HR Industry Brief

The senior living industry has had little time to relax and reflect; and future planning is difficult when new crises and challenges seem to keep popping up. However, a panel of experts has a few words of advice for operators, administrators, clinical leaders, and their teams:

• Stay focused on the great things you do. Celebrate successes and milestones.
• Focus on improving the employee experience. Put effort (and money) into funding employee recognition, education, and tuition reimbursement. Roll out the red carpet to welcome employees.
• Step back and think about what you offer, what your strengths are, and what distinguishes you from the competition.
• Look at and respond to trends cycle by cycle and variant by variant. Be flexible and able to pivot quickly. Keep your finger on the pulse of what’s happening in your community, your state, and the world around you.
• Focus on finding and implementing the best technology for your … [Read more...] about (1/14) Senior Living Should Focus On Its Strengths for 2022 – Making a Difference Every Day: Panelists

Whether you plan on hiring new workers in 2022 or you just want keep the employees you have, you need to know about these workplace dynamics that will enable you to attract and keep a strong team:

1. High demand for flexibility in location and scheduling. More than ever, workers expect the ability to work flexible hours, work from home, or maintain hybrid schedules. Employers who don’t offer these in some capacity are likely to lose good candidates to competitors who do.
2. Need for clarity about critical policies. Everything from COVID vaccination requirements and masking to family leave and other issues should be clearly defined in policies and communicated to all employees.
3. Expectations of competitive salaries. Salaries are more competitive than others, so it is important to known what numbers candidates are seeing from the competition. If your salaries are lower, you will have to be able to sell benefits that are enticing and offer added value.
… [Read more...] about (1/13) 4 Dynamics Shaping the Job Market: What Employers Need to Know

The SCOTUS will soon hear oral arguments regarding the Biden administration’s rules and make a fairly quick decision. Here’s what you need to know:

• The ruling has serious implications for both employees and employers. If the requirements are upheld, it will impact some 80 million workers; and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requirement could affect more than 10 million more.
• The case comes after months of legal fights. The mandates were announced in September 2021, and opposition popped up almost immediately. Despite pushback, the mandates have survived most court rulings.
• Expect a decision soon. This case will get prompt attention, partly because the deadlines for implementation are rapidly approaching.
• Prepare now to move ahead with implementing mandates. Err on the side of caution and finalize vaccine and testing policies and plans to implement mandatory vaccinations.
• Even if the court rules against … [Read more...] about (1/12) 5 Things to Know as Supreme Court Takes on Vaccine Mandates

If you want to attract and keep good people in 2022, it is important to understand what ideas you need to rethink and what innovations and trends are hot:

• The war for good talent must be waged based on your capacity to connect with job candidates.
• Don’t try to manage today’s realities with yesterday’s tools. Keep your finger on the pulse of what is important to employees and job candidates and make sure you have offerings that will appeal to them.
• Create a balance between organizational and personal needs.
• There is a need to look at the disconnect between the value you propose to employees and the value that partners and clients demand. Look for ways to narrow this gap.
• Abandon the “unhealthy obsession” with retaining talent. Accept that some turnover is inevitable and some workers – even top performers – may not be a good fit.
• In your focus on pursuing diversity, don’t forget the value of uniqueness – the unique … [Read more...] about (1/11) The 15 Big Challenges Facing Talent Management in 2022

If you think work flexibility is a luxury you can’t afford to offer, think again. According to a new survey, 70% of HR managers say flexibility is a prime reason employees cite for resigning. Elsewhere:

• More than one-third of employee respondents say they still want to work from home, and over a third (38%) worry about getting infected with COVID if they go into the office.
• Despite all the talk about vaccines causing resignations, 55% of employees actually support employer vaccine mandates.
• Wages continue to be an issue. A fifth (20%) employees say they’re dissatisfied with their current salary. More than a quarter are unhappy about their pay increments and promotions. They suggest that raises and bonuses aren’t keeping up with inflation and the cost of basics such as housing and food.
• Flexibility is one factor that has led many workers to resign their positions without another job lined up.

Having a loyal, productive workforce takes more than a steady job and a regular paycheck. Employees want meaning and purpose. According to employee research, workers’ attitudes contribute significantly to everything from turnover to profitability. Consider these tips for a happy, engaged workforce:

• Build culture around purpose. Define your mission in practical terms that will resonate with workers.
• Connect a message to the mission. Create multiple opportunities to state and restate the company’s purpose and reward employees for upholding its values.
• Personalize participation. Not every worker will participate in promoting and realizing the mission in the same way. Create specific opportunities for everyone to be involved and recognize their contributions.
• Promote empathetic connections. Involve employees in leadership and advocacy roles. Invite them to share their visions of what could be done better or different.

According to a new study, the key to reducing turnover and increasing engagement in nursing homes is a people-oriented work environment and staff support. This may be more important than wage hikes, according to the authors:

• Family members and direct care/administrative staff all identified the need for staff to feel appreciated and enjoy adequate support as critical to decreasing turnover.
• Some staff cited bonuses or incentives as important, it wasn’t mentioned in isolation. Instead, it was in the context of staff recognition/appreciation.
• Direct care workers identified positive work environments as a motivating factor for staff.
• Workers cited constant overwork and scattered support as factors that contribute significantly to turnover and dissatisfaction.
• Study participants – including staff and family members – identified new staff training and adequate training time as key to reducing turnover.

Labor is by far the top and most pressing issue on everyone’s minds, and assisted living is not exempt from the crisis. The numbers reinforce the urgency of addressing this issue in 2022:

• Assisted living experienced an 8.2% loss of jobs as of October 2021.
• 77% of assisted living providers say their workforce situation has deteriorated in recent months.
• 61% of assisted living communities are worried that workforce challenges may force them to close.
• While many long-term care providers (including assisted living) have used agency staff to supplement their teams, the high price these agencies charge have cut into budgets, causing shortfalls and making it harder to find money to hire and keep full-time employees.

While not all ransomware attacks make headlines, they continue to be a real threat to businesses, particularly healthcare entities. You may think it won’t happen to your organization or that there is nothing more you can do to protect your data, there are several strategies that can help up your ransomware attack prevention game: Start by running drills. Make sure all your workers have basic cybersecurity training, then conduct regular tests. This is key as phishing emails are the easiest way for hackers to get into your system. Be sure to focus on education and reward instead of blaming and punishment. You don’t want people to be afraid to immediately report when they’ve made a mistake. Elsewhere:

• Create a crisis response plan.
• Buy cyber insurance.
• Put experts on retainer.
• Back up employee data.
• Know your systems.

Of course, no one knows what the new year will bring; and there are bound to be some surprises. But here are a few predictions about what trends to expect:

• The tight labor market will continue. More companies will be focusing on internal hiring/promotions/reassignments, upskilling, and human-centered recruiting (hiring based on skills and fit, not just experience).
• A new tech boom is on the way. Expect to use more AI, as well as Talent Intelligence systems, to match and select qualified workers. Other tech innovations – such as virtual and augmented reality tools, avatars, and microlearning – also will be on the rise.
• Watch for a new focus on security. Inflation (which will continue) is causing people angst and stretching budgets thin. Increasingly, workers want safety and security. They want a company they can trust. How do you convey this in your culture and communications?