The LTPAC industry has long dealt with a very high turnover rate, estimated at upwards of 150%. Providers invest massive amounts of money into recruitment efforts for front line staff including advertising, STNA classes, bonuses, free uniforms, benefit programs, etc. Facilities all have Staff Development programs to help educate both the new and the seasoned employee. Terms like “Employee Onboarding” are incorporated into our written materials and we stay current with the “best practices” for hiring. But are we missing something?

Making Your New Employees Feel Welcome

Providers offer a caring environment for our residents and do everything possible to create a home-like atmosphere. That sense of familial responsibility and nurturing is the essence of our business. But if we don’t help our employees to feel as cared about as our residents, our whole foundation of care may be on unsteady ground. It’s great to have a free lunch on the first day and a meet and greet with the management team…a great “Welcome Aboard” talk or video by the key leadership. But what do we do after the first day or so when the blush of being a new employee is starting to fade? Are new staff members thrust into their duties before they are ready? Aside from technical knowledge and policies and procedures, do new employees really have a sense of the culture of your organization? Are they put onto an understaffed unit or scheduled to work on a unit that has lots of challenges? Do they have adequate training to care for and about special resident populations such as memory care, rehab, etc.? Is there a staff member assigned to be their “go to” resource when there is a question or perhaps a need to be shown or told something a second time? Does leadership make a point to seek out a new employee and touch base with a simple, “We’re glad you are here. How is everything going? Do you need anything?”  Even a simple “hello” and a welcome can go a long way in helping a new employee to feel that they belong. We all want to belong, we must not forget that.

Continuing to Show Your Employees that You Care

If we just throw our new employees out there into the fast paced world of LTC, are we doing them, ourselves, and ultimately our residents a disservice? Does your organization conduct exit interviews, especially with those new employees who don’t survive the introductory or probationary period? Do you really solicit the feedback of those who decided to move on or who just didn’t succeed? Was there a small fix that could have helped to retain some of those individuals? Would a little more personal mentorship, coaching or friendship have helped to bring some of those individuals into your caring community? We can’t just dismiss the high turnover rate to “that’s the way it is in our industry”. If it is, it does not have to be. The LTPAC industry has some of the most caring individuals I have ever met.

Entry line staff is not “a dime a dozen”. Each employee who truly has a caring heart is worth a million. I am of the belief that you can teach the “How-to’s”. You cannot teach someone to have a kind heart. Give new employees the benefit of all that is good about you and your organization. Remember that you were “new” once too – don’t lose sight of that feeling. Do whatever you can to help nurture the caring heart you saw in the hiring process.

Don’t eat your young. Only animals do that.

For additional ideas to help reduce your turnover rates, contact Richter Healthcare Consultants at 866-806-0799 today.