NEW YORK: Care companies could improve worker retention — and significantly improve their bottom lines — by enhancing communication with staff, industry experts say.
The financial stakes are high for keeping employees on the payroll in assisted living, care environments and continuing care retirement communities.
Senior living providers face a variety of obstacles in recruiting and retaining workers, including increased competition from retailers, fast-food restaurants and other employers. While wages and benefits do need to be competitive, they do not need to be unreasonably high; in fact focusing too much on pay will not solve the turnover challenges with which many providers are currently grappling with.
3. Start small, be consistent
While having too many meetings be a pitfall, perhaps an even greater danger is committing to have them routinely but then not following through.
If this lack of follow-through happens frequently, staff members come to see promises and plans made by management as “meaningless”. This erodes the sense of trust that is the foundation of strong communication throughout an organization.
As with many other efforts to improve an organization, a push to improve communication can lead to big success but start with a few modest changes…