InFront on the Workforce

Long-term and post-acute care publication

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Substance Abuse in the Workplace

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Think your staff is blessedly free from addiction and drug abuse issues? Statistics say you’re probably wrong, especially about the growing opioid crisis.

Maybe an employee takes a stimulant to get through that 12-hour shift. Or pops a prescription pain killer, originally given for a back injury but now used to “feel better.”

Drug abuse in the workplace doesn’t look like it used to. Today, one of the fastest-growing substance misuse categories is actually medication prescribed by a doctor—including the highly addictive opioids.

How do these trends impact your workforce, and what can you do about it?

How to Perk Up Your Perks

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When it comes to perks, there’s a big disconnect between what employees want and what employers offer.

With unemployment at nearly an all-time low, HR departments can expect a tougher battle for quality talent. One way to entice applicants is to offer perks that will differentiate your corporate culture from others who are competing locally for the same employee pool.

When designing perks, the biggest mistake employers make is assuming they know what their employees value most. There’s actually quite a disconnect between what employers think are good perks and what employees actually want, notes global HR giant Robert Half, which surveyed more than 1,500 employees and 600 HR managers about corporate culture and perks.

Why Your ATS System isn’t the Holy Grail

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Artificial intelligence applicant tracking systems are supposed to cut the work, but one major U.S. company discovered they also were cutting valid candidates.

In 2014, e-commerce giant Amazon began experimenting with its own software to streamline the process of sorting through piles of applicant resumes. The program had built-in artificial intelligence to look for the skills the company valued and then rank applicants with one to five stars.

“Everyone wanted this holy grail,” an unnamed source at Amazon told Reuters. “They literally wanted it to be an engine where I’m going to give you 100 resumes, it will spit out the top five, and we’ll hire those.”

But recently, Amazon’s tech gurus discovered a problem: The system seemed to be docking applicants for being female.

HR Managers Will Get New Staff Management Tools from CMS Initiative

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The practical tools will include staff competency assessments, training guides and workforce quality improvement goals.

A new initiative from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will provide HR and managers in skilled nursing settings a portfolio of tools to assess workforce skills, care quality and the quality of life for residents.

CMS is developing a series of work products for nursing home professionals, including staff competency assessment tools, instructional guides, training webinars and technical assistance seminars, notes a CMS press release announcing the new program.

The Widening Role of HR as C-Suite Advisors

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As talent management and business strategies align, HR professionals are increasingly being asked to advise the top executive teams.

Workforce efficiencies are tightly intertwined with business success, and HR managers are finding themselves with greater roles in the strategic development of the company—including acting as advisors to the COO and CEO.

CMS Finalizes PDGM to Revamp Home Healthcare Payments

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Home health is the latest LTPAC sector to get a major face lift in coding, billing and payment models.

Skilled nursing isn’t the only sector dealing with major changes in how they code, bill and receive payment. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) passing its final version of the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM), is set to revamp the coding groups and payments for the home health sector.

IRS Finalizes Forms for 2018 ACA Compliance

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Updating yearly data now can smooth the 1095 reporting at tax time, experts say.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released the final tax forms for reporting the 2018 health insurance coverage details required to document employer compliance with health mandates of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). But tick, tock—employers only have until Feb. 28, 2019 to gather and submit all compliance documentation.

Why Do Employees Leave?

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A national turnover report surveys the top reasons why workers choose to quit. Hint: There’s more to it than money.

More employees than ever are choosing to walk away from their jobs, putting pressure on HR teams to get a better understanding of what contributes to job satisfaction. In long-term and post-acute care (LTPAC), turnover rates are among the highest of any industry nationwide, exacerbated by severe pay disparities and a shortage of properly trained candidates.

So, what inspires an employee to stay? Surprisingly, it’s about more than money.

Execs and Employees Disagree on Status of Technology at Work, PwC Study Says

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There’s a big disconnect between what drives executive technology decisions and how employees experience that technology on the job.

The C-suite often sees things differently from other employees, especially when it comes to the way employees experience workplace technology, notes the latest PwC Consumer Intelligence Series report, “Our Status with Tech at Work: It’s Complicated.”

While 90% of executives believe they base technology decisions on the needs of their workforces, only about half (53%) of workers say the same, states the report, which surveyed more than 12,200 full-time employees.