HR Industry Brief

An academic medical center in Texas has found a successful formula for enacting a COVID vaccination policy. Here are the steps:

• Establish an ethical framework and hierarchy, including a pyramid of responsibility with patients and families at the top, followed by employees. This will help your organization prioritize the health and safety of those you are responsible for with a focus on avoiding preventable harm.
• Conduct a risk-benefit analysis compliant with professional standards. This can be as simple as asking one question: Do the available vaccines reduce the risk of harm from COVID-19 infection more than they increase the risk of severe advere reactions?
• Make sure policies for religious and medical exemptions are consistent with public health recommendations, as well as state and local laws.
• Provide a inclusive, consistent, and ongoing educational campaign. Be transparent and clear about the process you used to create your policy. … [Read more...] about (7/2) How to Develop a Covid-19 Employee Vaccination Policy

If you think you know what really matters to caregivers, think again. A new survey has some surprising results about what caregivers in senior living want:

• While pay rate is the highest ranked factor for what motivates caregivers in their employment decisions, they are more likely to leave due to feelings of disrespect from management.
• Caregivers are highly motivated to stay in senior living despite COVID, and nearly 7 in 10 agree that they will still be working in the industry five years from now.
• While employers say they think caregivers are willing to give up part of their pay if they like the company’s culture, 60% of caregivers say this isn’t true.
• Besides better pay, caregivers say they want flexible work schedules, consistent/enough work hours, and benefits. Employers overestimate the value of knowing friends who work at the facility, which caregivers ranked as unlikely to attract them to a facility or keep them working … [Read more...] about (7/1) ‘Much More Than Pay’: Assisted Living Employees, Providers Differ on Workforce Shortage Solutions, Study Finds

Based on the findings of a new study, you may want to rethink plans to relax your COVID safety policies. In an American Staffing Association survey, 57% of respondents say they think employees should still be required to wear a mask when working on site, even after receiving the COVID-19 vaccination. Among other findings:

• 60% of respondents say it’s “no one’s business but their own” whether they’re vaccinated.
• 66% say they have a right to know if co-workers have gotten the COVID-19 vaccine.
• 70% of Black workers and 64% of Hispanic employees say they’re more likely to agree with on-site masking even after vaccination, compared with 50% of White workers.

According to a new American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) survey, about three-quarters of nursing homes (NHs) and more than half of assisted living (AL) communities say their workforce situation is worse in 2021 than it was last year. Among the findings:

• 94% of nursing homes and 81% of AL communities have faced recent workforce shortages.
• More than half say they are actively trying to fill vacant positions for certified nursing assistants (CNAs), licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, dietary staff, and housekeeping personnel.
• 81% of NHs and 79% of AL community respondents say that higher reimbursement and benefits would help improve recruitment and retention.
• Just under half of respondents from both settings say that improved perception of working in the post-acute/long-term care/senior care industry would help attract and keep workers.

Service animals can help people navigate the world physically, mentally, and emotionally. However, they can present some challenges and issues in the workplace. Here are a few things you need to know:

• Accommodation for service animals generally is covered by Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act. As a result, private employers much make reasonable accommodations for workers with physical or mental impairments, except when there is an undue hardship.
• Employers should approach and consider service animals like they do any other reasonable accommodation.
• Besides dogs, the only other widely accepted service animal is the miniature horse. If, for whatever reason, you can’t accommodate this type of animal, your organization needs to find another way to accommodate the person’s needs.
• There is a blurring of the lines between service, therapy, and emotional support animals. In the end, a person attempting to enter your building with an … [Read more...] about (6/29) What To Know About Service Animals in the Workplace

There are some obvious things that can hurt your image when you’re Zooming. However, there also are some subtle actions that could be sending the wrong message to colleagues, clients, and others:

• You think a Zoom is always necessary (and assume that everyone agrees).
• You don’t ever turn on mute, or you turn it on and never turn it off.
• You hog airtime and/or talk over others.
• You send private messages via Zoom chat.
• You join Zoom later; or, worse, you are the host and start the meeting late.
• You don’t pay attention to your background setting.
• You don’t look into the camera.
• You think headphones are optional.
• You don’t turn off your notifications before screen sharing.

A recent AARP analysis showed that nursing homes and other long-term care settings are still experiencing significant COVID-related illnesses and deaths, partly due to unvaccinated workers. Some employees likely are hesitant to get the COVID vaccine because of misconceptions or unfounded beliefs. To address vaccine misinformation among your workforce, consider the following:

• Discourage managers from discussing their own beliefs. Instead, they should confront misinformation with proven facts and instruct workers that sharing unproven claims with colleagues is disruptive.
• Be respectful and try to understand where people are coming from. Avoid using words such as “ridiculous,” “crazy,” or “absurd” when discussing workers’ beliefs (and misconceptions) with them.
• Understand that false speech isn’t protected in the workplace, so spreading lies or misleading information about vaccines isn’t a First Amendment right.
• Work to establish and … [Read more...] about (6/24) Confronting Vaccine Misinformation in the Workplace

More than ever, employees want and need psychological safety, the confidence that honesty, transparency, and vulnerability are welcome without judgment in the workplace. This can be challenging to create and sustain, but here are four keys:

• Emphasize performance and the ability to achieve results and goals with teamwork, innovation, and creative problem-solving.
• Train both individuals and team. Encourage people to express themselves and focus on their own individual skills and strengths, but also enable them to work and collaborate with others. This means participating in conversations where multiple perspectives are sought and welcomed.
• Incorporate visualization. Encourage people to visualize recent situations where they were successful and felt engaged and connected.
• Normalize vulnerability related to work. Let people know it’s okay to be a little anxious, unsure, or nervous, particularly regarding new projects, challenges, or crises. … [Read more...] about (6/23) 4 Steps to Boost Psychological Safety at Your Workplace

With workforce issues an urgent priority for post-acute and long-term care providers, industry leaders have targeted immigration as a potential solution:

• In its new Blueprint for a Better Aging Infrastructure, LeadingAge includes support for immigration policies that benefit providers and provide a path to citizenship for workers.
• The Essential Workers Immigration Coalition (EWIC), whose members include the National Center for Assisted Living, LeadingAge, and the American Seniors Housing Association, encourages legislation that provides citizenship for essential workers. The organization also has advocated for reintroducing of legislation that would implement a new pilot visa program for essential workers.
• LeadingAge launched its International Migration of Aging and Geriatric Workers in Response to the Needs of Elders) Initiative in 2019. This includes a temporary guest worker program, changes to the J-1 cultural exchange visa, and new ways to … [Read more...] about (6/22) Industry Continues to Look at Immigration Reform to Help Address Workforce Shortages

Here are six habits that successful leaders share:

1. Communicate ‘why.’ Don’t just share details but make sure you communicate a ‘why’ that will resonate with and inspire workers.
2. Be open to the team’s ideas. Ask for opinions and ideas. While it’s okay to explain why some ideas aren’t feasible, it’s also important to implement and utilize those with promise.
3. Admit and accept mistakes. Don’t be a know-it-all. Create and promote a culture where mistakes aren’t unfairly punished and where everyone is encouraged to admit to mistakes and learn from them.
4. Uncover motivation needs. This isn’t one-size-fits-all. Motivation differs from employee to employee. Find out what inspires and engages people.
5. Recognize and celebrate the team. This doesn’t have to put a dent in your budget. Public recognition, such as a ‘shout-out’ at a meeting, is appreciated.
6. Foster success in and out of work. Encourage work-life balance and the … [Read more...] about (6/21) What Makes Good Managers Great