A new report suggests that better pay for front-line staff would have a positive domino effect, impacting quality of care, turnover, and financial wellness. There is little question that direct care workers play an essential role in senior care – from home care to skilled nursing. They not only provide needed care and services, but they also touch residents’ lives, bring joy and laughter, and ward off loneliness. Yet there is a disconnect between these workers’ value and how they are paid. A new report from LeadingAge details how higher wages for direct care workers not only can boost their financial wellbeing but also reduce turnover, improve productivity, and enhance quality of life. … [Read more...] about Imagine a World with Living Wages for Direct Care Workers
Trends in the Industry
New Report: Direct Care Workers Remain Undercompensated Superheroes
The COVID pandemic has put a spotlight on caregivers, but there’s no pot of gold to reward them for their efforts. “It has taken a significant health crisis for our country to begin seeing the value of our long-term care system and its workforce – but this research shows how much work is needed to address the many barriers facing direct care workers,” says Jodi M. Surgeon, president of national advocacy organization, PHI. However, despite a high demand and growing appreciation for caregivers, wages remain low. This is among the results from a new PHI survey. … [Read more...] about New Report: Direct Care Workers Remain Undercompensated Superheroes
Loud and Proud: HR Professionals Speak Out, Plug In to Address COVID Challenges
According to a new survey, HR professionals have a strong voice in their companies and are using it to promote change and innovation. A vast majority (88%) of HR leaders responding to the 2020 Paychex Pulse of HR Survey feel that they are a strategic partner within their organization. Particularly, they say they have a vital role in navigating new regulatory challenges compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. About 80% believe that workplace technology helps support them in this role, and 79% say tech tools enable their workforce to be more efficient and productive. … [Read more...] about Loud and Proud: HR Professionals Speak Out, Plug In to Address COVID Challenges
When the School Bell Rings, Where Will Your Employees Be?
Putting families first this fall means that some workers will require paid leave. Know now who is eligible and when. Your employees with children, especially as schools prepare to go back in session, are under tremendous stress. With many schools opening for in-person or remote learning or a hybrid model, your working moms and dads likely will have to spend some of their time juggling work and schooling. … [Read more...] about When the School Bell Rings, Where Will Your Employees Be?
Encourage Responsible Behaviors with COVID Pledge
If employees behave irresponsibly outside of work, it can have a disastrous effect on your organization and everyone in it. Consider a pledge to help ensure that workers take safety seriously 24/7. Your employees are representatives of your organization, even when they are off the clock. During this pandemic, you don’t want to see a worker on the evening news or an internet video socializing in a crowded bar or refusing to wear a mask to shop in a store. Your workers have a responsibility to protect themselves, their coworkers, your residents, and everyone they encounter in the course of a day. While you can’t monitor what they do and say 24/7, you can make sure they understand what behavior is expected of them and the consequences of noncompliance. … [Read more...] about Encourage Responsible Behaviors with COVID Pledge
From Chaotic to Comfortable: How the Right Environment Can Maximize Workplace Mental Health
Your workplace can be affecting your employees’ wellbeing. Look around for ways to keep everyone happy, healthy, and productive – even in times of stress. Back in May, the World Health Organization predicted a “massive increase in mental health conditions” caused by pandemic-related anxiety and isolation. Since then, digital platforms such as Talkspace have reported spikes in activity; and a Kaiser Family Foundation survey says that more than half of American adults report that the pandemic has worsened their mental health. Despite your best efforts, many of your workers may be hurting. Consider how you can change and adapt their environment to boost their mood and reduce their anxieties as they return to the workplace. … [Read more...] about From Chaotic to Comfortable: How the Right Environment Can Maximize Workplace Mental Health
Workers Are Counting on You to Keep Them Safe Post-COVID: Are You Ready?
Consider these innovative ways to show employees that their safety is a top priority…now and into the future. Your employees and colleagues, whether they’ve been working onsite or functioning remotely, increasingly will look to organizational leaders to keep them safe and healthy in the months (and years) ahead. This means going beyond business as usual; and it will take more than hand sanitizer dispensers in the lobby and the break room. Don’t wait until a second wave of COVID-19 or another health crisis hits to strategically plan for the new normal of workplace safety. … [Read more...] about Workers Are Counting on You to Keep Them Safe Post-COVID: Are You Ready?
How to Unify Employees When Diverse Beliefs Threaten to Divide Them
Between politics and the pandemic, conversations can heat up quickly. Focus on common goals, ideas, and interests to keep your workplace cool. Mix politics with a pandemic, and the result is potentially explosive. However, leaders in the field suggest some strategies for keeping the heat down and teamwork up, even when workers have opposing and passionately held beliefs. … [Read more...] about How to Unify Employees When Diverse Beliefs Threaten to Divide Them
Pandemic Brings New Attention to Dealing with Angry People
When you or your employees are a target of anger and/or outrage, it’s frustrating and uncomfortable. But you may be more in control than you think. The challenges of dealing with angry people – at work and in life – have come center stage recently, due to people posting videos and stories of “Karens” and “Kevins,” slang for people complaining and causing trouble for others in their communities. These are individuals who exhibit outraged, angry, entitled, paranoid, and/or abusive behavior toward others, most often with little or no provocation. We have all encountered these men and women is one form or another. The question is how to deal with them in a professional, respectful, and calm way, particularly when just walking away isn’t an option. … [Read more...] about Pandemic Brings New Attention to Dealing with Angry People
Pandemic Brings New Urgency to Digital Skills, But Gaps Remain
The new normal of work will require employees at all level to up their digital game. Get ready now to take the lead on training. The COVID pandemic has put technology in the spotlight, as telemedicine visits, video meetings, virtual conferences, and remote work have become the norm. As a result, everyone—even entry-level workers--are now expected to have some digital skills. In health care alone, the number of people impacted by this digital demand is nearly 24 million. However, according to new data, the digital skills gap is wider than you may think; and you need to start planning now to fill it. … [Read more...] about Pandemic Brings New Urgency to Digital Skills, But Gaps Remain
