Long-term and post-acute care publication
Back in 2016, a study indicated that state laws mandating flu shots for healthcare workers contributes to higher vaccination rates. However, laws like one being considered in the Ohio legislature could muddy the waters for healthcare facilities and other employers in the state and beyond.
In healthcare, there are no holidays. Like it or not, at least some of your employees will have to work when others are off celebrating with family and friends. However, there are efforts that HR and other leaders can take to make working on holidays more fun and less stressful for everyone. While free food is always welcome, there are other, creative, out-of-the-box ideas that will almost make workers happy to take the holiday shift.
Age discrimination in the workplace continues to be a concern for many Americans; and earlier this year, the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act (POWADA) was introduced in the U.S. Senate. This bill amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) to make it easier to fight back against age discrimination. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Susan Collins (R-ME), two of the bill’s sponsors, also wrote a letter to Facebook, Google, and LinkedIn to express serious concern over the use of advertising targeting tools on these platforms that allow employers to recruit potential employees in specific age ranges.
In their letter Senators Casey and Collins said that age discrimination “continues to occur, and changes in technology and the methods employers use to recruit, hire, and manage workers have introduced new avenues by which employers may engage in illegal conduct….As America’s workforce continues to age, it is imperative that protections for older workers are enforced and updated when necessary.” They also requested information about how often age-targeted advertising was used on these platforms.
At this week’s Collaborative Care HIT Summit in Baltimore, MD, a panel of experts talked about the urgency of addressing cybersecurity in healthcare organizations. “A war is going on, and we are the good guys. We block 21 million threats every month. Cybersecurity is one of the top risks for most organizations. You have to be focused on this, no matter what our role is,” said Jeff Bontsas, chief information security office at Ascension Technologies.
Panelist Julie Chua, risk management branch chief, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), talked about some of the resources the government has to help healthcare organizations and other stakeholders understand and address cybersecurity issues. Among these is Health Industry Cybersecurity Practice: Managing and Protecting Patients (HICP), a document designed to raise awareness, provide vetted security practices, and move organizations towards consistency in mitigating the most pertinent cybersecurity threats. It also provides guidance on cost-effective methods that healthcare organizations at every size and resource level can use to reduce cybersecurity risks.
According to a recent survey of 3,000 workers, overall employee engagement stands at 71%. However, diving deeper, it’s clear that they like some aspects of their employment more than others. For instance, respondents said they’re happiest with their jobs (70%) and the people at their company (69%). Just 64% cited their manager and 60% the organization itself as greatest sources of satisfaction. Read on to find out what specific benefits and opportunities people say drive employee engagement.
Managing leave and reducing absenteeism is a priority for employers, according to a new study on the value of leave management integration. The results show that the proliferation of new and proposed paid family and medical leave laws has focused employers’ attention on compliance and policies, and they are boosting their efforts to manage absences.
Compared with the same study from 2014, almost twice as many companies in 2019 say their senior leadership prioritizes managing leave and reducing absenteeism. They also are more mindful of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as well as statutory disability and workers’ compensation and leave laws. Employers are putting greater efforts into ensuring these laws are addressed in their company’s absence plans and policies. More complex state leave laws, particularly, are contributing to employers’ efforts to adopt new practices to better manage absenteeism and improve compliance.
According to a new Deloitte survey, a daily “thank you” can go a long way with your employees. Of 16,000 professionals—from C-suite execs to junior staff—85% said that they prefer a simple “thank you” as recognition for their daily accomplishments. About a third (32%) said they want to be recognized by their direct supervisor, and 37% said they would like kudos from the boss above their own manager. Women, in particular, would like management to make the extra effort at recognition.
“Society’s attitudes towards pets are changing. We’ve gone from keeping pets outside to putting them in our beds. We are more pet-friendly than ever, but our institutions haven’t caught up,” said Steve Feldman, executive director of the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), in a recent interview. Increasingly, organizations see pets as appealing to potential employees and customers/clients/residents. In one survey, 87% of employers indicated that identifying as dog-friendly has helped them attract and retain more talent. At the same time, almost two-thirds of employees said they would choose a dog-friendly employer over one that’s not.
In post-acute and long-term care (PALTC), specifically, communities are starting to see pets as key to worker and resident satisfaction. In a recent survey of senior centers, 11% self-identified as pet-friendly workplaces where staff could bring pets to work, and most respondents said they would be willing to consider adding animal programming of some kind in the future. Nearly half (40%) said they were “very interested” in this. Only 6% said they weren’t at all interested.
Want a competitive edge in a tough market? Then become a FALO—a “Flexible, Adaptive, Learning Organization.” This encourages leaders to focus on issues within their area of control instead of wasting time chasing issues they can’t substantially impact. A FALO organization has a willingness to change or compromise, the ability to use flexibility to accommodate new conditions, and the capability to quickly learn new skills and information necessary to meet demands.
It’s Monday morning; and one of your best employees sits at her desk. She just got back from a trip where she used her credit card more than usual, so she is alarmed when she sees an email from her card company with a subject line about suspicious charges. Without thinking, she opens the email and clicks on the link. Too late, she realizes she’s fallen prey to a phishing expedition. Your employees, even the best of them, are your organization’s biggest threat to cybersecurity; and you might be surprised how easy it is for hackers to fool them. However, you can teach your workers to defend your system when attacks come your way.
