What matters most to caregivers in the Senior Living Industry?
It’s no secret that staffing is one of the largest problems in senior living right now. Communities are struggling with hiring the right people, and are dealing with high turnover rates.
OnShift recently conducted a survey in Spring of 2021 of more than 2,800 employees across the industry to better understand employee’s personal and professional needs.
According to the report, the biggest challenges include:
- Feeling stressed and burned out (49%)
- Staying healthy (40%)
- Day-to-day financial struggles/lack of savings (35%)
- Fear and safety concerns due to COVID-19 (26%)
What does this mean for you, as a leader in the senior living industry? If you want to solve your high turnover rate, you need to take a different approach and create an innovative work culture that leads to less burnout and stress.
Here’s how you can help. The report shows that what matters most to caregivers include:
- Bonus pay for working difficult shifts (44%)
- Rewards & recognition program for contributions at work (29%)
- More flexible work schedule (25%)
As a leader in the industry, it’s clear that you care about both your residents and your staff. Here are three ideas to try this month to help increase your employee satisfaction, according to what they report matters most to them.
- If you are an employee or manager, set aside time to give your caregivers feedback or reviews. Set clear goals and expectations, as well as telling them all the positive things they are doing in their role. Make sure to tell them you appreciate them for all of their hard work and give specific examples. This sounds so simple, but is something that can often get pushed to the backburner when leadership is busy.
- If you have the flexibility in your finances to give bonuses, or increase pay, do it. Remember, 35% of those surveyed said their biggest struggle was financial. Increasing pay shows appreciation for your employees and lets them know they are valuable to the company.
- If you can’t afford to increase pay, consider other incentives like more paid time off or flexible work schedules.
High turnover is a reality in the industry right now, but it doesn’t have to be that way in the future.
79 percent of those surveyed said the most rewarding part of their job was caring for residents. Now, Senior Living Communities are challenged to fill the gaps and cultivate a rewarding workplace culture.
And if you want to fix your turnover and get high quality applicants, partner with SeniorVu’s applicant management services. You’ll never have to turn people away because you don’t have the staff.
Interviews are scheduled for you either via phone or in person. Then, SeniorVu will provide the marketing automation, analytics and recordings so you know you are making the right hire.
SeniorVu will connect your community with the best applicants before they are found by another senior living community. We promise to connect every job applicant with your community within the hour.
Ready to find the right hire? Fix your turnover problem and start today.
