to be short-staffed.
• 43% of workers said they believe they’re less likely to get a raise in the coming months.
• 37% said they expect their hours to be cut, and 32% said they think they’ll have to work harder to prove their worth.

Is nursing home staffing bouncing back? The numbers suggest better days could be ahead:

• August saw an employment leap of 12,000-plus jobs, with healthcare adding 412,000 jobs over the year.
• Skilled nursing facility (SNF) labor data is similarly promising. Numbers for July and August suggest that wage growth is better controlled and total employment and aggregate hours increased slightly.

The direct care workforce has never been more important, and these practitioners continue to be in great demand. Yet a new report suggests that low wages, poor benefits, and other issues continue to hurt recruitment and retention. Among the findings:

• From 2020 to 2021 the home care workforce grew while the residential care and nursing assistant workforces decreased.
• While the direct care workforce has seen incremental wage growth in the past decade, the median wage was just $14.27 in 2021. The median annual earnings for direct care workers were well under $30,000.
• Nearly half (43%) of direct care workers rely on public assistance, such as Medicaid, food and nutrition assistance, or cash assistance.
• During the pandemic, 62% of nursing homes relied on nursing assistants from staffing agencies to fill staffing vacancies for a median of 166 days during the year.

Many workers aren’t taking time off, and that may not be a good thing:

• 42% of 1,000 workers surveyed say they haven’t taken time off in the past year.
• Younger and low-income workers are least likely to take vacation.
• Reasons are not taking vacations include the expense (47%), self-imposed pressure to stay on top of work (31%), a heavy workload (27%), no paid time off (25%), and no colleagues available to cover their workload (25%).
• Over a quarter (28%) of workers who say they did take a vacation report that they continued checking work emails and messages; and 6% said they continued to work while off the clock.
• The survey authors cautioned, “Employees really need time to disconnect from work, especially as we continue to see high burnout levels across the U.S. workforce. It’s incumbent upon employers to create a culture that encourages employees to both regularly take time off and fully unplug from their job while they’re … [Read more...] about (9/6) Nearly Half of US Workers Are Not Taking Vacation

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) has some implications regarding mental health issues. Here is what you need to know:

• FMLA provides job-protected leave for employees who need time off to address mental health conditions. Qualifying employees are entitled to up to 12 weeks.
• During leave, employees are still entitled to their group health benefits.
• FMLA leave is reserved for “serious health conditions.” Such a mental health condition is one that requires inpatient care and/or continuing treatment by a health care provider.
• An employer can’t require a worker to have an official diagnosis of a mental health condition to take FMLA leave. However, they may mandate that this individual submit certification from a health care provider backing up the need for leave.
• Workers can take FMLA leave if they have regularly scheduled appointments to see their provider/practitioner during their work shift.
• Workers can use … [Read more...] about (9/5) DOL Explains Expanding FMLA Leave to Care for Mental Health Conditions

An employee retreat can be costly and take time away from the office, but the benefits can be substantial:

• It encourages one-on-one interaction between team members. They have a chance to address issues is a comfortable, relaxed space. At the same time, their connections through games and exercises encourages them to collaborate, engage, and problem solve.
• It gives parents and caregivers a break. During a retreat, these individuals get relief from tasks like meal preparation and service, laundry, etc. They can focus on a bit of self-care.
• It helps employees learn and grow. Include a program or two of broad interest to the group that positively impacts their professional lives and their careers.
• It brings greater meaning to the workplace. People return to the job with a renewed sense of camaraderie, engagement, and purpose. They have new memories and experiences to share with their colleagues, which brings them closer … [Read more...] about (9/2) The Benefits of Hosting an Employee Retreat

With a worldwide pandemic (mostly) in our rearview mirror and lingering issues such as staffing and professional shortages, changing attitudes about work, the need for new skills and technological capabilities, and more, tomorrow’s business leaders will look different:

• They will need to understand AI technology and how going virtual will impact training, education, and coaching.
• They will be committed to the pursuit of life-long learning, not only for themselves but for their teams.
• They will reconnect with purpose and passion. They will focus on living purposeful lives that balance career growth and excellence with mental, spiritual, and physical wellness.
• They will recognize and embrace the potential of young employees and work to empower them to become future leaders and visionaries.
• They will understand that leadership starts and ends with a belief in themselves.
• They will be good communicators who set an … [Read more...] about (9/1) The Leadership Of The Future