HR Industry Brief

Panel members at a program earlier this week suggested that skilled nursing providers must focus on improved outcomes and accountability if they want higher government reimbursement. Specifically, the speakers said, better staffing and infection control must be top priorities for the industry in the post-pandemic world. These focuses will call for significant increases in Medicaid funding and increases likely will be linked to outcomes-based metrics. During the discussion, Harvard Medical School researcher David Grabowski, PhD, said, ”We’re going to give the industry something, but we’re also going to expect something. That’s affair trade.” Read the full article.   … [Read more...] about (3/12) Pay More For Staffing, Infection Control Upgrades, Punish Those Who Fail

You may think you’re giving employees all the information they need, but they may not agree. According to a new survey, workers say that nearly half (41%) of the information they get from their employer is irrelevant to their job. They say they spend a whopping 2.5 hours every day searching for information they need to do their job. This added burden caused 42% of respondents to say they feel less engaged in their work and 47% feel less confident in their ability to do their job. Because they are unsure of the information they get from their higher ups, 85% of employees say they’re “not completely confident” about the quality or accuracy of the information they share with others. Employers need to serve as gatekeepers to ensure that employees don’t get more information that they need and that what they get is relevant for them, helps them do their jobs better, and is accurate. [Read more...] about (3/11) Workers Struggle with ‘Irrelevant’ Information Provided by Employers, Firm Says

Empowered employees are great assets, so find ways to help workers feel engaged, appreciated, and equipped to be successful. A few steps can help:

• Train managers to trust their teams and resist the urge to micromanage.
• Create and maintain an organizational culture that celebrates innovation and new ideas. Employees shouldn’t be afraid to suggest new ideas or worry about being reprimanded for innovations or changes that don’t work out.
• Have an employee development program with a self-service or -customization aspect to it.
• Make sure managers set clear expectations.
• Communicate the organizational vision, mission, objectives, and values to employees.
• Train leadership to set goals but give employees flexibility on how to reach them.
• Give employees tools to do their jobs well.

According to new survey data, about 28% of U.S. employees say they’ won’t get vaccinations. Nonetheless, the majority of employers say they won’t mandating that workers be vaccinations. Their top concerns are:

• Resistance from employees who refuse to get vaccinated (79%)
• Impact on company morale and culture (67%)
• Legal liability (64%)
• Administrative difficulties (47%)

  While many see the COVID-19 vaccine as the light at the end of the tunnel for the pandemic, many nursing home and other post-acute and long-term care staffers are still hesitant to get vaccinated. For instance, Lori Porter, cofounder and CEO of the National Association of Health Care Assistants, says, “The number one thing CNAs need now is trusted information. Our polling shows that many CNAs say they won’t get vaccinated for various reasons. Among these, she explains, “They’re being told to take two days off work if they feel bad. But they can’t afford to do this, so they’re afraid to get the vaccine and miss work. It’s a horrible, gut-wrenching situation.” Leslie Eber, MD, CMD, a Colorado-based physician and nursing home medical director, stresses the importance of listening and showing respect and empathy for staff who are vaccine hesitant. She says, “When you have a foundation of trust and leadership, you can always move from there. For medical directors who already … [Read more...] about (3/8) COVID-19 Vaccination in Nursing Homes: Trust in the Tunnel Will Help Staff See the Light at the End

The pandemic has created a mental health crisis, and workplace programs to help haven’t done the job, according to a new survey. Fewer than a third of 494 employers said their well-being /caregiving benefit programs have effectively supported employees during the pandemic. More than half of survey respondents said that employees’ caregiver issues, such as juggling childcare with work, was a top challenge. Decreased use of paid time off came in a close second. To address these problems, half of employers said they made changes to PTO or vacation and sick day benefits, but many admitted these were only “short-term” changes. This limited their effectiveness. More than half of respondents said that stress and burnout were key challenges that they attempted to address with a greater emphasis on mental health services and stress management programs. Two-thirds of employers say that shoring up mental health benefits will be a priority in 2021. [Read more...] about (3/5) Survey: Most Employers Say Their Mental Health, Well-Being Programs Were Ineffective During Pandemic

Unlike skilled nursing and senior living setting, workers in home actually experienced less burnout as the pandemic wore on. In a recent survey of 330,000 senior care workers, the burnout rate for home care workers dipped 12% in the second half of 2020. At the same time, burnout rates for workers in skilled care and senior living actually increased by double digits. Experts suggest that home care providers perhaps did a better job of adapting to their employees’ needs during the pandemic. Elsewhere, home care demand increased during the COVID crisis, so providers had to change their engagement and retention strategies. Burnout is a costly problem that increases turnover and absences, and it negatively impact worker performance and client satisfaction. Read the full article. … [Read more...] about (3/4) Staying Put Surprise: Burnout Among Home Care Workers Falls by 12% During Pandemic, Survey Finds

According to a new study, median turnover among nursing staff, including in nursing homes, was 94% in 2017 and 2018. The numbers were even higher for some groups. Specifically, mean turnover rates were 141% among registered nurses and 129% among certified nursing assistants (CNAs). Hawaii had the lowest rates of nurse turnover at 39%; Oklahoma had the highest at 165%. Not surprisingly, turnover was higher at 1-star facilities. The study authors suggest that staff turnover rates be publicly reported to help leverage better wages and benefits for nursing staff and generate more state funding. Read the full article. … [Read more...] about (3/3) ‘Alarming’ Nurse Turnover Rates Linked to Quality, Payment Woes in Major New Nursing Home Study

How important is morale? According to a new survey, when an employer cares for workers, employees say that they:

• Feel included in their organization (95%)
• Would recommend their organization to a friend (91%)
• Plan to stay at their organization for 3 or more years (6-%)

• Use video and text analysis to help understand employee sentiment and identify fatigue and other issues. Don’t just rely on surveys and occasional check-ins.
• Connect employees with issues they are passionate about. Drive virtual volunteering opportunities.
• Transform training with efforts such as virtual mentoring, microlearning, reskilling, and networking.
• Stop the Zoom overload. One national survey found that employees are spending an average of three hours a day on video calls. Consider where you can cut back on Zooming and look for other forms of … [Read more...] about (3/2) Employer Report Card: 5 Steps for Boosting Your Employee Morale Grade

  According to survey data, employees are working hard to meet goals and be productive during the pandemic. With everyone focused on getting through this trying time, employers may not have worker burnout on their radar; and they aren’t prepared to deal with this problem. The top reasons for burnout are:

• Unmanageable workload
• Lack of support from managers
• Insufficient rewards
• Lack of burnout recognition

• Outlining manageable work expectations.
• Encouraging a productive work/life balance.
• Trusting people to do their jobs.
• Giving people the training, education, and skills to handle any new tasks or assignments.