Overcoming ‘Mutual Disloyalty’ in Long-term Care

Written by Lola Rain

With 60% median turnover in long-term care, California is seeing a 700,000 caregiver shortage according to Dr. Jacquelyn Kung of Activated Insights Great Place to Work?. During the November LeadingAge California Leadership Series webinar, Kung explained that part of the problem with retention is a ‘mutual disloyalty’ between providers and caregivers.

An example of ‘mutual disloyalty’ is when a supervisor praises a caregiver but does not provide her with more shifts. Then the caregiver, who was willing to work more, declares she can’t work for several weeks (or months) due to travel or family obligations. This kind of misalignment makes it hard to develop trust and loyalty between caregivers and their employers. 

5 Tips for Solving the Retention Problem

Hire the Right People

Too many open positions mean senior living providers experience staff shortages, causing lower staff satisfaction as well as additional costs associated with overtime. In-home care providers too often are forced to turn away business, in-turn losing revenue, because they don’t have the caregivers to provide the service. These challenges lead to hiring managers selecting candidates that may not be a good fit. Kung said companies with higher retention and satisfaction focus on finding people who share the organization’s values. She urged providers to approach hiring as, “This is not just another caregiver job.” Finding the right fit means waiting to extend job offers to the right people -- even when turning away applicants means turning away business. The wrong hire isn’t just an expensive short-timer, it’s a long-term risk to your brand’s reputation. 

Invest in On-boarding

On-boarding is the first impression your company has on its new hires. This experience needs to be engaging. The leadership (i.e. Executive Director) needs to be present and approachable. Focus on fun, not just policies and procedures. Talking about airborne illnesses and compliance is not going to make the first day memorable said Kung. This is the opportunity to create a relationship with your caregivers and make them part of your company’s family. It is the first step to building a loyal and trusting relationship. Eat together and laugh. This investment will build the retention necessary to succeed in today’s challenging market. 

Pay Well

On average, the senior living industry spends $10,000 per move-in said Kung. Recruiting an employee is not as expensive as recruiting a resident, but the life-time expense of keeping employees satisfied will help you recruit and retain many, many residents. Caregivers are essential to the success of your business. A happy employee makes a happy resident. 

Kung explained that worldwide, employees surveyed with the Great Places to Work trust index mention pay. It’s not just a U.S. indicator of staff satisfaction. Evaluate compensation not only through the lens of competitive pay, but by the desired longevity of your employee. Kung recommends giving performance increases at six and 12-month increments based off merit. Communicate the expectations and the reward. For example, if they stay a year, give them a $1 bump in pay. If you give them milestones to achieve, you will see an increase in retention. 

Provide Benefits

Many caregivers work part-time and may not meet the requirements of your current benefits package. This should not stop your organization from evaluating the cost of providing benefits to those caregivers who are part-time and on call. Larger organizations are not the only ones who can afford 401k matching and gym memberships. You will find these added benefits increase your employees’ retention rates by surprising amounts that make it well worth the expense. Ask your CFO: Can we afford not to give added benefits if we want to reduce the cost associated with turnover?

Give Support

People who gravitate towards working with the older population have huge hearts and are worthy of personal and professional support. The hard work they do deserves recognition. Kung encourages companies to celebrate each individual and embrace staff as family. “Celebrate birthdays…have meals together,” said Kung. Make an impact on their lives, and the lives of their families. Create support groups and give your caregivers a voice. These are the types of added value that will keep your employees engaged and coming back day after day to care for the people your organization serves. 

Activated Insights oversees the trust index survey used for Great Place to Work? Certification in the aging services industry. According to Kung, they have surveyed over 250,000 employees at 3,000 senior care organizations in the U.S. The Great Place to Work Institute is the global authority of employee engagement providing the world’s largest employee survey which supplies rankings to Fortune Magazine. Their data is used to build workplace culture and employee engagement. Check out the infographic created from surveying 20,000 U.S. Certified Nurse Assistants (CNA).

Article submitted to Senior Living Foresight.